What are the top emerging trends?
"Pure nature" (German: “Natur pur”) continues to be a major trend: materials such as local types of woods (spruce and pine) that are left in their natural texture produce a distinct scent and create a pleasant and warm charm and ambiance. Cork and felt also continue to be exciting design elements thanks to their amazing versatility – they can be colorful and stylish, yet also simple and natural in character.
Regional materials are likewise popular and lend themselves to storytelling and engaging experiences. Some great examples include terrazzo (a composite material of marble chippings set into cement) with additives from the respective region, wall murals with traditional wood shingles, and sheep wool for acoustic applications.
When it comes to materiality and design, we notice a continuous exploration and development of novel materials. This includes seagrass wall panels, marble-look tiles made from fish scales, leather alternatives produced from wood veneer or fungus mycelium (the root structure of mushrooms), tiles made from algae or acoustic materials made of recycled paper or pulp - there are no limits in the universe of imagination. The novel, often natural textural appearance of the material fuses a design featuring clear lines, thus creating a feel-good ambiance that focuses on the essentials.
Upcycling is still one of the biggest trends. The approach opens possibilities for new, exciting surfaces that add a unique aesthetic look.
Customization is yet another innovative trend: the production process uses pre-consumer recycled content, meaning materials that have been diverted from the customer’s waste stream, for example. This creates a unique, custom look. Examples include wood panels made of leftover denim as surface materials, panels made from highly compressed used textiles featuring a top layer from the customer's production waste.