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Zones instead of rooms: imm cologne 2012 provides inspiration for new floor plans and the interior trends of the future

Zones instead of rooms: The elimination of room boundaries and walls is giving rise to a host of new possibilities for interior design.

The reason modernist architecture is so topical again today is that – perhaps for the first time ever – it is compatible with many people’s desire for open living spaces, a more flexible organisation of their lives and aesthetics with a bearing on the present. Today we want to live the way Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier proposed.

But also the way Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien depict in their installation for “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” at imm cologne 2012 (16.-22.01.2012) in Cologne: in an individual, lively home with cultural echoes. In a house that permits privacy and publicness, that connects the kitchen, eating and working zones, family and friends, areas of retreat and shared wellness experiences in an individual way.

The conventions that shape the way we live are changing along with our lifestyles, and architecture is enabling a growing number of people to try out new ways of living. The elimination of room boundaries and walls, the new desire for cosiness and the longing for more nature in the house are giving rise to a host of new possibilities for interior design. Today, anybody that wants to build a house for contemporary living needs more than a floor plan – he needs a concept.

London design studio Doshi Levien to create imm cologne highlight “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” 2012

Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. (Photo: Doshi Levien)

Starting in 2012, the international interior design fair imm cologne will again be hosting a major design event: “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage”. The project focuses on the design of an artificial living situation within the trade fair – public and yet very personal living space designed by Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. The London-based design team will be kicking off the new format in January 2012.

“Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” will show a structure created entirely in accordance with the guest designer’s ideas – architectural elements, interior and outdoor space – as well as arrangements of furniture and furnishing elements for an individually configured interior design. In the middle of the Pure Village hall, the trade fair will erect an approx. 180 m² platform to serve as an open stage for the project. “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” is thus both a designer portrait and a visionary blueprint, an example of how it is possible to create a world of one’s own that becomes an expression of one’s own personality.

Simmering furniture towers: Innovative kitchen concept by Philippe Starck

Photo: Warendorf

Ashlar-like towers in dark wood, rather like a living-room unit that can be accessed from all sides. A footprint of one square-metre stretches towards the ceiling, accompanied by an elongated matt-silver table with wooden drawers – apart from the telltale tap peeking over the surface, it’s actually more reminiscent of a dining table or worktop.

The “Warendorf Towers” kitchen is the French designer’s latest line for the Starck by Warendorf Collection. The modular system consists of three main elements – two towers and a long multifunctional table – and integrates the kitchen with the living area so harmoniously that you have to look twice to make out the cooker and refrigerator. The spectrum of functions is roughly divided into a “cold tower” with a dishwasher and fridge-freezer and a “hot tower” with the oven or steam oven. Three sides are closed by drawers, the fourth can be designed individually – with a slate panel or mirror, for instance.

Patricia Urquiola and Harald Gründl talking about the Interior Trends 2011

Patricia Urquiola, member of the imm cologne 2011 trend board. (photo: E15)

“Our task was to take a look at the various forms in which the trends are expressed,” says the Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola concerning the work of the imm cologne 2011 Trend Board. She considers this a pioneering development. “We have to realize that today there are completely different perspectives on what people consider innovative,” she says. “Sometimes a new interpretation of something old or a particularly simple and intelligent production method is much more innovative than a new material or an innovative technology. The concept of innovation is changing. In my opinion, it’s closely connected with people’s needs and with the way we use objects.”

Walter Knoll’s secret of success: Looking with designers for something that has never been done before

MYchair; Design: Ben van Berkel; Foto: Walter Knoll Walter Knoll (exhibitor at imm cologne 2010, 19.-24.01.2010), one of Germany’s oldest manufacturers of upholstered furniture, cultivates a close partnership with designers and architects – an approach that is key to the company’s success. “New products evolve out of thorough communication, immersing yourself in processes and clarifying ideas. We seek out gaps together, looking for the right opening for something that has never been done before,” says CEO Markus Benz.

Benz, head of the Herrenberg-based company since 1993, sets great store by communication. It is a recurring theme that is also reflected in the company’s products. Take the Ameo lounge chairs by Austrian design team EOOS, for instance: they are ideal for relaxing with friends and putting the world to rights. The island-like swivel chairs can be turned to face one another for a conversation or away from the crowd for a moment of reflection, open to new perspectives. Or Living Landscape – another EOOS design. The sides and back turn with the seat and change their position.

Arik Lévy and this year’s furniture trends: “Trends can become a tool – a tool to use and to understand what we see”

arik_levy What are the key trends influencing furniture design this year? We asked designers, manufacturers, retailers and journalists for their assessments and observations.

Arik Lévy, Designer, Paris:

This last one was an interesting period for us all. Many things have changed in people’s eyes, minds and in their way of thinking. For me personally – and confirmed by the fair and some of the products shown – trends are or can become a tool – a tool to use and to understand what we see. Trends change so fast that maybe it is not the trend itself that is important but the way and reasons it changes.

I think the current trend is and will be to get ones identity back, to be honest and to be devoted to ones original ideas. Believe in what you do and concentrate your vision towards the future, towards quality and efficiency, outstanding solutions to real every day problems from the end user to the supply chain, delivery and storage.

Konstantin Grcic: ”I even think certain rules have to be laid down. That’s the only way things are going to change.”

Konstantin Grcic (*1965) trained as a cabinetmaker at the John Makepeace School for Craftsmen in Dorset (1985 to 1987) before studying furniture design at the Royal College of Art in London.

After a year as an assistant to Jasper Morrison, he founded his own firm in Munich in 1991: “Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design”. The 90s saw the start of his success with laundry baskets and other plastic items for Authentics; then came style icons such as the Mayday lamp for Flos (1999), the swaying shelving unit Es for Nils Holger Moormann (1999), the Chaos armchair for ClassiCon (2001) and the Osorom seating element for Moroso (2002). The chair_ONE die-cast aluminium chair with a conical concrete foot (Magis, 2004) was actually intended for public spaces but went on to sell in its thousands as a sculptural lattice structure with seating function for the private loft. It was followed by the Miura bar stool (Plank, 2005).

Professor Stefan Heiliger: “Modernism evidently doesn‘t permit enough emotionality.”

prof_heiliger Stefan Heiliger, born in Berlin in 1941, studied at Ulm School of Design and under Wilhelm Wagenfeld in Stuttgart. From 1964 to 1977, he worked for Mercedes-Benz as a designer. One of the most important designs of this period was the 207 D for Mercedes, a van that was produced by the millions.

In a 2007 retrospective of the designer‘s work, Frankfurt Museum of Applied Art showcased his Relax furniture from the time after his years as a car designer. As a professor at Ulm School of Design and owner of a design studio, Stefan Heiliger specialised in furniture design. He has received numerous awards for his chair, armchair and sofa designs for manufacturers like Bonaldo, WK Möbel or Ruf Betten.

Olaf Schroeder, ID_OS: “I doubt whether our society will shift back to less mass production.”

growing_table ID_OS is a development company for industrial and public design based in Frankfurt am Main. Since 1996, proprietor Olaf Schroeder (*1966) has been developing design concepts and solutions in the fields of product, furniture, system and exhibition design, as well as design projects for public spaces.

Besides the household products he has worked on for manufacturers Hailo, Leifheit and Rowenta, Olaf Schroeder has also developed and designed exhibitions and pavilion architectures. In 2003, Olaf Schroeder was awarded the state of Hesse’s special environmental award for his development work in connection with a solar-powered boat project. From 1998 until 2002, he was a lecturer at Offenbach University of Art and Design.

Green Design: The designer’s ecological footprint

The print our feet leave on our planet should be as light as possible – that is the aim of Green Design. Product designers are no longer content with making a purely aesthetic mark. Instead, with unconventional ideas and sustainable product concepts, they are committed to making our lifestyle more compatible with the environment.

Green Design is the dream of “good” design, of things that don’t hurt anybody – not nature, who the material is taken from and is left to deal with the remains, not the planet, who the energy is extracted from and whose atmosphere it is emitted into, nor the people who make or use the object.

imm cologne

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Zones instead of rooms: imm cologne 2012 provides inspiration for new floor plans and the interior trends of the future

London design studio Doshi Levien to create imm cologne highlight “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” 2012

Simmering furniture towers: Innovative kitchen concept by Philippe Starck

Patricia Urquiola and Harald Gründl talking about the Interior Trends 2011

Walter Knoll’s secret of success: Looking with designers for something that has never been done before

Arik Lévy and this year’s furniture trends: “Trends can become a tool – a tool to use and to understand what we see”

Konstantin Grcic: ”I even think certain rules have to be laid down. That’s the only way things are going to change.”

Professor Stefan Heiliger: “Modernism evidently doesn‘t permit enough emotionality.”

Olaf Schroeder, ID_OS: “I doubt whether our society will shift back to less mass production.”

Green Design: The designer’s ecological footprint

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