Last Wednesday night, Cosentino partnered with Indesign to host a review of Eurocucina and Bagno, the largest design fairs in Milan. Held in their Sydney showroom, a number of guests from architecture and design companies joined Cosentino to discuss the latest trends coming out of Milan this year. The showroom was transformed with an Italian theme (complete with a Vespa!) – a nod to the venue for Eurocucina and Bagno, with guests enjoying traditional drinks and cuisine
Joined by a panel of architecture and design experts, who took to the stage to talk about their experiences and the new trends for this year, the event was chaired by Nicky Lobo, Deputy editor of Habitus.
The panel included Alice Blackwood, who is passionate about bringing fresh ideas to the Australian architecture audience in her role as InDesign Group Editor; Darren Genner, the General Manager of Minosa Design, an innovative Australian design company specialising in furniture and concepts for contemporary bathrooms and kitchens, and Kim Duffin, Director of Sublime Architectural Interiors, an award-winning kitchen renovation and bathroom design company from Brisbane.
The panel discussed how the 2014 fair differed from previous years, highlighting significant changes in the design and architecture world due to new trends, the GFC and the changing functionality of spaces within the home. After talking about their experience at Eurocucina and Bagno, the panel discussed the key trends emerging in 2014.
This year’s key trends included:
Finishes
Th panel found that one of the growing trends in design are finishes using natural, organic materials and colours, which create warmth and go “back to basics”. This differs greatly from what was seen in previous years, with the panel mentioning how finishes – especially those in the bathroom, are moving away from heavy, dark and solid, to natural and light. Kim mentioned the finishes are very tactile, but not just practical, with their purpose as trying to elicit an emotional response rather than a purely functional use.
Precious materials
This year saw a focus on nature and an organic approach to design, with a movement away from the use of glass towards more tactile products like wood and stone. Alice mentioned how the materials provide a sense of interest and luxury.
Colour palettes
As with the other trends, the panel noted a movement towards natural and organic colours, particularly in bathrooms. While Australians are very conservative when it comes to colour, Eurocucina saw pastel colours transitioning from furniture to benchtops, paints and cabinets. Kim suggested colour is becoming less taboo, although people are still choosing the safer option of muted tones.
Dynamic forms
A key trend seen in Milan was the increasing number of companies creating dynamic, moving products, such as flexible bench heights, lift systems and retractable tables. Whilst this dynamism was an exciting and fun change, the panel questioned whether many of them were functional and how these trends would translate in Australian homes.
Integrated spaces
The trend the panel quite correctly saw becoming more and more popular is the integration of spaces in the home, with the bathroom and living spaces merging. They discussed how people are combining different rooms to suit their own personal space and lifestyle, with both design and furniture gradually becoming more focused on aesthetics and ‘lifestyle-integrated’.
The panel finished with Alice discussing her visit to Cosentino’s headquarters in Almeria, where she joined Cosentino Australia’s Gary Isherwood and Pepe Oliver for a tour of the facilities and some close contact with the products. From someone who attends many of these types of reviews, this was one of the better ones – an honest and correct assessment of both shows, Cosentino provided the venue and the panel that allowed visitors the best opportunity to fully understand this year’s trends emanating from Milan.
