The urge to escape dominates textile trends in today’s digital world, according to design themes predicted by the home and contract textile tradeshow Heimtextil, taking place in Frankfurt am Main January 8-11.
Three of the five trends—summed up as Seek Sanctuary, Escape Reality, and Go Off-Grid—focus on retreating from the chaos of everyday life. According to the report, a “minimalist color palette with carefully selected structural details, curvy shapes, and upholstery gives rise to comfort and warmth” in the Seek Sanctuary trend. In Escape Reality, “shimmering iridescent surfaces” combine with mother-of-pearl effects and high gloss for a surreal journey into an alternate world. Chasing a return to the natural world, Go Off-Grid is all about outdoor textiles that are durable, sophisticated, and inspired by nature and its beautiful imperfections.
The remaining trends, Pursue Play and Embrace Indulgence, focus on enjoyment via color and geometry—either playful and bold or soothing with a focus on high-quality, honest materials, respectively.
Determined by London-based studio FranklinTill, in collaboration with Anne Marie Commandeur from the Stijlinstituut Amsterdam and Anja Bisgaard Gaede from SPOTT Trends & Business, the trend forecast coincides with Heimtextil’s new presentation area, Trend Space, in Hall 3.0.
In 2017, Heimtextil drew nearly 3,000 international manufacturers, dealers, and designers—representing 67 countries—who showcased products to some 70,000 trade visitors.
Here are examples of the five trends:
Representing Go Off-Grid is Ecocapsule, a self-sustainable mobile dwelling designed to tap solar and wind energy.
Representing the Pursue Play trend, “Gallery Party” was an installation by design studio GGSV, conceived to mark the 40th anniversary of the Centre Pompidou cultural center in Paris.
Launched in Milan in 2018, the ABCD upholstered chair by Faye Toogood for Takeyari represents Seek Sanctuary.
Heimtextil’s trend forecasters pointed to Omar's Place, a restaurant in London by Sella Concept, as representing Embrace Indulgence.
Representing the Escape Reality trend, “Machinic Life” was an exhibition by the Museum of the Future exploring artificial intelligence and held at the World Government Summit in Dubai in 2017.