The latest trends from the two largest furniture trade fairs in Europe in 2019

If you follow international furnishing trends and want to decorate your home beautifully, the best place to find inspiration is at furniture fairs. The trends of tomorrow can be demonstrated particularly well there.“House andObjet” in Parisand “Imm” in Cologne successfully ushered in the new season and presented brilliant living ideas from trendsetters, market leaders and brands. We give you a look at what's new in terms of style, design and colors for 2019.

Track current trends at furniture trade fairs

IMM Cologne
January 14 – 20, 2019, Cologne, Germany

The first interior and furnishings trade fair of the year included products from more than 1,200 exhibitors from 50 countries. There were in the halls of the international furnishing trade fairfollowing exciting trendsto observe:

With living space becoming increasingly scarce in large cities, it is no surprise that new living trends such as “Tiny Houses”, “Micro Apartments” and “Micro Living” are becoming established. This means that the demand for furniture that is flexible and also combines several functions is growing. Many manufacturers at the trade fair showed sofas, armchairs, side tables and various smaller pieces of furniture that are easy to handle and move.

Bauhaus classics and mid-century style pieces sweepback to the Germans' apartments! Many manufacturers are inspired by the designs of the 1950s/60s and combine retro shapes with new ideas. The sideboard is also celebrating a comeback and surprises with simple elegance and practical details. With a lot of creativity and the use of modern manufacturing technologies, the inconspicuous storage furniture becomes an eye-catcher in every room.

House & Object
January 18 – 22, 2019, Paris, France

The January issue of “Maison & Objet” – with the motto “Excuse my French!” – focused on France's contribution to the international design scene. There were also a series of attachments entitled “What's New?” and a showcase of emerging Chinese designers.

Art Deco is back at the forefront as a style inspiration and designers at the international fair have confirmed this trend. The French and international direction in design, applied arts and architecture is characterized by the elegance of form and the emphasis on noble materials. Geometric patterns such as fish scales, honeycombs, stripes and checks are typical of the Art Deco era from 1920-1940.

One of the key Art Deco features that stood out this year is the preference for dark colors. While white, soft pastel colors and light woods are still popular, we also think the muted, earthy tones for 2019 are gorgeous. In addition to burgundy red, dusty rose, burnt orange, honey and mustard yellow, moss green and peacock blue made their debut on “Maison & Objet”.

Another element typical of the Art Deco style is velvet. This year's "it" material was all over Maison & Objet in the form of sofas, chairs, daybeds, stools and cushions. The shimmering material looked even more elegant, especially with gemstone colors such as emerald green, ruby ​​red, sapphire blue and tourmaline yellow! The soft upholstery was usually complemented by a sturdy frame made of powder-coated steel. The more wear-resistant and easier-care version of polyester velvet is sometimes used in production. Technological advances in the production of polyester velvet now allow the fabric to have a shorter pile while still providing a soft feel.

The result of a survey by. is interesting with regard to wear-resistant materialsMoebel24. The comparison site reports that, in keeping with the living room trend, indoor furniture in the weatherproof version can find its place in the garden. The majority of those surveyed want high-quality garden furniture made of polyrattan and fine wooden furniture made of teak. Since the garden has long been considered an open-air living room, cozy cushions and homely decorations are also an absolute must in the outdoor area this garden season.

“Imm Cologne” and “Maison & Objet” are already over, but we are now eagerly waiting for “Salone del Mobile 2019”, which will take place again in Milan, Italy from April 9th ​​to 14th. The trade fair is considered the most important furniture trade fair in the world. The light exhibition “Euroluce” and the office furniture fair “Workplace 3.0” will also run parallel to the trade fair.