Home Design Trends: Neutral Colors, Reissues & Sustainablity For a New Way of Living
The most cutting-edge home design trends that will characterize modern life were spotted by Design Italy, the e-commerce platform for Italian design & furniture brands, at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair. They predict that these incredibly fanciful pieces of furniture and decor are sure bets to top the year’s online sales charts.
An increasing number of people are shopping for furniture online, and as a result, Design Italy has expanded to provide the international market with more than 12,000 products made in Italy from 140 carefully chosen brands (85% of which are exported). Items can be shipped worldwide to over 100 countries.
Soft, muted tones and organic shapes
JCP Universe / DesignItaly
Many pieces of furniture in this year’s collections are also done in light, muted colors like ochre, cream, beige, gray, and their infinite delicate variations. These hues are typically reserved for the bedroom, but they work just as well in the living room, on the patio, or in the bathroom.
The Quiete armchair by Dale Italia is upholstered in plush cushions and features a curved wooden frame in muted tones. In general, seating options are expansive and inviting, such as the Bordone rotating maxi sofa from My Home Collection.
These light tones are complementary to modern decor and provide a blank slate for bolder accents, such as the towering sideboard Tower Madia by Mogg Design (feature image), whose sleek lines and minimal design complement any modern home. Rapper Sfera Ebbasta worked with Driade to create a version of their Cocky chaise longue upholstered in a plush baby pink eco fur. The Capri chair by Medaarch exemplifies the trend toward spherical forms and bright colors in outdoor seating.
Re-editions
Many brands are reissuing their classic designs this year, likely due to the reassuring effect that designs that pay homage to the past, present, and future have on consumers. The Karelia armchair, designed by Liisi Beckmann for Zanotta, is one of the most recognizable examples of frameless seating, and it is now available with optional feet that expand its usefulness as a modular piece of furniture. Additionally, Cassina is reissuing Gaetano Pesce’s Tramonto in New York sofa in a larger format, with only fifty copies being made available to the public.
Eco-friendly architecture
Key brands are genuinely embracing a path of greater respect for the environment by providing a conscientious vision of life, complete with furniture and decor made entirely from recycled materials and using optimized production processes, as evidenced by the rise of the “upcycling” movement in the design industry.
Loredana Giulioli, a weaver and designer, creates masks and embroidered canvases from repurposed fabrics. Vico Magistretti, who designed the Russel chair for Serralunga, crafted it from recyclable rotationally molded plastic. The young Tuscan firm Dygodesign, known for its 3D-printed vases in PLA derived from corn, has an impressive collection.
The Highlight pendant lamps by High Society Studio are also worth mentioning; they are made from the waste products of plants like tobacco, vines, and hemp and have natural tones that are evocative of these materials. Recently, Talenti has released a line of outdoor furniture that was made possible by using post-consumer recycled PET bottles; this means that the furniture from this line can also be recycled. For PEFC Italia’s “Forests are Home” campaign, Lessmore also created a small collection using certified wood, which was designed by architect Giorgio Caporaso.
Glome Z by JCP Universe Murano Glass / DesignItaly
Skillful work meets cutting-edge design.
Each piece of design has its own backstory, one that reflects its unique identity, which is based on new research and innovation criteria and a deft blending of technology and craftsmanship. Products with a sophisticated appearance and feel have been consistently successful in the home decor market. Glome Z vases by JCP Universe are made of mouth-blown Murano glass and are decorated with color castings and silver fragments to evoke interstellar nebulae. In addition, FontanaArte is showcasing iconic pieces dating all the way back to 1932, marking 90 years of Italian-made designs.
Inhabitants’ Social Interactions
As a result of the pandemic’s upheaval, homes have become popular gathering places for people to spend their free time. As more and more of our time is spent working remotely or entertaining guests at home, it serves as a safe haven where we can relax and spend time with those we care about.
Changes like these are readily apparent in modern large tables, which come in a wide range of sizes, styles, and materials. Tables from the Quaderna series, originally created by Superstudio for Zanotta, have been given a new life. The NVL Table by MDF, designed by Jean Nouvel, has a central base made up of two supporting structures that taper as they reach the tabletop, and an oval top measuring 3 meters in diameter, both of which feature glossy finishes or reconstituted stone.
Impatia’s crystal foosball tables, pink velvet pool tables, and marble-inlaid poker tables provide endless entertainment for those priceless moments of play and fun at home.
ALBA bookshelf designed by Studio Bernhardt Valle made in Italy by Arflex / DesignItaly
Craft and elegance
It’s becoming increasingly common for companies in the fashion industry to form partnerships with businesses in the furniture sector or to design their own collections in collaboration with those businesses. The creative minds of designers, who have always paid attention to the fields of architecture and interior design, benefit from these partnerships by increasing cross-selling and fostering synergies.
Black and white ceramics with Missoni’s signature zig-zag pattern were released as part of the company’s Art de la Table series. Fratelli Pois is a line of ceramics designed by fashion designer Antonio Marras and decorated by the decal method for the Casa Marras brand.
ABOUT DESIGN ITALY
E-commerce website Design Italy was founded in 2019 with the goal of promoting Italian design globally. Featuring exclusively Italian-made contemporary designs by over 140 selected brands, Design Italy ships to over 100 countries, with designs including home décor, lighting, accessories and fashion, with special and customizable collections that offer clients a unique experience accompanied by exceptional customer service. Visit www.designitaly.com to learn more.
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