Individual, sustainable and creative are all words that sum up the trends at Tendence 2018. No one particular style dominates here, the fashion now is is for whatever pleases, which offers immense scope for creativity, experimentation and humour.
The minty and rose coloured velvets and marble-effect surface designs seen on home furnishings and tableware displayed on the Rice stand hit the perfect note for Spring/Summer 2019. These lovely, fresh colours were spotted elsewhere at the show on all manner of home and giftware.
The new developments find expression in, for example, the very latest ethnic style, which mixes inspiration from the most diverse cultures to create something completely new. As well as typical traditional patterns and motifs, we find that craft skills and the beauty of the imperfect have gained in prominence, as have the origins and history of products, designs and makers.
One of our favourite stands at the show was found in the new FORM (craft) area of Tendence, where we spent a long while admiring the extraordinary and unique work of one of the show’s new Talents, Nora Kovats, a trained jeweller of South African heritage who is turning her hand at exquisite jewels for the home as well as the human body, sometimes combining the two.
Says Nora: For me, contemporary craft is really about the tactility and materiality of the medium I work with, about investigating a technique or the characteristics of a certain material to its limits. That means spending time on exploring boundaries, cultivating patience, rather taking longer, less straightforward approaches with indeterminable results – a conscious decision to move away from economically smart mass production. It’s this process, in my case manipulating metal and enamelling it, that excites me almost more than the finished piece.
There are new influences to mix in with the blend of cultures, including the jewellery and decorative items of native American and Australian peoples. Alongside this, there is a place for a very decorative opulence, where powerful colours and plenty of glitz and glamour strike a contemporary note.
The density of this style is, again and again, shot through with finely drawn, often humorous details. So, you might find a pig with wings and wearing a top hat or a flying helmet peeping out from between crystal glasses at a New Year’s Eve celebration.
The natural Scandinavian look continues to be a significant feature and latest ‘lagom’ lifestyle trend – like hygge – comes originally from Sweden. This is all about finding the right balance in life, doing things in moderation, not too much, not too little.
This natural, eco-oriented theme is offset by a countering trend for opulence – plush fabrics, especially velvet, deep jewelled colours and strong metallic accents helped along by a few pineapples and luxurious fauna and flora forming a bridge with the ongoing passion for all things tropical in home and gift.
Diverse design elements are bound together with coordinated, harmonious colourways. In each case, a strong base colour is developed into a variety of shades from light to dark. The colourways to watch for the autumn and winter seasons 2018 / 2019 are Bordeaux, petrol and curry, as well as the colour of the year –ultra-violet, which is now developing its impact to the full.
Looking towards the spring, we can expect, above all, fresh rosé and mint tones, as well as a bright mustard. Shades of blue, denim and indigo continue to be very much in vogue. Still indispensable are shiny surfaces, and fluffy stuff, feathers and fringes for boho-chic crowd.
Gold, brass and silver are never far away, when it comes to creating accents across all trends and styles. Surfaces range from highly polished to traditionally patterned, engraved or perforated and include all sorts of patina effects. Surfaces are finely polished or are appealingly and interestingly textured. Fine velvets, cosy artificial pelts, fluffy blankets and soft feathers abound to flatter the senses.
For summer time outdoor living is more stylish than ever, from deck-chairs fit for a prince as seen in the Outdoor living zone, to designer firepits, state of the art barbecues and super-stylish outdoor dining, picnic and party ware. Terraces and conservatories are not confined to summer living, however, and have developed into places of well–being for the entire year. Multi-functional lighting serves to create a relaxed, contemporary ambience, with luminaires that not only change colour, but also serve as bluetooth loudspeakers and champagne coolers. A particularly eye-catching exhibit is a wicker beach chair that has been adapted as a rubbish bin.
You can’t have trends without animals and while it seems flamingos have not yet had their day and toucans and puffins are still hot stuff, animal details are getting more creative and off the wall. At Tendence this year llamas jumped out as being the furry friend of choice, closely followed by the giraffe, zebra, panda and the sloth (all covered by AM Design, pictured below). Insects, too, have their place, especially on stationery and home textiles. When it comes to the seaside trend, we are seeing increasing numbers of jellyfish, prawns, crabs and corals.
As ever we were on the hunt for interesting new stationery items and we loved meeting with the owners of new publisher, Paper Moon, which has the USP of creating it’s lovely vintage style postcards entirely from apple paper produced in an Italian Mill. The postcards are sold in tins of 10 or 20 designs and captions can be made using any language.
The next Tendence will be held from June 29 – July 2 in Frankfurt.
