April 2014 / The Art of Design Craftology


Located throughout the world, the Trendease Team continues to deliver our subscribers around the globe must-know market information and inspiration straight to their computer screens.

The Trendease Team has just wrapped up the first quarter of international design events. In this issue we bring you global design directions cross-referenced from the creative smorgasbord we have been diving into and dissecting on your behalf. Trade show reviews are also present, starting with the highly anticipated inauguration of Maison&Objet Asia, as well as TIFF (Thailand International Furniture Fair) BIFF&BIL (Bangkok international fashion and leather fairs) and more in-depth looks at movements from shows in Frankfurt, Hanover, Cologne, Paris, and Milan. Get inspired with the April edition!

We attend over 100 design events a year on your behalf to bring you trend insights and design movements to help you maintain cutting-edge knowledge of the lifestyle and design markets. Currently we keep readers within 173 countries/territories in the know! Are you reading Trendease.com?

Show us what you’ve got! For editorial consideration please email editorial@trendease.com with your latest original designs. Upcoming Trendease Market Edge PowWows and Trendease.TV scheduling can be found on the homepage.

REPORTING TO INSPIRE,
Jennifer Castoldi,
Chief Creative Director

Download our informative tri-fold brochure as a PDF file here.

Features and Articles

Jennifer's April Antics

Singapore — March had the team running around Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States. In this issue we bring you some design directions cross-referenced from the slew of global events we have been jetting around to these last few months as well as some exhibition reviews. In this gallery you can also read and see the Trendease take on the inaugural Maison&Objet Asia.

80% cotton / 15% kapok / 5% lotus

The Ingredients of Tasty Textiles

Bangkok — Our minds were blown away after a visit to this textile factory. During our appointment we were asked to sit at a conference table surrounded by swatches, and upon the table there was an assortment of ingredients arranged. It looked like we might be getting ready for a cooking course, but to our surprise, these components that we normally associate with food are actually used to produce textiles! Get educated about these eco fabrics here.

Remixed Aesthetics

Worldwide — It is referred to as remixed oriental, modern graphic design with traditional artisanship, chaos theory, and textural printing. Call it what you want, there is no denying that these types of designs are picking up momentum. Two or more visuals, patterns, graphics, or motifs are laid on top of each other to bring forward a new aesthetic. Bedding, floor coverings, and even dishes are undergoing the transformation.

Raval Collection

Floral Medallions

Worldwide — Imagine medallions and flowers morphed together and applied to home products and this is what you get: a collection of wallpaper, tiles, rugs, bedding, and upholstery from the latest round of international trade shows. A medallion is defined as defined as “an oval or circular painting, panel, or design used to decorate a building or textile”. Over the last two years we have watched the motif move from an ethnic influence to a more starburst floral feel as seen in this gallery.

Copper Creations

Worldwide — For the last few years warm metals have given chrome and steel finishes a run for their money. Copper and metallic copper coloring have been at the forefront of this trend. The story has evolved and now there is more than meets the eye. Experimentation is the name of the game and copper is the pretty package it is wrapped in.

Goodbye Grandma!

Bangkok — During the Trendease Team’s recent mission to Bangkok and a trip to TIFF, the Thailand International Furniture Fair, we were yet again intrigued by our findings. Your grandmother’s garden furniture can stay in its appropriate generation. Interiors and exteriors take on a new vitality with the latest Thai design has to offer. Low or no minimum orders and lots of opportunities for customization make Thailand an excellent resource on the designers’ list of secret suppliers.

Winner: Tree of Life

Dress for Success

Chicago/Jakarta — Fashion has been used as a marketing tool for generations. It is an attention getter. It can be provocative, sensual, and fun. Whether it’s a wallpaper company showing off the latest collections, a flooring firm showcasing the newest lines, a timber association making its offering stand out from the crowd, or an artist bringing his work off of the canvas to promote his new gallery, creativity is all around and fashion is an outlet that continues to fascinate us.

Unfinished Edges

Worldwide — While traveling around the world to different design shows we are always on the lookout for new techniques and details in home fashions. One thing we have noticed that is gaining momentum is the look of an unfinished edge. To the untrained eye it looks unfinished, but sewing gurus know that serged edges are in fact complete. It has been ‘in’ for men to have the stubble look and now furniture is going through a similar, less clean-cut look. Is it sexy? You be the judge.

NEWSLETTER #474 - Milan, Design & Archives

Milan — Here is an installation from Ventura Lembrate that Trendease found intensely thought-provoking: Het Nieuwe Instituut's Archive Rath & Doodeheefver by Lernert & Sander. The management and reallocation of the archives have been a focus for almost five years now. Subscribers can see how Het Nieuwe Instituut raised the subject of preserving archives amid the international design community during Milan Design Week.

In the workroom

NEWSLETTER #475 - Design Social Enterprise

High Wycombe — Trendease took a 30-mile trip from London to venture to High Wycombe to meet with the founders and team at the admirable furniture social enterprise known as Out of the Dark. Founders Jay and Jade Blades started the charitable organization as an extension Street Dreams; Out of the Dark “recycles, restores and revamps salvaged furniture as a means to train, educate and employ young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.”