The new year has barely kicked in, yet it is the time of the year to talk about trends and see what’s new on the market. Like last year I had the honor to be invited to attend this year’s Domotex fair in Hannover. Domotex is one of the biggest flooring trade fairs and offers endless inspiration when it comes to rugs and other flooring solutions. As a rug fan this is an exciting opportunity for me to test myself: How can I survive such a fair without bringing back half a dozen new rugs? If you look at the pictures here you might understand my inner battle!
This year’s keynote theme of the Domotex fair was entitled ‘Creat’N’Connect’ and focused on the question how will we live, work and interact with one another in the future. I was part of the blogger/influencer panel organized by Holly Becker of Decor8 with other fellow bloggers and friends such as Niki, Agata, Stefan, Desiree, Mette and Michael. We attended two panel discussions during the fair. On Saturday we spoke about the power of social media and ways of collaborating with influencers. And on Sunday we spoke about trends for 2019 and our favorite finds from the fair.
In this blogpost I want to focus on the latter topic. I will tell you about my three trends for 2019 and show you some of my favorite finds from this year’s Domotex fair. Let’s roll, shall we?
1) 70s Revival: Organic shapes, plants, warm hues of orange, amber, teal, turquoise paired with earthy browns and beige – I see a theme that will continue this year. I think the 70s Revival is something that roots in the current world we live in. We are more than ever keen to break out of conventions and given definitions. Who are you? What are you? In which category do you fit in? What is your style? Nowadays individualism is on its rise and we refuse to fill a certain category. Just like the free-spirited crowds of the 70s who finally unchained themselves from restrective role models in the 50s and 60s. Also, the security factor plays a role. Whereas in the 70s people were rising up against wars (Vietnam) and felt an ongoing threat (nuclears, Cold War), nowadays the threat has become something almost mundane. One of the biggest threats for a modern person is an abandoned suitcase on the airport or any other public space. These insecurities and threats also boost our desire for a safe haven, security, a cosy and warm home – and also influences our way of living and styling our homes. At the Domotex fair I saw a good deal of designs and colours supporting this trend. Let’s see if there will be more throughout 2019.
2) Local Crafts: With the power of social media we are seeing the rise of local crafts – finally they have a global stage to reach people around the globe! Nowadays we can buy handmade rugs in the mountains of Iran by local families, we get pottery made by small communities in Mexico, ceramics from local artisans in Morocco. All this is possible through social media and new labels that focus on bringing local crafts to the global consumer. This is something wonderful as it supports local and old craftsmanship and gives them new chances and opportunities to strive in a globalized and digitalized world. I think there will be even more popping up in 2019!
3) Rituals: Somewhat connected to the 70s trend, here we see a new need and desire for self-empowerment, self-love and self-care. Our daily lives are dictated by fast-paced digital lifestyles, an abundance of information, endless choices and ongoing insecurities and threats on a global scale. More than ever before we realize the need to put ourselves in the focus and start with us – only if we love ourselves and if we care for ourselves, we can love and care for others. With rituals we carve out our own time to focus, balance, find our inner peace and contentment. The forms are manifold – whether it’s yoga, meditation, plant care, burning sage, spending time with crystals or a good book – it is more important than ever before to dedicate more me-time to ourselves. This is also something that effects our lifestyle and also interior styling. We are creating our chill out zones, cocoons, serene corners.
Also the other panel members spoke about their trend forecasts so you might want to hop over to their blogs to see more. After the trend talk we were asked to share some of our favorites from Domotex. As someone who loves tribal rugs and kilims I spent a good deal of time in the hall with many exhibitors from Morocco, Tunisia, Iran and Pakistan. But I also discovered some new-to-me labels and revisited some known brands.
Once more I was fascinated by the wonderful Iranian kilims from Edelgrund. They offer vintage and new kilims and these are woven by local families in the mountains of Iran. I particularly fell in love with the one exhibited in Holly’s booth with hues of orange, brown, cream and pale pink. I also loved the handmade rugs from Jaipur Rugs from India. Here again we can see the trend ‘Local Crafts’ coming into play. They exchange personal notes from the makers of the rugs with the customers. This is such a lovely idea and createas a unique bond despite the distance and cultural differences. I loved the idea!
Europe was well represented as well. My top Euro discovery was Rica Basagoiti from Spain with amazing rugs and designs – also quite some 70s vibes there! The British designer Claire Gaudion presented beautiful rugs inspired by her home island of Guernsey and the sea (in cooperation with Momo Rugs from the Netherlands). And Finnish designer Kristiina Lassus showcased some amazingly stylish rugs with geometric details and the well-known clean design aesthetic from Scandinavia.
I was also charmed by two lovely exhibitors from Austria, the country where I was born. Natur Pur presented a wonderful collection of rugs made of natural materials in an eco-friendly way. Rugs made of Alpaca wool, Cashmere and other natural fibres dominated their booth. Another beautiful Austrian label is Tisca with wonderful designs and many tactile solutions to surprise your feet!
I am a rug fan. I truly believe that a rug can be a game changer in a room. And I also believe that choosing a rug is an important task. Strive away from cheap solutions that are made of artificial fibres and might contain even unhealthy components (think of the weird chemical smell). Instead look for good quality, preferably handmade, eco-friendly and – the cherry on top of the cake – locally made by artisans in a certain region. Consider a rug an investment into a beautiful and good home. Ok ’nuff said, I think I have to contact one of the brands now as I really want one of the rugs that I saw. Wish me luck!
This blog post has been brought to you in collaboration with Domotex. As always all opinions and photos are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who support this blog!
Photography by Igor Josifovic
The post Domotex 2019: Trends & Rugs appeared first on Happy Interior Blog.
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