inspiration. information. influence

May I toot my own horn? I am sooo excited to  have just been asked to be a member of the jury for the  Les Découvertes (= your favorite product) Awards at Maison & Objet .  I will sift through the different sectors of the  show, covering every aisle in order to find the best-of-the-best and  pick my favorite product in a specific sector .Les Decouvertes will reward the most impressive new products of the show as discerned by a jury( me!) which is completely composed of bloggers and design columnists.
 Watch for my posts from the show and see what I pick. Don’t forget to check out the more real time coverage of Heimtextil and imm cologne as I work my way through the January design shows.

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“Lace- the invention of a goddess and the occupation of a queen.”

Federico de Vinciolo

Lace is back.

As supported by the design studios like Indigo, lace is a popular design direction for the next couple of years.  But this isn’t Grandma’s lace doilies; look for lace rendered in fresh ways, unusual materials and in unique color and pattern combinations. Today’s lace is too fashion forward and created in many too forms and materiasl to be old fashioned. We love the dichotomy of lace- its charming innocence paired with mystery concealing as much as it reveals. Lace is can be sexy and sweet at the same time. It all adds up to an intriguing medium for interiors.

"Energy" laser lace by Creation Baumann

Customizable chain link fence through Droog USA

Another reason we love lace- the romantic softening of interiors as we move post recession. Lace adds personality because with visual and tactile layering.

Dareen Henault's Kips Bay Dressing Room

Metallic lace is one thing, but lace made of entwined human hair? It may sound revolting, but in fact, it is quite beautiful!  Kerry Howley took inspiration from the wallpaper patterns she discovered at the Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture and turned up the Victorian artwork a notch. Attraction/Aversion is Kerry’s award winning graduate collection.

Modern Lace by BandJ Fabrics

1000 gallon oil tank by Cal Lane for Lace in Translation

Cal Lane's Wheelbarrow

Concrete lace by Doreen Westphal and G.tecz

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“Naïve & Romantic” by Milou Ket is based on a romantic attitude- innocent and naïve. It is dreamlike and full of illusions. The emphasis is on painterly flowers in different interpretations. The colors are fresh and romantic. We see yellow, pink, salmon, shrimp, light blue, light green, light lavender and sea green. Yellow in this palette tends to be a bit greenish, almost with a fluorescent effect.

Naïve and Romantic sees the application of soft pastel colors. Coral and salmon shades freshen up  simple patterns  such as polka dots and stripes. Turquoise and lilac are combined in hand drawn checks, and hand painted patterns. Text, postcards, stamp motifs evoke memories Trees and tree trunks are used as decoration.

Dreamlike florals and blossoms are the most important subjects, in all possible variations, but especially watercolor looks and hand painted florals. Old-fashioned roses and birds are applied in new ways with a touch of golden details. Flowers of importance are roses and orchids. Oriental influences are present in blossoms, birds and flower patterns Old cupboards recycled and decorated with Japanese blossoms and 3-D branches add for a fairytale effect. Florals  and botanical motifs can also take on a refined effect. We see huge wallpaper with a flower photo print. Flowers, birds, butterflies, branches and botanical subjects like mushrooms. We see a 3-D flower motifs for pillows.

Shine, metallics and a touch of silver and gold are indispensable. Glass tiles,  Swarovski crystal effect and materials with the iridescent effects are  found in small details. F homey atmosphere is evoked by recycling and patchwork effects in the carpet. Multicolor effects are visible in stripes, and the fresh retro inspired combinations of pink and turquoise. Colorful patterns are mixed freely for a bohemian effect . Also here gold is important. Home accessories are pleated and folded for 3-D effects. Different shades of blue  are combined. We see how handcrafted designs play an important role in the prints. We see blots, spots and stains, but also ikat prints. Ombres, degrade looks, chipped paint add to the romance.

Milou Ket – Trend Forecasts, Home Colors, Product Development

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Maison and Objet’s Observatoire says, “Enough of gloom and doom in this crazy world! A pinch of folly and caustic humor can let your imagination take the wheel. It’s time to champion the right to a breath of mental fresh air, to have fun. Quirky, festive creativity is turning to whimsy and humor. Insolence and irony, extravagance and outrageousness are sweeping away things we’ve all seen before. Now is the time for sweet delirium and highly euphoric abnormality. In the offbeat bazaar of our contemporary cabinet of curiosities, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and it feels crazily good.”

M&O’s Observatorie is made up of three style agencies along with  other mover and shakers that come together before each edition and bring their  discoveries, their emotions and their intuitions about emerging lifestyles. This   brainstorming helps define a topic as the running theme of that season. Emotions, Desires, Secret, Luxuries, Use, Intensity- the themes refer to major, all-encompassing trends and not the whims of fashion. They have chose Crazy as the trend theme for the January 2012 edition of M&O. Here’s a peek…

Sweet Freaks | Monstrous beauties by Vincent Gregorie for Nelly Rodi

Eccentricity is energizing our imaginations. Wild flights of fancy and offbeat whimsy are shaking up a world caught between being too orderly and unhinged. Supercharged design is experimenting with curious overlaps combining the unusual and the refined. Juxtapositions, accumulations, and subversions are creating a dizzily psychotropic style. The home is mutating into a cave of wonders

Artketing | Mad about art by Francois Bernard for Croisements

We are all trying to proclaim our uniqueness, but sometimes it seems  pointlessness. Unique pieces draw out nothing but the boredom of the commonplace. Hyper-personalization is now designing our décors. So it’s time for the unexpected to leap into a scattershot yet elegant jumble that is both ironic and luxurious. Anachronisms, colliding materials, collusive colors… The home is becoming a work of art, and you are its creator

Dream Box | Gentle madness by Elizabeth Leriche for Elizabeth Leriche

A disconcerted, disconcerting age is exploring the strangeness of imaginary worlds. Dreams and nightmares are teleporting us into disturbing parallel realities in which our desires and fears are transformed. Optical illusions, losing our bearings, outsized objects, an upside-down world, distortions and other black magic… a phantasmagoria that enchants and bewitches. The house is experiencing the ready-to-dream.

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“Pimp my Home” is one of imm cologne’s trend mottos for the coming season. When it comes to creative scope, there’s no place like your own four walls. And there are plenty of accessories and decorating ideas for “pimping” the place up, even on a small budget. There are sure to be plenty of new and exciting ideas to discover at the imm cologne 2012. This trend is:

* Layouts and functional zones are breaking up

* Modern living stands for: anything goes, no musts!

* Above all, furniture has to be flexible

* Furniture is getting smaller

* New materials are making their way into the home

These days, furnishing a home means breaking down the old, traditional boundaries, putting the television in the kitchen area, turning the dining table in the live-in kitchen into command central complete  and putting the bathtub in the bedroom.  As people’s requirements of their homes have changed, the arrangement of the rooms has undergone fundamental changes as well.

The clearly delimited areas of the past are merging with one another – and have broken away from their old functions. We no longer ask themselves what belongs in our living room, but what we want to do in that space . The “either-or” model of old is being replaced by an emphatic “both-and” approach.

Bling bathtub

This freedom within our own four walls allows for a huge amount of creative autonomy. One thing is certain: people’s homes are becoming increasingly important to them. New studies show that the home is evolving into the focal point of our social lives. Communication tools like smartphones, netbooks and tablet computers are contributing to the trend to retreat home.  If you’re going to spend that much time at home, you want a habitat that’s good for the soul.

House of Habit's custom furniture legs

As a result, Modern furniture has to fulfill many functions. All in all, furniture is getting smaller again because it can be used for all sorts of different things. Sofas, for instance, can easily be adjusted to create bigger seating surfaces. Desks only need a small work space because the technical equipment is getting smaller, display cabinets can be narrow because the LED lighting doesn’t take up any space. Poufs that can be carried around the home are flexible seating options that fit in anywhere. Tables can be extended in next to no time when friends come for dinner, and flatscreen TVs can be made to disappear into the sideboard at the push of a button.

imm cologne will showcase this trend and Visionary Design: “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” created by Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. They will shake up the  conventional ideas about living.

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