During a recent preview luncheon at Fiamma here in the Big Apple, Koelnmesse GmbH – organizer of imm cologne held annually at the Cologne Exhibition Center in Germany – recently offered a preview of the international design trends that will be emphasized and seen at the upcoming international furnishings trade show, which is set for Jan. 19-25, 2009. The German company unveiled these interior design trends – which were broken into four categories called Extra Much, Near and Far, Tepee Culture and Re-Run Time – predicted by the show’s Trendboard for 2009 and beyond following a two-day meeting of its five members this summer in Barcelona, Spain.

• Extra Much: Designs that have a natural composition, feature a blue-grey base and are richly detailed.
• Near and Far: Designs that are about taking familiar looks and experimenting with them, and using natural materials such as sea grass and bamboo, as well as warm, light and natural tones.
• Tepee Culture: Design that feature geometric forms, recyclable materials and rich, muted colors of red, orange, green and brown.
• Re-Run Time: The basic premise of these designs is that everything old is new again, borrowing ideas from the past and updating them.

Koelnmesse officials also revealed that this year among its 11 halls there will be a section – dubbed the Art of the Kitchen – dedicated to kitchens products. It’s part of a larger hall called imm pure, where “modern design furniture” will be on display along with kitchens.

Specifically, in the Art of the Kitchen section, manufacturers of “kitchen furniture and built-in appliances”, as well as lighting, home accessories, textiles and carpets, will gather to show their latest, most innovative wares. The impetus to create such a section, explained Koelnmesse officials, was the idea that the kitchen has evolved beyond a lone, isolated room into a space that’s increasingly more open and spills into the living area.

“The kitchen has long since become a place where boundaries between food preparation and everyday life dissolve. The kitchen is continuing its evolution into a natural part of people’s living areas. In the high-end segment this progress is characterized by kitchen architecture that is as optimal as it is innovative, [with] excellent design and technology…The unique staging of exclusive premium kitchens in Hall 11 puts them in a perfect setting. And every year now renowned kitchen manufacturers will be demonstrating that exquisite kitchen design is really art,” noted Koelnmesse’s Franze Balve.

For more information about imm cologne, log onto www.imm-cologne.com.

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