Top 7 Trends spotted at the Milan Design Week 2016

Ok guys, here it comes!

I know you’ve been waiting for posts summaring my visit to Salone del Mobile 2016, so I tried to be as quick as possible. I’m super excited to share the first update with you today, and very curious what you think about the latest D-news.

After sifting through a design chaos in my mind I have rounded up all the information to a top 7 trends spotted during this years’ Milan Design Week. I am still going through all the materials gathered during the fair, so there are going to be more posts, but for now, let’s focus on the hot topic – what is trending this year.

You might be surprised because there are no particular color palettes standing out or specific material trends followed by the brands (remember copper and brass from last year?). Instead I noticed certain tendencies repeating in the process of design, which in fact, are equally interesting.

Here’s a list of top 7 trends:

1. Splatter pattern is a huge thing now – from ceramics, to textiles and wallpapers, the splash looking pattern is a hot trend to keep an eye on.

> Splatter ceramics by polish Aoomi studio. One of my favourite finds during this design week.

> Containers by Diana Aleman of Escuela de Diseno

> Splatter wallpaper and cushions with handmade embroidered pattern, designed by Alix Waline 

> The last stool splatter by Max Lamb – hand-painted and then fired at 800C for a perfect enamel finish.

2. Naturally dyed objects – ceramics, textiles dyed by experimenting with pigments and new, natural techniques, leaving traits of time and movement as a pattern.

> Concrete tiles by Experimental creations – hexagonal shaped tiles created by mixing the concrete with pigments. Fun to explore wider range of patterns by repositioning the tiles.

> Lamps by Mayers and Fugmann – The lamp shades made from china porcelain focus on the translucency of the material. Placed in a colour bath before firing, the concentration of the solution and time influences the pattern and the hue.

> Emma Buckley’s Dye Lines – Instead of using a standard glaze technique to determine the hue of the vessels, Emma allows the clay pieces to absorb dye after they have been fired and glazed.

3.  Statement, colored mirrors –  Coming in different, original forms, serve as decorative objects at home, leaving the importance of the reflective function behind.

> Ora Mirror Objects by Studio Joa Herrenknecht – Mirrors attached to a marble base with a changed appearence by individually treating their silver layer.

> Ceramic – surface -reflections by Elisa Strozyk – Ceramics are created by different liquid glazes mixed together, which leave traces of fluid movement. Paired with mirror to create a funcional Art.

> 50 50 Mirror containers by Kasper Nyman –  This design combines a freestanding circular mirror that also acts as a lid covering half of the circular base, creating a storage unit for small objects.

4. Interactive, assymetrical furniture – customizable furniture designs which can be modified in many different ways depending on the needs.

> Slide table by Studio Lorier – A compact side table, which can slide out almost two and a half the size. Great for any situation where more space is needed, or when you simply want to rearrange the shape.

> Compact Table by Roxanne Flick – the buyer takes part in the design process by selecting the materials and colours. Customized variations offers different composition options in everyday life.

> Branch-out lamp and shelving system by Studio Lorier – a multi purpose piece of furniture, with a small footprint and numerous configurations. The lamp contains separate nature inspired branches, which can be connected in countless possibilities.

5. Water inspired patterns: delicate, watercolor blue smudges visible on ceramics, textiles and wall decor accessories.

> Porcalain by Anna Badur – a playful experiment with the traditional decor colour cobalt on porcelain tableware. By dipping porcelain pieces into the cobalt stain, various appearances of water movement are captured.

> Bowl by Sara Skotte / stoneware by Anette Krogstad – soft watercolor patterns transferred into ceramics, with a cobalt blue aquarelle painting.

6. Back to the future – objects made with cosmic-looking like materials i.e: dichroic finished glass.

> The transparent Prismania chair designed by Elise Luttik is both an artefact and a chair. At one point you can barely see it, take another step and it will show you all the colours of the spectrum due to dichroic film.

> Room divider ‘Mood’ – by Karina Stefan– it interacts with the fall of light in the space, changing its own intrinsic colour and shade colour. The resulting light atmospheres add character to the room.

 6. Raw, imperfect wood designs

> Lamp by Lena Mari Skjoldal Kolas – designed on purpouse with natural cracks and deformations to highlight the imperfections and use the flaws to create something unique.

> Split lamp by Christoph Steiger – during the drying process it cracks and gives the lamp it’s one-of-a-kind split.

These are my main observations from this year’s Salone del Mobile. I’m very curious to hear what you think? Do you like any particular trend? I’m obsessed with the splatter patterns, I actually think I have always been so I very much like that it’s all around now.

I’ll be working on some more posts with design news so stay tuned. Have a great day guys!

Pictures: Agata Dimmich / Passion Shake