De eerste meubelbeurzen van 2002

Furniture for Neotu by Christian Biecher

Nforniture for Pandora Design

Night and Day – bed collection – designed by Philippe Starck for Descamps

Januari is dé maand bij uitstek van de internationale meubelbeurzen. Niet te missen evenementen in Parijs waren het Salon du Meuble en Maison&Objet , de internationale show die uitpakt met decoratie, geschenkartikelen en tafelaankleding. Tot 20 januari was de Internationale Meubelbeurs van Keulen de place-to-be voor meubeladdicten.

January is the month of international furniture-shows. The events not to miss were in Paris Salon du Meuble and Maison&Objet ,the international expo that features décor, gifts and the art of table settings. Until January 20, the world of furniture design was meeting at the International Furniture Fair in Cologne.

The Salon du Meuble was divided into three sections: Grands Marchés, Expressions and Pôle Mobilier Professionnel. The Worldwide installation, located at the center of the pavilion,  exhibited the work of 11 international designers : Ayse Birsel, Steven Blaess, Humberto and Fernando Campana, Josef Crisanto, Christian Ghion, Richard Hutten, Harri Koskinen, Massimo Morozzi, Satyendra Pakhalé, Karim Rashid, Timo Salli. The installation was like a world tour of the art of contemporary living, revealing an international and unified lifestyle.  

An exhibition of trends

From the stage design of Le Village to La Métropole, interest in functionality is assured and the use of colour everywhere noticeable. They are evident in all areas of the exhibition whether speaking of classic or contemporary furniture. 

Classic furniture revisited inspired by modernity

Authenticity, quality and expert knowledge are more important than ever. Stylish furniture is positioned side by side with professional furniture that has been put to a different use, pieces influenced by travel or those which call for painted wood. Classic style that takes on a hint of modern inspiration ! 

Comfort, transparency, colours, new materials … for contemporary furniture

The seating changes size and becomes perfectly adjustable. The colours – reds to deep purples passing through the palette of oranges and pinks – and transparency were evident on all the stands with the use of tinted glass or translucid and coloured resin. New materials were also used in the research led by Corian ; fibre optic with lamps , the gels used in the interior of seats, 3D textiles and form memory foam.

Usage of reclaimed materials as used by the Campana brothers for example, who utilise hosepipes, rope and bamboo or childrens’ balloons, made solid by resin and glass fibre !

Flexibility and transparency, colours and research on materials and life styles :  these trends were particularly evident in :
- The outstanding and conspicuous work produced on materials for Design Lab- Recherches by Christian Ghion and thirty other designers
- The studies led by the VIA on the multimedia environment through projects by Philippe Daney, Eric Jourdan, Bernard Moîse, Rébecca Selosse and students from the ISD in Valenciennes.
- Proposals from the students at l’ENSAD for le Phare, staged under the SolarDôme. They are founded upon lightness, nomadism and the development of ways of living.

Lets remember finally that the exhibition returned two prizes in 2002 . Le Prix du Nombre d’Or, which rewards an exemplary collaboration between designer and manufacturer having worked for a contemporary, went to Didier Gomez and to the Groupe  Roset. That of Créateur de l’Année du Salon du Meuble de Paris (Designer of the Year at the Salon du Meuble de Paris) was awarded to François Bauchet. He is following up last years winner : Maarten Van Severen ! 

Maison&Objet.

“Not just the art of living, but the art of living… together: It's a fine extension of the Maison&Object concept and certainly the future major issue of a world that has been turned upside down. This first session in 2002 aims to be a supportive and constructive commitment, provide a federating dynamism based on the buoyant value of all hopes: the creative spirit.”. With this philosophy the Paris expo dedicated to home furnishings held his doors exclusively open for professionals to discover all the new products in homeware and decoration. Maison&Objet is a real breath of enthusiasm, generosity and energy. It is an exhibition that not only helps us decrypt the trendiest codes of the moment but also introduces us to the vibrations of today's design.

Once again this year, the section dedicated to design Now! Design a vivre  expanded, with an additional 30 companies exhibiting their wares. While this trend does not yet amount to a market through which to launch new products, a few important manufacturers, above and beyond those present at the contemporary Salon du Meuble, deemed it important to attend the expo at Parc des Expositions. Particularly noteworthy were Danish editor Fritz Hansen who celebrates the 100^th anniversary of Arne Jacobsen and Nforniture (www.nforniture.com) with objects designed for Pandora Design.

Focus of the Now! section was an exhibit titled Recherche Futur: Objets Sensibles, organized by Chantal Hamaide, founder and director of Intramuros. It was a collection of highly technological products based on research studies conducted in industrial sectors - such as those of the communications, sports competitions and medical equipment sectors - for the purpose of creating products for a vaster range of consumers as well as for the home. Consisting of 50 large display cases, the exhibit included Alcatel's Time to Dream project, a parka with an integrated cell and Motorola's computer scarf.

In bed and bad with Starck 

And we can’t forget to mention the omnipresence of mister Starck. Evidently he hates making beds: presenting the line of products for the bedroom and bath he designed for the Descamps group, the French designer insists that it is a “useless waste of time, with predictably unsatisfying results”. And he proposes, as an alternative, the use of mattress covers, sommiers, sheets, bedspreads and quilts that don’t require tucking (attached at the corners with buttons). Apart from the bedding, the Starck Night & Day collection includes platforms, mattresses, bedside units and headboards. The latter are conceived as large tapestries to hang on the wall. Then there are the bath accessories: not just towel racks and stools, but also candles and beauty products. Not to mention a complete line of very original bathrobes, confirming Starck’s talent as a fashion designer.

Creator Maison&Objet 2002

For the purpose of approaching the world of design, this year the expo once again included the Créateur maison&objet, award that has already been conferred upon Paola Navone, Philippe Starck and Jasper Morrison, to mention but a few. This year, the award went to Christian Biecher, Parisian architect and designer, formerly the assistant of Bernard Tschumi, who works in France as well as the United States and Japan. Christian Biecher, whose professional itinerary began in the early 90s, belongs to a new generation of architects who are sensitive to the interplay of different artistic disciplines such as art, architecture, design, interior layout, graphics, set design and exhibitions.

"All these things are part of the same approach. An architecture of tense, minimal lines reveals a world where light plays with matter, where colors cut space in the same way as volumes do," commented Biecher. "The desire to be discreet, timeless, is filled out by the desire to give places a human appearance, a shorter time frame, brings a new freedom to language - supple forms, contrasts of tones and sensual surfaces."

Christian's design have been produced by Aridi, H.A. Deux, Neotu and Poltrona Frau. He recently designed the restaurant Korova in Paris.

INTERNATIONAL MÖBELMESSE 2002
Design was the main focus of the INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE FAIR this year. The theme ran throughout the entire trade fair in the form of the “Red Route” design programme. Visitors were consistently surprised as they passed the various design stations and the individual interpretations of design and living themes. The Red Route was presented by famous German and international designers as well as by up-and-coming designers. The INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE FAIR’S demands with regard to design —particularly in relation to international design — were also reflected in the exhibitors’ presentations.

The most important design and trend signals coming out of this year’s INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE FAIR are:

• Democratisation of design“ — design belongs to everyone
• Furniture is showing a bolder approach to light and colour
• The trend towards greater multifunctionality in furniture is continuing.
• Transparency remains a major theme. Satinized glass is in — whether as the front of a cupboard or a tabletop.
• Movement towards clear formal language. Clearer contours for furniture.
• Living in comfort is important for most consumers. The customer can vary and rearrange his or her furniture according to mood and feeling. Increased identification with one’s own four walls.

The INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE FAIR 2003 Cologne will be launched with a new name and an eye-catching and appealing presentation. The change of name from INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE FAIR to IMM COLOGNE will create an independent brand and underline its function as global pilot fair — as the international furniture fair.