Earlier this month I was invited to Paris to join the press lunch of imm 2022 It was absolutely great to see all the familiar faces, catch up on how everyone is doing and experienced the last year and half. During lunch we discussed the upcoming imm cologne fair. Current interior trends and how the home office and outdoor living has become more important. Along with the desire for things that add a touch of quality to our everyday lives, and a more simple life in general if you ask me.
Imm Cologne 2022
People are thinking about how they can make their lives and their homes more sustainable and considering where they should live, who they should live with, what the way their homes are furnished says about them and how their homes need to look for them to feel comfortable.
Six interior trends for imm Cologne 2022
Designers and the industry are looking for ways to meet this changing needs with attractive furniture and progressive interior design concepts. imm cologne not only demonstrates the inventiveness of furniture makers – it is also a reflection of current interiors trends.
For the upcoming imm cologne 2022 edition the following six trends are key to the developments in home living and the new products and solutions that will be on display.
Imm Cologne 2022 will take place from 17 to 23 January Hope to see you there!
– Thank you imm Cologne for inviting me back to Paris –
© vosgesparis
Trend 1 | For Seasons | Seasonal home living, the delights of decor, communicating through interiors
This is a trend really close to my heart, with a continuing masterplan in my head my home is a continuing process of changes I love to show you here on the blog. Home living has become an expression of personality, the home no longer paints a rigid picture but is becoming a continuous process instead. One we share on social media as an expression of personality.
Changes in interior design aren’t just influenced by trends, decoration has become an integral part of interior design. We choose our furniture as a canvas for changing styles and the home has become a hobby for many. We love to surround ourselves with decorative touches. And often we buy a piece of furniture whose sole purpose is to provide a stage for attractive arrangements. Décor is becoming a collage that changes constantly in keeping with the seasons and our perception of nature.
Seasonal decoration has always been around and for a growing number of people, this tradition is becoming a lifestyle – irrespective of their stylistic preference. The interior design sector is taking decorating seriously again, and even in minimalist interiors, using seasonal accessories, to create a strong, perfectly placed accent is no longer considered a stylistic sin. Don’t we all just love to decorate with simple branches from nature.
Trend 2 | Connected Living | Smart home, connected living
With the past year and a half mostly working from home we all had to and learned to go more digital. The home office is set to become a permanent feature of the way many homes are laid out. On a positive note I noticed that family members of mine who used to travel to their offices everyday not only found out how working from home can be easily set up, but also experienced the joy of travelling less and having more quality time with family members.
When connected living is vital, the smart home becomes part of everyday life. The Connected Living trend brings together the wide range of options for digital connections in our homes. The kitchen is the room with the greatest degree of connectivity thanks to the many and varied options for connected kitchen appliances. In addition to ovens and kitchen appliances that can be synchronised with online recipe suggestions, the optimisation of day-to-day work routines is an important innovation driver.
Bringing the world into our home is a top trend and a growth market. As a result, smart technologies are increasingly playing a key role in architecture.
Trend 3 | Multifunctional | Smaller, reduced, more inside
With all the changes in the home environment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, people are demanding more from their own four walls. They’re looking for innovative furniture and furnishings that can be adapted, added to and modified to suit changing needs and the reduced space available.
When floor space is limited, a convertible table can accommodate requirements as they change over the course of the day and week. And the sofa has long since ceased to be merely a sofa: it’s now a flexible, adjustable, multifunctional platform. An increase in products that can adapt to the ergonomic needs of their users with increasing precision we’re also seeing. With a desire for a perfectly uncluttered feel, doors are being added to shelving systems to keep the home office in order and clutter out of sight.
Trend 4 Blurring Boundaries | Seamless spaces that satisfy the longing for freedom
The growing desire for boundary-free living is leading to a blurring of the physical and stylistic lines between indoors and outdoors, (semi-)public and private, living and cooking, living and dining, living and working, living space and bathroom. Areas with a specific function are not closed anymore, but zoned thanks to decor and furniture elements, using elements such as (movable) partitions or permanent built-in units, rugs to mark out important zones, different colours and materials.
Furniture for zoning spaces
I knocked down walls a few years ago, and despite the luxurious feel of space and the blurring boundaries between my kitchen and living which I love. I needed an element like my recently built unit with a fire pit and shelves for styling on one side of my kitchen and a dark painted partition on the opposite side which defines the kitchen function of the space.
When it comes to the Blurring Boundaries trend, modern furniture has to be flexible and able to stand, make an impact and function all by itself. That’s why stand-alone pieces don’t have a “best side” anymore – they look good from any angle.
Our outdoor spaces become a “second living room” ; balconies, patios and gardens are being revitalised and upgraded. New types of flooring such as concrete tiles for interiors and exteriors are used. And we decorate our spaces with high-quality outdoor furnishings, water-repellent fabrics and suitable lighting solutions. The design of these items is no longer based on typical patio furniture, but rather on what we have in our living rooms. The main thing is to be stylish.
Trend 5 Sharing Spaces | Convenient living with social connections
The urban lifestyle, remote working and flexible working models are demanding more flexibility and logistical convenience. A temporary home from home is what people are looking for. Co-living concepts create additional housing for highly mobile people who, as a rule, are accustomed to a lifestyle in which living and working overlap. It’s for them that the real estate industry and interiors sector are developing new models for “furnished accommodation”.
Long and short-stay apartments represent a new segment for the interiors business. The more centrally located a co-living facility is, the more multifaceted the apartment building’s concept tends to be. Major cities are seeing a growing number of residential towers containing not just apartments but office space, restaurants, shops, cinemas and gyms as well. Work, leisure and home are combined under one roof, usually with exclusive long and short stay apartments available as private units.
Trend 6 Natural Luxury | Quality is the real luxury
Similarly to what’s happening in the fashion world, in the interiors sector the trend seems to be moving away from “more and more, cheaper and cheaper”, towards a focus on quality. We want our homes to be greener, more stylish, more colourful, more natural and more sustainable.
There’s a desire for natural shades and a natural ambience and authentic, high-quality materials and traditional craftsmanship. Elegant wallpaper, authentic and elaborate parquet flooring or sophisticated tiles, and furniture and accessories with light, modern beige tones as their basic colour create this kind of ambience. Exquisitely crafted wood and leather, accompanied by marble and stone with soft contours and a smooth feel, the indicators of high-end quality.
Colours inspired by nature
This season’s colours are inspired directly by nature. Sandy beige is returning to modern interiors, taking over from white as a base colour. Brown shades are tending towards taupe rather than chocolate, and even the shades of grey seem to have been inspired by earthy hues. Natural linen fibres for the seats of chairs and benches, Viennese rattan, pure new wool or premium leather. Beige tones are being combined with splashes of the latest on-trend colours – from warm ochre to glowing honey yellow, from pastel terracotta to vivid saffron red, from delicate greens to vibrant olive shades. And interior designers are increasingly turning to dark green or night blue as an alternative to black.
First Image courtesy Durietz design / Photography Piet-Albert Goethals // Renders courtesy imm Cologne