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Your support makes all the difference.Experts from IMM Cologne, hosts of the IMM Cologne international household design show, released Interior Trends 2011, outlining what they believe will be the main design themes of 2011. On December 8, Matt Carr, design director at global design company Umbra, told Relaxnews what he believes will be the big trends of 2011.
Carr believes that the next big trends in design will be "Luster," "Animate," "Brights," Whites," "Structure" and "Organic," the main characteristics of these trends are outlined below:
Luster - the Luster trend is all about adding gloss and shine to everyday designs using bold reflective materials and glossy brass and chromes. Umbra products that fall under the category of Luster include Fairest Mirrors - thick unframed wall mirrors in the shape of old fashioned hand held devices.
Animate - this trend is based upon the idea of bringing life to design through the inclusion of animal motifs. However in this trend the "cuteness" of the animals in question is contrasted by their functionality and the material in which they are made - namely chrome or soft plastics.
Brights - bringing color to everyday previously unnoticed objects is the main theme in the Brights trend. Previously average and functional household objects such as stools or photo boxes are transformed with either solid blocks of blue or streaks of radiant pinks, oranges and yellows.
Whites - the Whites trend is characterized by solid, deep wall designs that literally stand out from the wall and draw the eye through the use of white on colored backgrounds. The trend also includes household objects such as soap dispensers comprising blocks of white and chrome.
Structure - inspired by architecture, this trend is primarily about scale - how household objects such as Umbra's stackable fishbowl can be increased in size and retain their functionality, or how large-scale objects such as London landmark Big Ben can be scaled down and re-imagined as wall clocks while retaining their architectural silhouette.
Organic - this trend is similar to the "Transforming perspectives" movement identified by IMM Cologne; with both these tendencies the emphasis is on free-flowing forms that create a sense of natural organic design.
These trends have both similarities and differences to those identified by IMM Cologne. IMM Cologne predicted that the trends of 2011 would place a great deal of emphasis on "re-evaluation" and "personalization" of products: these themes can be seen in the trends such as "Animate" and "Organic" indentified by Matt Carr.
Umbra is an international design company whose products are sold in over 75 countries around the world. More information about the company can be found at http:// www.umbra.com. Umbra will be exhibiting at the upcoming major trade show Maison & Objet in France, January 21-25.
Interior Trends 2011 is available to download from the IMM Cologne website for a cost of €50€. The IMM Cologne tradeshow will be held in Germany from January 18-23.
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