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How do we want to live and work in uncertain times? Which shapes, colors, and materials will define the spaces where we dine, live, give, and work in the near future? The Ambiente Trends 25+ respond to these questions by outlining three forward-looking concepts: DEEP, REAL, and EASE, all of which explore different approaches to designing modern living environments and influencing product development. These themes will be brought to life at Ambiente, which will be taking place from February 7 to 11 in the “Trend Area”, where curated exhibitions will showcase how these concepts can be applied.
Ambiente is an international platform where trends in the consumer goods industry are explored, offering buyers and professionals from various retail sectors valuable knowledge about which styles will drive the masses in the future. The Trend Area, which, as we saw above, will feature the Ambiente Trends 25+, is one of the main spaces of the event since visitors can get inspired and connect with global retailers, designers, and buyers. What unites DEEP, REAL, and EASE is, therefore, the goal of making the chance to act when feeling creativity flourish and design itself more accessible to all, turning it into a tool for positive change.
Developed by Stilbüro bora.herke.palmisano, a trend forecasting company, these trends are backed up by extensive research into international movements in fashion, art, interiors, and lifestyle. The agency examines both current and past dynamics in design and analyses the shifts that transform them, later presenting their ideas and giving advice regarding how the needs of contemporary living and working environments might evolve over time.
“The new trends revolve around intensive designs, joyful ideas, and product developments that question norms and allow us to see the familiar from a new perspective. Craftsmanship, sustainability, the circular economy, and innovative technologies are major design drivers that will win over consumers, retailers, and commercial interior designers.”
Annetta Palmisano of Stilbüro bora.herke.palmisano
DEEP
This trend takes inspiration from nature and traditional craftsmanship, emphasizing our connection to natural elements such as water, fire, and earth through materials like wood, glass, ceramics, and metal, normally presented in unprocessed forms. The main color palette is based on earthy and atmospheric tones, including night blue, green tea, eggshell ecru, and metallic shades like dark bronze, matte silver, and light gold. This trend aims to create calm and reflective environments where people can relax and return to their origins, which has been recognized as a need in our fast and chaotic world.
REAL
For REAL, our priorities should be functionality and sustainability, which means that eco-conscious materials and technologies must be incorporated into the design process. Most products are already created using recycled components such as aluminum, glass, wood, and ceramics, with unique finishes distinguishing them, but this trend goes further by highlighting the need for simplicity and practicality. Colorful is definitely a word loved by this trend, with hues like biscuit, caramel, bottle green, saffron, and dark grey helping contribute to the clean and timeless aesthetic that we are starting to see everywhere. Regarding production methods, tools like 3D printing are the number one choice as they are sustainable and can create sound and clean structures and surfaces.
EASE
With lightness and playfulness in mind, EASE gives a new perspective to materials and textures, pushing for experimentation with textiles through techniques like 3D knitting, embroidery, and patchwork. Materials like paper, glass, and ceramics are given new forms adorned by a color palette that spans from vibrant tones like lemon and bright orange to softer hues like sky blue and denim, with broader accents like moss green and cherry wood. EASE, therefore, inspires creativity and mixes the traditional with the innovative, inviting designers to rethink what they add to living environments and defending that joy should have a place in our daily lives.
Something that is quite apparent when analyzing each trend is their very unique color systems, which present nine main shades and eight micro palettes, giving designers a chance to go rogue with their personal interpretations of the trends. These palettes also encourage the constant reinterpretation of the trends, as they provide countless interesting combinations and aesthetics, which makes them valuable tools for product designers and buyers. What we can also see is that, together, these trends show how design can give an answer to some of the current global challenges if we all accept that, sometimes, all we need is a shift in perspective.
