Discover the Trends of the Year at IMM Cologne 2018 ⇒ These days are not only dedicated to Maison et Objet and Paris Déco Off. From 15 to 21 January, there is a place in Europe which is receiving more than 1,200 exhibitors from 50 countries: IMM Cologne 2018. These exhibitors will be showing not only current colours and forms, but will also reflect the trend toward durable materials like marble or the enduring fascination of people with design classics. And because the interiors trade fair presents everything people need to live, the lights, bathrooms, living textiles and accessories for the interior design, CovetED decided to show you the trends you can still find at IMM Cologne 2018.

⇒ Subscribe our Newsletter and be up-to-date with CovetED Magazine ⇐

Image Source: News Infurma

The new minimalism in home living

After IMM Cologne 2015 heralded the arrival of “German Gemütlichkeit” and officially allowed cosiness to re-enter our homes without being uncool, trend watchers have spotted the rise of a new variation on comfort, this time from Scandinavia. What is it that makes Scandinavian interior design today so unbelievably attractive for many people? Are the furniture brands from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland that regularly gather in Cologne simply so irresistible? Or is it that “Scandi style” exudes optimism with its laid-back feel and fresh colours and evokes images of a simple life? We are gladly exchanging our high-gloss ambience and replacing it with solid-wood furniture and felt slippers. Digitally controlled lighting is making way for simple candle holders. Our windows now double as vertical gardens and the designer couch is topped with an unassuming woollen throw. Now the moment for relaxation has come.

The Scandinavian exhibitors at IMM Cologne really are the leaders when it comes to expressing their very own new sense of style and presenting products that reflect it. They interpret the traditional with a touch of cheek. The once typically bright designs in primary colours now find themselves in the company of refined grey tones and muted pastel colours. This is the recipe for a laid-back mix of the urban and rustic, chic and minimalist. Scandinavian design is now on-trend like never before, and new fashionable interior labels are providing fresh momentum. These young brands have rapidly achieved cult status.

Urban living: Flexible furnishings and micro-living in the comfort zone 2.0

“Urban living” is the dream for most people. For some, it means the promise of a better life. For others, it signifies individuality and independence. But living in urban areas is expensive. When living space becomes scarcer, living areas merge and furniture increasingly defines living zones. As with any other resource, when living space becomes less widely available, it must be used more efficiently. Anyone who wants to furnish a compact space has the choice between individual space-saving items of furniture and moving into a space comprised of fully-fitted, but unalterable furniture. And that is precisely what the trendy micro-apartment is. Back in the 1920s, architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky realised that unifying space and furniture could represent the most ergonomic and economical way to furnish a home. This resulted in the triumph known as the “Frankfurt kitchen” – the mother of all fitted kitchens.

The current boom in micro-apartments in major cities suggests a renaissance in furnished housing. As such, it is not just new room concepts that are in demand, but also new design concepts for multifunctional and space-saving furniture. From a central European perspective, the prospect of a life in multifunctional living cells, like that of the fictional taxi driver Korben Dallas played by Bruce Willis in Luc Besson’s science fiction-thriller “The Fifth Element” (1997), is more of a nightmarish thought. But the micro-apartment is currently undergoing a process of reinterpretation, away from the image of the improvised student flat and becoming instead a comfortable living suite. With simple, functional furnishings for students who are always on the lookout for housing and in luxury versions for commuting executives and job hoppers, who never stay in one place for long.

⇒ Related Article: IMM COLOGNE 2018: LUCIE KOLDOVA PRESENTS DAS HAUS 2018 ⇐

The marble bathroom

What is the bathroom today? A morning way station, a personal style statement or an evening retreat? All three at once, according to the Cologne trade fair organisers, who have staged the bathroom as a fashion-conscious lifestyle ensemble in an enchanting Cologne hallway using the trend material of marble. IMM Cologne underlines the importance of bathroom design within the trade fair ranges, which cover the whole world of interior design at the 2018 international interiors show. Bathrooms are built to last a small eternity. At least that’s how it used to be when private bathrooms in ceramic and marble were a prestige object that made up part of the architecturally entrenched self-image of the middle classes. And it still has the same solid effect today when, as is the case here, the materials used are a byword for durability: steel enamel, ceramic, natural stone, marble. And yet the bathroom has never been as fashion-conscious as it is today.

Boho is the new ethnic

They still exist, those trends that seem to prevail on the market regardless of the influence of marketing experts. A virus is currently spreading through living rooms and social networks that is expected to make waves in the world of interior design: boho style. What had already been heralded with vintage style has taken its final form with boho: a revolt against the exhibitionist culture of living in showrooms that are sterile and polished to a high shine. Boho style allows items to be mixed which, at first glance, do not appear to quite fit together. Colourful ethnic patterns next to modern graphic design, coarse woollens and finest leather, black-and-white photos of Hollywood stars on the wall next to black-and-white cows, a wicker table from the flea market accompanied by an Eames chair. Nothing seems better suited to loosening up the sterile or outdated architecture from Bauhaus to the 1950s.

The perfect home

For an increasing number of people, furnishing out of pure pleasure in sensuality is becoming a question of meaningfulness. It’s about more than minimalism or a particular style: it’s about clarity, a sense of orderliness and simplicity. That this new type of nearly spartan interior design has nothing in common with a rejection of pleasure but instead involves a pleasure in decoration. This is also shown by the ideally selected motif of the IMM Cologne campaign “Furnishing Cologne”, which has been staged in a private apartment in an old Cologne building.

⇒ Read Also: UNCOVERING THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FOLLOW FOR MAISON ET OBJET 2018 ⇐

♦♦ Feel free to share your thoughts about this article and come celebrate design with us! For more trends and information, follow and subscribe to CovetED Magazine! Follow us on our social networks: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Google Plus | LinkedIn ♦♦

Source: IMM Cologne, Immsider

Images Source: IMM Cologne