Color and Material Trends From Heimtextil 2017: Fabric as the New Frontier

“Explorations” was the theme of this year’s Heimtextil, the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles, which showcases upcoming trends in upholstery fabrics, wallcovering and beyond. Over the course of four days, Jan. 10 – 13, more than 70,000 visitors traversed the four million square feet of Messe Frankfurt’s trade-fair grounds, a veritable city within a city. Showcasing 2,963 exhibitors from 67 countries, this year saw growth driven primarily by Brazil, China, the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan.

Photo by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

Undoubtedly the highlight every year at Heimtextil is the Theme Park, an immersive physical environment showcasing trends for the upcoming year. Compiled by an international group of leading forecasting agencies, this year’s trends were classified into four categories — Virtual, Cultural, Planetary, Natural — which were then defined through evocative visual palettes of color, texture and materiality.

Explorations Theme Park; photo by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

TRENDS

Trends: Virtual, Cultural, Planetary, Natural; photo by Carlin International / Heimtextil, Messe Frankfurt

Trend #1: Virtual Explorations
Reflective and transparent surfaces are highlighted in Virtual Explorations, which imagines a world shaped by digital and virtual processes. Evolving fabrication techniques blur the line between soft textiles and hard surfaces, as two-dimensional patterns evolve into three-dimensional cellular structures.

Virtual Explorations; photo by Carlin International / Heimtextil, Messe Frankfurt

Trend #2: Cultural Explorations
Distinct cultural codes are woven together to forge a fluid international style in Cultural Explorations. This theme merges traditional patterns and handcrafted elements with sharp tailoring and modern graphic sensibilities, and color palettes of rich earth tones are injected with hyperactive pops of color.

Cultural Explorations; photo by Carlin International / Heimtextil, Messe Frankfurt

Trend #3: Planetary Explorations
A renewed interest in space and the interplanetary unknown forms the backdrop of Planetary Explorations, and crystalline structures are highlighted in this trend. Delicate mineral interiors are juxtaposed with rough-hewn outer shells, iridescent jewel tones with a muted palette of grays.

Planetary Explorations; photo by Carlin International / Heimtextil, Messe Frankfurt

Trend #4: Natural Explorations
Natural Explorations reconnects us with our natural surrounds, ranging from the literal use of plants and natural byproducts in the composition of new materials or through design that is inspired by their colors, textures and imagery. Reconstituted bark and fibrous textures inhabit a field of mossy greens in the palette below.

Natural Explorations; photo by Carlin International / Heimtextil, Messe Frankfurt

THEME PARK

Explorations Theme Park; photo by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

The Theme Park at Heimtextil this year explored how these trends might play out in different physical environments, which were represented by these discrete pavilions in the theme park: Work & Home, Hospitality, Retail and Transport.

(1) Forest of Colour; (2) Entrance Counter; (3) Orientation Table; (4) Community Area; (5) Conference Area; (6) Natural; (7) Cultural; (8) Planetary; (9) Virtual Pavilions; (10) Hospitality; (11) Work & Home; (12) Transport; (13) Retail

Forest of Colour; photo by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

Photos by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

Photo by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

Photos by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

Pavilion #1: Work & Home
Complete with oversized hammocks and sculptural chaise lounge, Work & Home was by far the coziest pavilion. It demonstrated how the line between residential and commercial spaces has become increasingly blurred as we continue to see materials typically associated with the home enter the work environment. Comforting fabrics and tactile surfaces help to soften workspaces, and the integration of natural elements indoors becomes a key element in creating more balanced work and home environments.

Photo by Jacqueline Park

Photo by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

Pavilion #2: Hospitality
Playful and whimsical, the Hospitality pavilion explored how technology can be tailored to the individual in order to create personalized, interactive services and experiences. Elements of the pavilions highlighted this focus back on the individual, from a sculptural object literally composed of mirrored lenses to a large mirrored disc hovering over a circular daybed.

Photo by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

Pavilion #3: Retail
Less is more again, and the Retail environment demonstrated how today’s consumer is looking to be better informed, preferring “smart” choices over “indefinite” choices and genuine quality over sheer quantity. Processes behind making were highlighted, with one wall displaying the deconstructed elements of a chair and another traditional woodworking tools, and there was a station where artisans demonstrated traditional weaving techniques.

Photo by Jacqueline Park

Photo by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera

Pavilion #4: Transport
The ubiquity of mobility was demonstrated by the presence of an entire pavilion dedicated to transport. Broadly equating innovative transportation with advances in technology, the installation showcased the varying structural compositions and qualities of textiles, which hung in concentric rings of hanging panels that one could navigate through.