STYLEPARK HEIMTEXTIL 2020
At home in the world

Next year Heimtextil, the international Trade Fair for Home and Contract Textiles takes place for the 50th time. The first port of call when it comes to interior design trends is the Trend Space in Hall 3.0: Showcasing forward-looking topics the slogan for the exhibition is “WHERE I BELONG”. This global market forecast for 2020-1 was drawn up by Stijlinstituut Amsterdam in collaboration with London studio FranklinTill and Danish agency SPOTT Trends & Business. Stijlinstituut Amsterdam owned and headed by Anne Marie Commandeur created the “Trend Book” for the upcoming Heimtextil trade fair.

Both the Trend Space and the Trend Book explore the topic of identity and self-identification – subjects the trend researchers found in their current research to be the most important ones at both the social and personal levels. Consequently, for the course of the trade fair Heimtextil Trends highlight the many facets of the “self” in five spaces that visitors can experience: “Maximum Glam”, “Pure Spiritual”, “Active Urban”, “Heritage Lux” and “Multi-Local”. Commandeur invited four design studios and two photographers to capture the core of each theme using their own creative language to visualize each trend. These highly atmospheric visualizations will be realized in Trend Space in 3D spaces where visitors can interact with them.

Expressive, eccentric, energetic: The 1990s are currently experiencing a revival. The longing for self-portrayal and intensive experiences is dynamically expressed using modern techniques. Bastian de Nennie scanned fabrics and combined the results to produce collages and assemblages. Textile art becomes performance art that blurs the divides between material and digital world. This hybrid space presents itself with bold ornamentation, deliberately contradictory, imperfect and futuristic.

At a time when everyday life is planned down to the last minute, there is a growing need for ways of compensating and for spaces with little stimulation. With their pure aesthetics Daniera ter Haar and Christoph Brach from the Raw Color studio reflect the search for calm and rest. Earthy tones and natural materials free of artistic decorations and intentional eyecatchers offer the eyes a space where the gaze can wander freely and without interruption. Touches of spirituality mirror a deep connection to both the Self and nature, which focuses on the essentials and would like to offer meaning in a simple existence.

Young, urban, flexible: At “Active Urban” the Envisions team showcases functional, versatile fabrics that adapt quickly and easily to the requirements of a flexible generation that is constantly on the go. Nor do pragmatism and affordability automatically mean making compromises with the design: With re- and upcycling, an effective use of color and striking forms the creative team produces sturdy and arresting designs. Inspired by utilitarian wear the textiles are given additional hybrid functions and are pleasant to the touch.

The magnificence and elegance of bygone times blended with mystic touches: Bart Hess produces surreal scenarios that resemble dream worlds. The dynamism of light and dark plays a key role as does a seeming nostalgia for sensual opulence. Hand-made, luxurious fabrics boasting rich adornments make you want to reach out and touch them. Motifs and colors recall Renaissance paintings and indicate a new connection to a rich, deeply-rooted history. The search for the magical culminates in a fantastic indulgence in luxury infused by a darker profundity.

This is arguably where the slogan of the coming Heimtextil fair “WHERE I BELONG” is most evident: Against the backdrop of concepts like home, belonging and cultural roots the complex process of self-identification is addressed. Where these experiences encounter the influences of a modern society in the globalized world the result is a multilayered quality that Jan Hoek explores with the help of textiles from Asia, Africa and the Near East – structures that seem organic, ethnic patterns, and a colorful folklore are united with modern fabrics to create a global mash-up.