New Furniture Trends

Passion for Fashion….Are you Trendy?

These are just some of the headlines that captured the International Furniture Fair of 2009 in Cologne.
With a headline like ´passion for fashion´ one would think of the catwalks in Paris, Milan and New York, but no, this is truly a passion for new trends in interior design through a magnificent adventure with shape, dimension and texture.

Walking through the endless halls, I was increasingly aware that
interior design has evolved enormously with almost 3 dimensional
aspects in rugs & carpets. Occasional furniture pieces that were
once cubic are gone, floating curves enter a new period, and yet
the designers are borrowing some hints from the past.

The Art Deco period is still an inspiration to all.  Amongst the new
trends that caught my eye were a ´Schaukelbett´ or ´Rocking Bed´.  You
can rock yourself to sleep in a wonderful creation from the company
´Private Cloud´who presented a bed to impress:  Made from an aluminium
frame with wicker mocca and attached wheels and feet, this rocking bed
can also be fixed with four foldout legs  (www.privatecloud.de)

For those looking for new concepts in floor and wall coverings
with a lasting appeal then look no further than the company ´Apavisa´.
Apavisa porcelanico, is a manufacturer in the production of
high-tech porcelain. Their panels come in a wide range of
finishes, from marble to granite and in a wide variety of colours. The
product is made up of metallic particles recreating the authenticity
of natural steel, that due to external factors can display progressive
aging. The material offers a steel look in finishes such as copper,
silver, patina white to name but a few.  An interesting product with
huge potential and a ´must have´ for designers and architects working on
the commercial front with an interesting appeal that can be worked into
a scheme in the private home.

Another product which caught my eye was ´Gube´ instant furniture. Based
on the simple principle of outer and inner form, they say, not unlike
the human body, the Gube bones are locked through the Gube skin and
combined via plugs and connectors. No tools are necessary for this
system. It is very flexible and made from translucid synthetic with inner parts made from MDF which can be white or black-coated.
The end result is a basic cube which can be transformed into a variety
of furniture assortments. You can make up TV units, coffee tables, book
shelves…..the choice is endless….very practical, transportable and a
system which you can build on and develop as your needs require. Check
it out for yourself. (www.gube-system.com)

Lilly Lauterborn, Interior Designer, Cologne/Galway