At the end of 2018, we looked at the trends in furniture. Now it’s time to take a look at the trends in furniture for 2019, so to do that we start with the first exhibition of the year, imm cologne. Although not a leading trade fair when it comes to trends, it is Europe’s second largest and most important furniture trade fair, and therefore gives a lot of insight into the consumer taste in furniture in Europe.
The textile comeback
Although fabric has always been a central feature of upholstered furniture, in recent years there has been a great revival of upholstered chairs and armchairs.
Moreover, even in sofas and armchairs with simple shapes, it is a triumph of printed fabrics, textiles, bouclé, quilted velvets.
From the classic of the 70s Mah Jong sofa, by Roche Bobois, to the contemporary Tellin by Arflex, armchairs, small armchairs and sofas increasingly use colors, textures and iridescent colors.
Ligne Roset presented a padded and quilted velvet for the sofa Uncover, designed by Marie Christine Dorner.
Trends color: green
At the beginning of 2019, many companies introduced the color green, which seems to be much appreciated by customers. Verpan proposes again in green the sofa Cloverleaf, designed by Verner Panton in 1969.
Antoniolupi also explored the bottle green color for the Albume washbasin, designed by Carlo Colombo and made by Cristalmood.
The Arp sofa, covered in velvet and designed by Sebastian Herkner for the Dutch designer Linteloo, is also green.
Lema suggested the green for the Fantino armchair, a project by Gordon Guillamier, covered with velvet and with a comfortable and enveloping shape.
Gallotti & Radice also focused on the green, much appreciated by the public, with the Audrey sofa by Massimo Castagna.
100 years of Bauhaus
Many of the furniture of today, still very modern, were designed in the 20s and 30s of the twentieth century, at the Bauhaus. The centenary of the foundation of the Bauhaus, perhaps the best known school of architecture and design, is celebrated in 2019. From there came out furniture, fabrics, watches, tableware, cutlery, and more, products that last without any effort for 100 years and are still very much appreciated and on the market today.
The German company Tecta, which produces and markets Bauhaus products, revisited the F51 armchair. The F51 armchair was designed in 1923 for the “Director’s Office”, a project by Walter Gropius (founder and director of the Bauhaus from 1919 to 1928) for the first “Great Bauhaus Exhibition”.
The 2019 version of the F51 armchair features new coverings, designed by Katrin Greiling.
Barcelona, one of the most popular armchairs of all time, is also celebrated by Knoll for the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus. The armchair celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2019: it was designed by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe in 1929 for the German pavilion at the Barcelona Expo. Mies Van Der Rohe was director of the Bauhaus in the last period, from 1930 to 1933, the year of its definitive closure. The limited edition will be in 365 copies, one per day for 2019.
The MR, the lounge chair designed by Mies Van Der Rohe around 1927 and still manufactured by Knoll, has also been revisited for the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus, and is covered for the first time in fabric.
100 years of Bauhaus with Thonet and the “bistrot” chair
Thonet, the “mother” of woven cane chairs, celebrates a double anniversary: 200 years of life, 100 years of Bauhaus. The Thonet 214 chair, also known as the “bistrot” chair, is perhaps the most copied chair in the world, as well as being the first example of a chair designed for industrial production, consisting of 6 pieces, 2 plugs and 10 screws, packed to hold 36 chairs in a box of one mc.
To celebrate this double anniversary, Thonet presented new versions of the 214 chair and the MR 515 coffee table by Mies Van Der Rohe, and plans to hold an exhibition in May 2019 at the Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum, Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.
The evergreen vintage
Vintage keeps fascinating. In addition to the countless products of the Bauhaus legacy, Verpan has also put the inflatable stool designed by Verner Panton in 1960 back into production, specifically for Prada for 2019. A special edition for sale only on line or in selected Prada stores.
