03 May Shereen’s top five trends from the 2016 Milan Furniture Fair
Fresh back from the Milan Furniture Fair – or Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano to be correct – our design guru Shereen Fihrer shares with us the trends which caught her eye.
LIBRARIAN MOOD
E-books might have led to the fall of the corner bookstore globally, but in Milan we were enthralled by the multitude of wall units which put books and various bric-a-brac at the centre of your living space. Nostalgic and oh so practical, by painting this compartmental storage unit the same hue as the wall makes it blend into the surrounds.
A shelving unit in a similar shade as your wall gives the room a contemporary feel while enhancing the illusion of space
Pops of colour brighten up this unit
Metal gives a modern masculine feeling to this book shelf
EVERGREEN
Darker shades of green including pistachio, forest and olive will add vibrancy to the home, based on what we saw at Salone del Mobile this year.
Green accents in the lounge
These olive green sofas are minimalist and modern
Green is soothing, welcomes nature inside and adds a dash of freshness. We’re particularly loving these steel frame and leather upholstered chairs with contrast piping which will be making its way to our showroom very soon!
Avocado green leather upholstered chairs with contrast piping and steel frame
HEAVY METAL
Metal frames with leather shades
Copper was one of the strongest design trends last year – and the glint of metal continues to add sheen to interior design in 2016. Think a tableau of circular Duco tables with metal tops in the lounge or metal framed light fittings with leather shades.
Metal blends smoothly with marble in this cabinet
Neofuturistic in its shape, these stackable side tables and
unusually shaped chair play with geometric angles
THE ZAHA HADID EFFECT
With the design world still in mourning after the passing of Zaha Hadid, the legacy of the great British-Iraqi architect was omnipresent at this year’s Salon del Mobile not only through pieces like the table she designed for Italian brand Sawaya & Moroni but also in the manner in which influenced others.
The Iraji-born British architect’s sweeping fluid style
undoubtedly inspired this floating wall unit
A cement grey wall unit’s fluidly repetitive shape was undoubtedly Hadid inspired, while the cubist like geometric shapes of a table and the angular shapes of a wooden chair and stackable tables also mimicked her distinctive style.
The cubist style geometric shapes of this table are reminiscent
of Hadid’s modern aesthetic
QUILTING
This time honoured tradition moves out of the craft cupboard as quilting applications become the new embellishment. From adding interest to sleek footwear, to ottomans and army-inspired travel bags, this multi-layered textile will warm up design – and one of our favourite Salon del Mobile stands, which honours the Mah Jong sofa designed by Hans Hopfer in 1971.
Quilted pool
Luggage gets a quilting makeover
Metallic quilting on sneakers
Quilted ottoman