Highlights From The IMM Cologne 2015

Being a design blogger has its perks. One is that you are out and about when design fairs are taking place. Last week I spent in Cologne at the international furniture fair imm Cologne 2015. The design fair takes place on various places in Cologne: The majority is at the city's fairgrounds, but there are also interesting exhibitors in a showroom area called 'Design Post' and scattered all around town in various interiors shops and other showrooms. Consequently, I've seen lots of cool designs, I've spoken to fantastic designers and I brought back too many impressions as to squeeze them in one single blog post. So expect more to come!

Here are a few of my favorite observations during the imm Cologne 2015:

Jungle Fever!
Green is here to stay in 2015 - in two ways. I've seen lots of green as a colour in its various hues on home textiles, furniture and accessories. I have also seen many jungle prints on textiles and upholstery - one of my favorite was the jungle chair from Danish design label Gubi. I need not mention all the plants - again, many booths have been styled with plants abound. Particularly outstanding were the Vitra stand, the Belgian label Buzzi Space and the German furniture manufacturer Ewald Schillig.

Back To Nature!
Natural materials continue to convince in 2015. Lots of wood furniture was presented and the focus on natural materials is also interpreted in various material combinations like wood and leather. I particularly loved the new Danish label 'Woud'. Their collection features simple and refined furniture pieces created by various designers, mostly Scandinavian ones. I think they will be pretty interesting for all of you who love Scandi styled interiors!

Young Talents!
One of my favorite parts at design fairs is the young designers section. I like to see what the next designer generation is keeping in readiness for us. In Cologne I enjoyed the creative kitchen solutions presented by students from the interior design school of Stuttgart - among their solutions was a lighting idea with potted plants/herbs serving as fresh greens and light in one.

The shelf system 'Deep Forest' by Silvia Terhedebrügge is another cool solution inspired by nature - the shelves rise organically like leaves from branches.

The brass clothing rack 'Foldword' by Friederike Delius is another interesting piece. Its graphic appearance is inspired by German traditional half-timbered constructions and is foldable.

The concrete lamps 'Like Paper' by 'Dua' have a paper like appearance although they are cast in sturdy concrete.

The Berlin based design studio 'llot llov' presented playful solutions for urban homes. I loved the funky, macrame inspired hanging planters.

Neo/Craft is another brand new design label from Berlin. The designer Sebastian Scherer exhibited cool furniture and lighting pieces like the soap bubble looking pendant 'Iris' as well as the colourful 'Diamond' pendant.

The Austrian designer Martin Breuer Bono presented a very cool book shelf called 'Schlagseite' which literally means 'list' (nautical language for tipped over position) - pretty fancy for artsy interiors, isn't it? Read another round-up in German on Roombeez if you like!

Enough for today, I will share more highlights and designer talks with you over the next few days.

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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IMM Cologne 2014 Interior Design Highlights

Last Monday I shared some interior design trends from Copenhagen with you, today I am bringing back some design highlights from last week's imm 2014 international furniture fair in Cologne, Germany. My fellow blogger friend Ricarda and I organized the 'Blogst Lounge' at the imm fair and hosted almost 30 German lifestyle bloggers. Our day included a guided tour of selected exhibitors, a little blogger presentation held by Ricarda and me, and free time to roam and discover interior design gems at the fair.

As an 'Urban Jungle Blogger' I was very happy to see green on the rise! Many booths were decorated with potted plants, big ones, small ones and I feel confident to say: Green is on in the homes in 2014! Bring it on! I noticed also a growing number of marble furniture and brass elements. Warm, saturated colours were present too as well as great combinations of wood, marble and leather. Moreover, I spotted lots of modular furniture concepts - the trend towards individuality and co-designing by the customer. 

January and February will remain busy months concerning design and furniture fairs, so expect more interior design highlights from Paris and Stockholm over the coming weeks. Stay tunes my friends for interior design from all around Europe!

Thanks again to all the sponsors of the 'Blogst Lounge': Auping, Association of the German Wallpaper Industry, Grohe, Lago, Piure, Muuto, Stoll / Hay Showroom, Vapiano.

Photography by Igor Josifovic and Bridgee Melling, last shot by Muuto

This post has been brought to you in cooperation with the above mentioned sponsors

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Urban Jungle Bloggers: A Community Garden In Vancouver

For the second post of our monthly 'Urban Jungle Bloggers' series we chose the topic of green neighbourhoods. Since a real urban gardener loves interior gardens as much as exterior ones, we opted for this topic. Moreover, the various posts written by all participating bloggers such as Judith or Jocelyn will show us the variety of green spaces in urban areas. 

Now, some of you know that I am just back from a three-weeks trip to Canada and the USA and I thought I'll give you an idea what I had discovered in the Canadian West Coast metropolis Vancouver: the Davie Village Community Garden in the city's West End district.

If it wasn't for my little shopping spree on Davie Street, I would have never discovered this garden. I passed by and was amazed by the idea of a community garden with plots growing flowers, fruits, vegetables right in the middle of the city. Even though this garden looked a bit wild in some of its corners, I loved the idea of gardening in the city. This is a concept that is hardly known in Europe - I have not seen anything similar here in Munich so far nor have I encountered such an urban garden in Paris or any other city I traveled to. 

I admit, I would probably rent a plot in such an urban community garden if we had one here. I mean imagine the wonderful, soothing power of gardening after a busy day at work. Plus you grow your own veggies right in the city. Fun! 

On my trip through Canada and the USA I have seen very similar community gardens in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. Plus I have noticed many buildings with rooftop gardens, many of which also had beehives to produce honey that would then be sold in local cafés and restaurant. 

All these encounters convinced me that urban gardening is growing beyond a trend. That it is rather a shift in our perception of everyday living, of what we expect of our lives. We love our urban lives but want more of nature in it, we prefer organic food over processed food, we buy local produce instead of imported stuff. We cherish both, our urban lifestyle and the desire to be surrounded by green spaces. Hence the urban gardens. What do you think of such a community garden? Are there such gardens in your city? I am curious, let me know!


Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series by 3 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog), Jocelyn (The Little Room of Style) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board. Want to join? Use #urbanjungle on Twitter and Instagram. Or let us know and we'll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let's bring some green into your homes and blogs!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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A New Book & My Urban Garden

Over the past few months I have become fond of greenies in my home. Actually, I've started growing my own little urban garden. Now given the fact that I dwell in a tiny rooftop apartment without balcony, you can imagine that it is not very easy to grow a little jungle. But if it were easy, it would be boring, right? I've carefully selected my plants to fit their new habitat and my lifestyle. This means I've picked green plants that can handle lots of heat (rooftop apartments can get really hot during summer) and which won't miss me too much if I am on one of my numerous trips. Hence, I have lots of succulents, an adorable cactus and robust greenies (even a monstera plant that I rescued from the office garbage - hello good karma!).

I haven't thought consciously of my new 'green thumb' - I grew up in a typical Serbian home with lots and lots of green plants. My mother really had a jungle at home! Thus I thought it's a natural thing to continue it, especially now that greenies in homes are really trending. But when I received the book 'The Balcony Gardener. Creative Ideas for Small Space' by Isabelle Palmer a few weeks ago (I got the German version), I realized I have turned into a little urban gardener. Even though I have no balcony, this book offers a plethora of wonderful ideas to create a green oasis in the even smallest of homes. Whether you like to grow flowers, veggies or herbs - this book is such a great guide to help you along the way.

I really like that the book is well structured and starts with basics such as tools, plant pots, soil types, colour arrangements, plant care, positioning as well as decorative elements. Then it guides you through thematic chapters such as urban oasis, creative recycling, green diary and more. My little favorite: a herb garden in a wine box! Oh my, I might try this actually!

Are you an urban gardener? Do you have a green thumb? Let me know!

Get the English book HERE and the German version HERE.

Thanks to DVA publishing house for the copy!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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