MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2018;
THE MOST IMPORTANT CIRCULAR TRENDS
The biggest furniture trends can be found at the prestigious Milan Design Week.
Even when circular economy is concerned. For one of my clients I checked out the ‘holy fairgrounds’
of Salone del Mobile at the Fiera Milano in Rho to sum up the most important circular trends.
Less is more (than ever)
One of the most important and long term circular trends is ‘less is more’. Those long term trends fit the Italian perfectly; after all they are like the inventors of contemporary design! Also they are masters in making big gestures with details or just putting a couple of interesting furniture pieces together. Because a well-designed, circular piece is enough of an eye catcher. All the rest is unnecessary.
Modularity is elementary
In a circular economy, modular design is very important; you can change separate elements and re-use them endlessly. Also at the Milan Design Week, modular furniture is booming!
Exchanging separate elements with different sizes and mixing & matching these components, appears to be very effective. In this way, modular furniture becomes suited for different purposes. Do you want to read on your couch for a while, watch television with the entire family? Or does your small desk need to offer space for a big group of friends? Modular furniture is not only circular, but also multifunctional!
The leading Italian label Paola Lenti even named their new collection ‘Elementi’. Speaking of circular trends!
Local material
If you say ‘Italy’, you say ‘traditional hand work’ and ‘craftsmanship’. Italian get natural materials like wood and stone from their own country and treat it in their own workshops. More and more often, designers choose to work with circular trends and be sustainable. Take cc-tapis as an example. We see more materials that are 100% recyclable, like fabrics and wood species. Do you want to add colour to your object? Then the paint-bath consists of natural pigments that come from trees and plants. Not only local, but also fitting in a circular vision.
