Designer's Eye: Salone Trend Report

What colors are trending?

Lots of color play this year at Salone with a wide spectrum of colors, but surprisingly pink is coming strong this year along with the usual Milanese suspects of slightly muted blues, terracotta, greens and yellows.  Also noticed a few examples of yellow (or maybe it was from all the limoncellos).

What has been the most inspiring part of this trip for you?

I find myself in my element when I’m in Milan for Salone Del Mobile. I truly admire and find the work of these prolific designers to be extremely inspiring and I always leave with a breadth of fresh ideas running through my head. I love looking at other product categories beyond door hardware for inspiration.

Are there any innovations that you are specifically taking note of?

The use of stone and other natural materials as elements in products has really stood out to me for its sustainability qualities, uniqueness and elevated or luxury appearance. Especially the trend away from highly polished applications to more raw and textured appearances.

How do you see Emtek’s design direction reflecting the trends that you spotted?

I think this year’s show validates a lot of the ideas that we’ve been working on in the background over the last few years, from studies in new aesthetic forms to our exploration of materials with our select stone door handles.

Are there any timeless/vintage designs that you see making a modern appearance?

There is a definitely a shift away from ultra contemporary, spacey forms, towards those that have some mid-century Italian inspired elements. We see many iconic designs, like the LC2 being re-issued in new applications, like for outdoors, as well as Gio Ponti’s iconic pieces available in new finishes and colors.