This copyrighted content is delivered by The Trend Curve™, the international authority on trends in color and design for home furnishings.
As I prepare to attend the Maison & Objet and Ambiente trade fairs at the beginning of each year, I always find it valuable to be reminded of the trends that caught my eye at these important trade fairs the year before. Doing so gives me a list of colors, materials, themes and motifs to check on as I am trendspotting on the trade-fair floors. How did these trends fare? Is growth obvious in new assortments? Was there a decline instead? Has the concept already morphed into something else?
This last one is important, since whenever I see a look I believe has potential for the future I pose this question to myself, “If this is now, what could come next?” Determining the answer to this question is one way in which I have created my forecasts for how trends will evolve into the future.
So, which trends caught my eye at Ambiente and Maison & Objet in 2024? Here is a quick rundown from my 2024 trend report.
Color
Three back-to-the-80s palettes appeared. Pastels had the most visibility, with pink leading the way and lavender on the fast track. Mid-tones followed, including updated versions of popular 80s combinations like Slate Blue and Mauve. Neon hues, though few, could not be ignored.
Earth Tones, however, held the largest sway over new-product palettes. In this group, greens with yellow influences surged and browns made their boldest move forward to date. New blues warmed up. They looked great with browns of all types.
Deep values established themselves as key accents, especially dark Reds.
Black and white neutrals backed off, becoming less graphic as they did so.
Directives
Early 2024 markets demonstrated the death of plain. No product or area was too small for design attention. Color blocking (on a tear) and material blocking, stacking and nesting, and fitting use-alone pieces together to form a second function made for some of the most interesting and unique items of the market.
Earthy and organic design elements just kept coming. As an evolution of the eco trend, palettes, finishes, textures and shapes all played a role, giving this directive huge staying power.
Illusions was an emerging category. Examples included vases that could be disassembled into multiple stand-alone pieces, glass or metal that appeared molten, so forms seemed to be oozing or dripping, porcelain molded to look like wicker, mirrors with overprinted patterns, and tables that curved as though swaying.
Form took so many interesting turns. While some adopted the molten character described above, a larger number (accent tables, wine-glass stems, flatware handles, many candles) favored twists. Scalloped edges offered a similar feeling of movement. Another group was focused on orbs, attaching them to lighting, chairs, vases, carafes and cloches.
THEMES
Sculptural Minimalism was the top style direction last year. Broadly rounded forms, some almost appearing to be inflated, set the tone.
Emerging Brutalism hinted at a countertrend to Sculptural Minimalism. An interest in earthy elements opened the door to this theme.
Augmented Antiquities overhauled the distant past, with classic Greek or Roman figures, forms and architectural elements. Consider this another take on the Neo-traditional movement that appeals to more younger adults with each passing year.
Japanese Modernism flew under the radar, growing quietly. Consider this another form of traditionalism.
Click to view slideshow.The post Trend Review: Maison & Objet and Ambiente appeared first on The Trend Curve™.