Material Observations at IMM: Vibrancy and Contrast on the Micro and Macro Scale

Walking the IMM (International Furniture Fair), in Cologne in January, you couldn’t help but notice an exuberance that belies what we’re hearing about the economy – a welcome contrast!

Bright, bold colors and high-character woodgrains – many mixed with whites or other solid colors – beckoned visitors, often causing them to stop in their tracks and cut across a crowded aisle of visitors to get a closer look. Or as in my case, some close-up photos so share: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kennbusch/

Gone were some of the staples of recent years – strong, straight-grain oaks, washed with grey or white, were nowhere to be found. It seems as though this approach to “design conservatism” is giving way to an obstinate optimism expressed quite often in orange, and even more so in purple.

The staid walnuts with muted neutral tones have warmed, and both light and dark woods sported bold, flowing cathedrals. In many cases, light and dark wood (sap and heart wood) tones were visible on the same panel, even in areas as small as a drawer front.

The economy, not surprisingly, is inspiring more of the “homing,” or “cocooning” trend – spending less money going out and more time in the home, condo or apartment. Add to this the ever increasing number of people running or starting home-based business, which is driving a blending of work and home interiors – not just in surface design, but also in the form and the (multi) functionality and scale of furniture.

Compact laminate (solid phenolic), a material whose potential has only just started to be explored, appeared in some unexpected places, including a dining table and thin living room shelves. 3-D laminates continue to improve in design fidelity and performance, with a high-gloss finish perfect for the European market; North America still prefers softer finishes.

White was still everywhere, although tempered a bit by other solid colors. I heard an interesting take on this trend from Peter Garlington, design manager for Interprint LLC. Working with solid white surfaces frees designers from the constraints imposed when you use traditional furniture finishes. A new design concept executed in a traditional woodgrain, for instance, looks odd or out of place because “wood isn’t supposed to do that.”

Garlington says a new generation of designers (and consumers) are waiting for the surfacing suppliers to break with the past and introduce concepts that are entirely unto themselves – abstracts, even electronic and “reactive” laminates may be in our not-so-distant future.

When this leap is taken, you can be sure you’ll find it in Cologne. For more information on IMM, please visit: www.imm-cologne.com

Pop-off panels!

Hip Vanity

. For more images and thoughts on IMM 2009, please visit www.materialintelligence.com.

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