Sustainability sets the tone
ZOW Trend Report: Lidewij Edelkoort provides an analysis of the Dutch Design Week
[Bad Salzuflen, 6 January 2015] The furniture industry benefits from the multifaceted possibilities available for designing customised products offered by state-of-the-art production methods. Traditional handicraft techniques can, however, also be used to lend furniture a unique appearance. Trend researcher Lidewij Edelkoort was able to convince herself of this in her ZOW trend scouting activities, most recently at the Dutch Design Week: “The design festival clearly illustrated once again that the extraordinary diversity of materials opens up boundless opportunities to designers to create a host of innovative products”, explains Edelkoort. In her most recent Trend Report in the run-up to ZOW, the Dutch expert shows which materials and colours will play a leading role in future collections. Traditional materials such as terracotta and soapstone are experiencing a revival. The motivation behind the use of such materials is not merely due to the need for individuality but also to achieve the aim of sustainability.
(firmenpresse) - In the case of wood, for instance, suppliers, manufacturers and designers can already avail themselves of an almost infinite diversity of shades and veining with which the industry can meet customer demands for individualised pieces of furniture. The most creative designers are now going one step further: “The ever-increasing tendency of designers towards modelling wood was apparent at the Dutch Design Week. At the same time, however, rather more unusual shades are also finding their way into the colour palette. As a result, the material is given an abstract, customised touch”, explains Edelkoort. Designers also draw on established know-how from the skilled crafts and trades for their work. Designer Steven Banken, for example, makes use of chemical reactions based on the high concentration of tannin in oak in the creation of his pieces of furniture, reactions which had, in the past, generally been considered rather undesirable: When the acid comes into contact with rust, the wood turns dark blue to black. Banken accelerates this process by exposing the wood to liquid iron oxide – thereby lending the material a distinctive appearance.
Handicrafts meet sustainability
The traditional skilled crafts and trades are also very popular with
Maddalena Selvini: The Italian designer presented cookware made from soapstone at the Dutch Design Week. This natural stone, which was already being used thousands of years ago as a material for the production of everyday implements, is characterised by special thermal properties. Selvini also takes advantage of this in her handmade cookware and tableware, which boasts many different functions: The saucepans, cups and plates can be stacked inside each other when cooking, and can thus be used on one hot plate. Left-over material is also recycled in keeping with the objective of sustainability by using the remaining pieces of stone as a glaze.
"Creative designers are combining established handicraft techniques with sustainable design to an ever-increasing extent", states Edelkoort. This combination also forms the basis of a project by designer Franciska Meijers. She has developed a wall system made from terracotta taken from traditional Chinese architecture, which cools buildings naturally. The system comprises three walls, each of which has different functions – in line with the principle “form follows function”: The purpose of the relief-like structured outside layer is to absorb rain water and to store it. In this system, the terracotta acts like a sponge which absorbs the water, while a glaze ensures that heat does not penetrate the wall. The middle layer absorbs the cool, damp air and channels it into the inside wall, which is also sealed with a glaze, and releases the cool air into the room.
The information and impressions gathered in Lidewij Edelkoort's Trend Reports will be used as a basis to derive projections for the future, which will be presented on the new exhibition space "ZOW trend_works" during the upcoming International Exhibition for Suppliers to the Furniture and Interior Design Industries in February. As a result thereof, exhibitors, designers as well as trade visitors will have the opportunity to find out about groundbreaking trends in the furniture industry and will be provided with a platform at ZOW in Bad Salzuflen on which to exchange their ideas and experiences.
The five Trend Reports on the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York, Maison & Objet in Paris, the London Design Festival, and the Dutch Design Week can be viewed on the ZOW trend_works blog: http://trend-works.zow.de.
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Datum: 07.01.2015 - 13:34 Uhr
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Date of sending: 07.01.2015
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