Editorial

Photo: Koelnmesse

Koelnmesse’s Trend Book “Interior Trends 2011” is not only about consumers’ aspirations but about the designers’ perspectives too: Where do their preferences lie, how do they see the future, how do they perceive the environment, what approaches do they pursue in their designs? Anybody who reads the Trend Book carefully will see the imm cologne with different eyes afterwards: from the standpoint of some of the most fascinating creative personalities who themselves play a key role in shaping this intriguing landscape.

On the other hand, anybody expecting the Trend Book to provide simple recipes for designing next year’s homes and showrooms will probably be disappointed. Certainly, it contains dense atmospheric sketches of tomorrow’s interior ambiance, of the forms and materials that will be striking a chord with consumers next season; and the colour palettes of the four Interior Trends “Emotional Austerity”, “Surprising Empathy”, “Re-Balancing” and “Transforming Perspectives” will once again prove a valuable point of reference, especially for designers and professional decorators. But anyone looking for clichéd pigeonholes that double as blueprints for giving the home a quick spring facelift will find the Trendboard cannot oblige. Its projections are too close to reality and too close to real people for that.

For these days, nothing is simple any more. Instead we find ourselves surrounded by complexity and longing for unambiguous, straightforward solutions that reveal themselves to us in simple images. That is why furniture and interiors that embody this and appeal to us directly are so successful. However, this year’s workshop also made it clear that consumers and designers, but also manufacturers, retailers and the media, are increasingly coming to be seen as part of a highly complex system that is itself becoming the subject matter of design. When it comes to sustainability, it isn’t just the origin of the material that plays a role; the way a product is produced, the social standards in its country of origin, its energy footprint and self-sufficiency are vital aspects as well. In this system, designers and consumers alike are gaining both relevance and self-confidence – the former as idea-givers, the latter as decision makers. But is that enough to influence the mainstream?

Well, it’s at least enough to influence long stretches of the discussions that took place during the Trendboard workshop. The financial and economic crisis that was still very much the focus of debate last year is suddenly “just” a substantial factor that has helped accelerate this long-term development towards a product and usage culture that strives for sustainability. And so it comes as no surprise that this year’s Trend Book not only presents some of the dominant stylistic tendencies in the design scene and consumer behaviour but provides a particularly vivid account of the underlying moods in society as well.
Both this year and in coming years, the imm cologne will show whether this debate succeeds in asserting itself effectively on the market. This is where it becomes apparent which creative design concepts are catching on in people’s homes and minds. There are already many pointers that this Trend Book is just the start of an exceptionally exciting imm cologne year.

Yours sincerely,
Julia Degner Markus Majerus

A note for the press: As always, the material compiled in the Content Folder – copy and photos – can be used for editorial purposes free of charge. This is the first of four Content Folders that will be published in the run-up to the imm cologne. The next issues will focus on “LivingKitchen” (late September), “Interior Design” (early October) and “Trends and Design” (inc. some of the new products debuting at the imm cologne/late December).