IRMA’S DESIGN REPORT — the latest interior trends from IMM

By Nadja Tadjali and Simona Heuberger

We will stay home this year and make our house really beautiful. Just like US designer Todd Bracher did for this year’s “Das Haus” installation under the motto SUSTENANCE when designing the interior of his vision for a perfect home at the International Interiors Show (IMM) in Cologne.

In fact, many reasons make it easy to stay in these days. New York Chef David Chang of Momofuku just opened his only delivery restaurant ANDO where you can order fine food to be consumed at your home. And furniture and interior items round up the idea of making your home your castle.
Our contributing editors Nadja Tadjali and Simona Heuberger browsed the Cologne furniture fair with open eyes and mind for new trends and ideas. Read their impressions of the latest trends for your home.

2 AFRICA

AFRICAN ARTS & CRAFTS
This trend is not new but it’s getting stronger every year. You want to touch the wooden trays and bowls by Bosnian manufacturer ZANAT which have been designed by Swedish designer, Monica Förster. By the way, who could better translate this trend than the Eastern countries with their handicraft skills and strong arts & crafts movements. This was also reflected when we walked through “Das Haus” by Todd Bracher, which had wooden floors by DINESEN and textiles by CRÉATION BAUMANN, all brands which stand for their unique craftsmanship.

NEW BEGINNING
That came to our mind when we looked at the new design cooperation between WITTMANN
and Spanish designer Jaime Hayon. A very innovative mix of classic forms, cheerful colours and humorous ideas which are the signature of Hayon’s style. Known for their structured forms and edges, they are adding now roundness and femininity to their looks, with velvet fabrics and rich colours like deep blue and raspberry. And of course a mirror which makes us look twice to see a monkey’s head: Monkey Mirror, an abstract form of a monkey that makes a perfect mirror.

COLOUR
Imagine salmon, tangerine, coral, curry and apricot — all warm colours that make us sense a taste and bring back holiday memories. We saw dark hues of blue (lapis lazuli and purple) in combination with pale pink and thought of artists like René Magritte and Giorgio de Chirico. And humble soft tones like charcoal, off-whites and pastels that remind us of the wonderful still lives of Giorgio Morandi.

1 COLOUR--Collage

TEXTILES
Textile design is having a renaissance and we see it in fabrics, tapestry and wall decoration. Think of Bloomsbury, where textile became a movement and decoration replaced minimalism.

TABLES
They have to be big and long, because they are the centre of communication, like the THONET table S1092, the ERCOL “Ponte” or the “Tense” in copper from MDF ITALIA.

MIRRORS
We saw mirrors in wonderful colours at CLASSICON by French designer Victoria Wilmotte who designed the “Pli side table” last year and adds a new dining table this year, so colourful that you do not need much more in this room.

50s REVIVAL
It’s been there for a while and keeps going strong… Imagine lots of teak, oval, organic forms in contrast with bright white lacquer or blue monochrome panels shown at CASSINA. WALTER KNOLL and RICHARD LAMPERT present cocktail armchairs and SCHÖNBUCH has a fantastic bar cabinet.

LAMPS
Light makes the atmosphere of a place and underlines a mood. We saw lots of small lamps designed like mushrooms, like for example by CONTARDI and poetic lights in glass and elegant brass, for example from Neri & Hu for CLASSICON.

SHELVES
They come in colours, all of them, there are basically no more white shelves. They have to be yellow or red, or just any colour. Werner Aisslinger, on of the most talented German designers, did some pretty cool ones for PIURE. He is quite a name in the industry and has worked for DEDON and VITRA. His Juli Chair design was already exhibited at the MoMA in NYC in 1996, and last year he had a large exhibition at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.

FEMININITY
Femininity is strong. In fashion we read it on t-shirts last spring at Christian Dior, for example, but it is also happening in the interior world. At this year’s fair we have seen lots of velvet curtains and soft upholstery. CLASSICON continues to focus on the elegant forms of Eileen Grey, a company like LEOLUX cooperates with the Dutch textile designer Edward van Vliet, famous for his patterns and ornaments – the result are carpets, poufs and lamps for LEOLUX that have a feminine yet very graphic and decorative appeal.

TAKE A SEAT
A sofa is no longer only a comfortable zone to hang out. It is the centre of a room. It has to have a vibrant colour, perfect lines, many functions and the perfect fit to lounge on that piece of furniture. BAXTER, LIGNE ROSET and CASSINA, E15 make them just perfectly in lots of blue and purple hues. They almost look like colourful gems in a room.

HARD LIKE STONE
It’s everywhere: terrazzo, marble, granite — real or as a print (fabrics by Raf Simons for Kvadrat!). Our favorites: the black or green marble cubes from DRAENERT and the new coffee tables in champagne colour by WALTER KNOLL.

IT’S A MAN’S WORLD
INTERTIME, known for office furniture, has succeeded in a perfect mix of a masculine, functional chair with parts from an automobile supplier in a lime yellow shade that makes that strong design both feminine and masculine at the same time.

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OUTDOOR
More and more we are falling in love with nature, and outdoor furniture doesn’t look like nobody wants to design it anymore. Outdoor furniture pieces look stunning and we take them inside or take all kinds of furniture and carpets outside. MINOTTI makes cool outdoor furniture and Sebastian Herkner designed funky ones for AMES.

DETAILS
There is a new focus on accessories and details. Scandinavian brands, VITRA and smaller style defining brands such as PETITE FRITURE, E 15 or SCHÖNBUCH are extending their accessories lines. Affordable design pieces for everyone (or for everyone’s pocket) – we are in!

On the slider: From left to right: Lantern light look lamp by CLASSICON, bookshelf by WITTMANN, pillow by ZUZUNAGA, armchair by WITTMANN and stool by LEOLUX