22 www.thedesignermagazine.com Cover Feature
“Design is the only way forward,” says Michel Roset, Director of Ligne Roset. His
view is echoed by a generally upbeat mood witnessed by Barbara Chandler during
her Grand Tour of spring fairs in Birmingham, Cologne and Paris
TypiCally
demanding, design energetically sees
in the New year with a clutch of big
international trade shows – and retailers,
interior designers, specifiers – and, yes,
the media, including me – must zoom
off into the zeitgeist, to bring home the
trends, seasoned with news and views. in
ascending pecking (and time) order, the
itinerary featured Birmingham, Cologne
and finally paris.
First stop was interiors Birmingham,
erstwhile the Furniture Show, but now
(joined with lighting) flaunting strong
special attractions to capture a wider
audience. if truth be told, these were
more exciting than the exhibits, for
here the general mood was rather
quiet and dull (check it out on www.
Birmingham University students’ 3D
furnishingreport.com).
interpretations of abstract trends identified by
Thus it was easy for students of
Global Color Research. Shown are ‘Punch’ (above),
‘Opal’ (right) and ‘Roma’ (main picture opposite)
Birmingham City University to steal the
limelight, which they did in masterly also vibrant was a group stand organised
fashion. They had taken four somewhat by Designersblock, the leading london
abstract ‘trends’ from forecasters Global curators of edgy design shows worldwide.
Color Research and turned them into Their assembly of British contemporary
arresting 3D installations. Each was in design was as seductive as it was innovative.
its own booth, for which they moulded, Star turn was a new ‘textile collective’ called
printed and generally conjured up an puff and Flock (their name is taken from an
impressive range of special artefacts. old textile-making technique). it is composed
Most stunning was a single slug of eight fabric wonder women, with ages
of glossy red delivered by the trend from 25 to 40, all recent graduates from the
termed ‘punch’. This, said the forecasters, unique Textiles Futures Ma course at Central
was a ‘flashy, sometimes trashy, key move St Martin’s art school.
toward completely tonal interiors’. They are pushing boundaries, with
a second strand was folksy ‘Roma’ – arresting ideas for luminous, magnetic, heat-
a bold melange of plaid, tartan, punk activated and eco fabrics, and are now on
and graffiti motifs. Then there was ‘Opal’, call to invent/develop textile products and
with art-deco geometry in rosy metallics applications, stage shows and more.
with opalescent and iridescent surfaces. alongside was Ercol, an old and faithful
lastly, the extreme texture of Contour – British brand, now getting a surprisingly
complex pleats and ruching, slats, weaves, sexy new look with a matt black stain on the
raised dots and even honeycomb effects. original elm classics, now fashionably retro.
spring fairs.indd 22 26/2/09 15:21:42
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