inspiration. information. influence

Probably the most interesting and invigorating part of a trip to cologne is the Passagen, the offsite event during imm Cologne Furniture Fair that focuses on interior design trends in galleries, showrooms and shops throughout Cologne. Yes, there’s lots of walking and your fair share of wild goose chases when  exhibitions don’t live up to their brochure descriptions.  But Designer’s Fair never disappoints. Rather than showing the most famous names in the business, the DESIGNERS FAIR consciously seeks to bring together the most exciting new discoveries. Young designers take rooms on the three floors of the RheinTriadem and fill them with prototypes and furnishings.

It’s amazing what you might find and boy, did we find some great things. One of my favorites was Klaus LEUTCHE, a design firm that we almost overlooked, walking into the room we saw tassels hanging from the ceiling along we turned around to a small group of  designers sitting in the back. Of course we had to ask about the tassels A product near and dear to our hearts. What we found was fabulous! Tassels that were actually lights. 

 Even better is the story behind it. In the young designers’ broken English, and our broken German- actually Susan’s German-we learned that they were renting space in the  Borrmann atelier. A trim and yarn  factory located in Dusseldorf. They were also looking for an inexpensive, readily available medium and a little inspiration, when they quickly realized that the yarn bins and trimmings and tassels provided it all- the missing links for their lighting project.

I am not sure what I love more- the pendant light which I am coveting for my own house (I could see 3-4 in different colors and heights hanging from the ceiling in my studio) or the backstory.

Check out Plinth and Chintz’s March issue for more of my musings about the young and exciting talents we found in Cologne, Frankfurt and Paris.

2009 Academy Awards set design

2010 Academy Awards set design

Rockwell Group has reprised one of the most dazzling elements of the 81st Academy Awards design - the Swarovski Crystal Curtain - but with new and unexpected features for an even greater theatrical effect.  I was blown away by the Crystal Curtain last year. Not only was it stunning, but I don’t know how you justify not using it again. ( OK, I am a huge Swarovski fan.)The curtains shimmers with over 100,000 Swarovski crystals flown in from Austria and stands 60 feet tall and 100 feet wide.

Elements added

 This year’s set also features three circular, revolving platforms that work in combination with rotating LED panels and architectural metalwork screens for film projection.  ( The wonders of modern technology!) The overall design is intended to evoke a classic but modern glamour, with white, platinum, topaz and smoky bronze hues added this year.

Sounds amazing. I can’t wait to see the final results.

This is fiber optic ready made curtain panel from Italian firm Decobel gives new meaning to “light at the window”.

Color schemes were lighter and fresher than last year and foreshadowed brighter days to come.

It was obvious that innovation had taken a back seat to reworking old favorites and best sellers, but if you looked hard enough you could find some truly amazing fabrics. The dimensional structures and surface trend for textiles is still gaining speed on the trend curve.

More to come tomorrow from imm Cologne and later this week- Maison et Objet!

The Challenge of Creative Optimism

 The trend theme for the January 2010 edition of Heimtextil is Uni(re)verse. The 10-person trend team took into account the intensity and uncertainty facing us-from obscure financial formulas to obvious ecological issues, from globalization’s pros and cons to the ups and downs of capitalism. So many critical issues demand our attention and force us to redefine what it means to be a producer, a consumer, a developer, a user, and of course, a designer. Faced with all this confusion, our biggest challenge is to continually develop our creativity, to explore all cultures and all avenues for information. Most importantly perhaps is to learn the lessons of nature: responsible innovation, respect for diversity and an indomitable optimism.

It’s here that we can find the universal values that will help direct us out of the maze of confusion we find ourselves in. Nature’s lessons-time-tested and easily observed-offer gentleness, energy, refinement, elegance and simplicity, universal values to shape the outlines of new lifestyles simultaneously optimistic and respectful.

REFINED ROOTS: Nature presented with modern, refined aesthetics.

LESSTRAVAGANCE: Between strict minimalism and over-the-top ostentation is a new take on EcoLuxury.

INFINITE TIME: Responsible design-for humans and the environment-over the lifetime of a product. The need for simplicity and the strong demand for quality come together in a responsible approach, where timeless authenticity is captured in a range of earthy colors; these themes connect elegance, ease and character.

INTIMATE BUBBLE: Breaking away-within the safety of closed spaces-to experience our desires of the moment.

IRRESISTIBLE STAGING: Playing with traditional references to confirm our individual personalities; a modern form of theatrical seduction.

DIGITAL CLASSICS: Virtual worlds increasingly offer new possibilities to create an imaginary existence. By mingling modern technology and decorative classicism, we achieve a dramatic exaggeration demonstrated in a theatrical range of opulent colors.

IMPULSIVE CREATIVITY: The beauty of everyday gestures and the energy of spontaneous creation.

GRAPHIC FASCINATION: Understandable, high-impact communication across all global markets.

MAGIC SIMPLICITY: Reinventing rituals and rediscovering enchantment. Instead of austere functionality, the mood is one of creative invention. Modular constructions, reworked geometrics and color-blocking are explored in pigments reminiscent of the 1980’s.

BENEFICIAL INNOVATION: Creating the time and space to allow nature to nurture.