The early bird catches the yarn: Heimtextil 2017

The annual Trendtable, comprising the creative heads of six agencies from six countries, met as early as last spring. Several weeks ago, it presented the results of its investigations and assessments. The agency Carlin International/Exalis of France is leading the compilation and design of the Trend Book as well as conceiving the Theme Park for the upcoming fair. The group of Trendtable experts further included Felix Diener (Germany), Franklin Till (Britain), Stijlinstituut Amsterdam (Netherlands), Dan Project (Japan) and WGSN Group (USA).

The Theme Park invites visitors on a journey full of inspiring discoveries under the guiding theme of “Explorations”. This encompasses the four sub-trends Virtual, Planetary, Natural and Cultural Explorations, taking into consideration the five disciplines Retail, Technology, Hospitality, Transport and Work and Home. Accordingly, the Theme Park forms the intellectual, cultural and inspirational centre of the fair, making it an essential stop for all creative professionals, including designers, building planners, interior designers and architects.

Around 3,000 exhibitors will take advantage of this chance to meet their customers in person. Architects are therefore well-advised to plan their tour of the fair. Not all will take interest in the product groups presented – Floor, Sun, Upholstery, Wall and Window – or in the wide-ranging subject of Asia, and the trends that are annually investigated in thorough analyses don’t highlight technical innovation cycles. The latter are only sparingly represented, but there are developments like smart textiles, which are spreading from the fashion sphere into home textiles under the term “smart home”. Self-closing curtains and self-cooling bedding may not grab architects’ attention, yet the offerings give an idea of what is currently possible.

While exploration is always individual, this individualisation of interiors, especially in the Work Spaces, achieves a high degree of flexibility through the use of textiles. An open-space office can be easily individualised, for ten persons or a hundred, by means of visual and sun protection alone. This is demonstrated in the Theme Park, which brings together multiple worlds, extending beyond the four sub-trends and integrating the above-named disciplines. The Theme Park essentially functions as a matrix for the designer, who can see first-hand how aspects of various trends can be electively combined.

“Architects will find the Trend Area very inspirational,” says Thimo Schwenzfeier, the head of marketing communication. “It isn’t about immediate added value for their daily work, but for those who are open-minded, have a feeling for design, are interested in art or modern technologies like virtual reality, and enjoy playing with colours, the Theme Park is the place to go.” Thus the organisers aren’t concerned simply with direct application options, but with providing stimulus by showing what is available on the market. “We hope the fair sensitises people generally to the world of textiles and, ideally, delivers more than the visitor is expecting,” Schwenzfeier continues. “It’s also intended to surprise creatives, as it’s much more than a successful centre for sales and orders. It simultaneously offers islands of experience with additional content that isn’t typical of fairs, but is rather cultural in character,” he emphasises.

Schwenzfeier understands that architects bring other “problems” to Heimtextil than they would to a construction fair. Along with diffuse expectations, there are, of course, concrete questions – for example, about interior sun protection, the individualisation of spaces, wallpaper or the spatial-acoustic aspects of a carpet. Most important, however, is the inspiration that one derives from looking at and feeling the textiles, or from the sheer astonishment at their functionality.

For those seeking deeper insights, the programme includes qualified expert lectures and workshops that are of relevance to designers and planners. Here, attendees can examine trends and developments and enter into discussion with colleagues. The focus of interest for architects is the Salon “Interior.Architecture.Hospitality” in the foyer of Hall 4.0. If deciding on the “right” sequence of halls to visit proves difficult, the expert-led tours that start here offer direction. A further orientation aid can be found in the guide to “Interior.Architecture.Hospitality”, which, both online and in print, lists exhibitors specialising in contract furnishing (www.heimtextil.de/objekt). Architonic likewise publishes a guide that features a selection of the best exhibitors.

© Architonic