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
