Retail Observer

JUNE 2020 RETAILOBSERVER.COM 33 certain standards with regard to professional appearance and communications. Paint manufacturers are already promoting special color schemes for home offices. Wallpapers as cool wall coverings, room dividers, special-edition designer desks, screens and acoustic panels to separate workspaces from private areas of the home will make the selection of products for this growing range far more attractive to private individuals than it has been up to now. 2. Hospitality as a second home Normally, trends from the world of work are adapted in product designs for private-end customers and for use in the home. However, the trend towards a cozy atmosphere which has become established in recent years in hotels, restaurants and the events sector through the idea of German "Gemütlichkeit" and Danish "hygge," is now set to intensify. Hospitality design will be tailored toward coziness and will use original "authentic" concepts to attract customers. Cool locations will become just as important as food or music, and the "be our guest" motto will be rigorously practiced. Decoration is no longer taboo. Professional interior design is becoming the norm and is reflecting the interior looks that have been adopted in private homes. Long- and short-stay apartments represent a new segment for the interiors business. Brands from the office sector offer lines for private consumers that are more substantial and homely than conventional office furniture. At the same time, we're discovering the opportunities that office and hotel living offer for the implementation of flexible working time models, training and Work 3.0. Executives, commuters, career starters, trainees, interns and students have very different requirements when it comes to managed urban living concepts. "The hospitality market is changing. New models are emerging for people who are flexible in terms of time and location and who are open to living concepts such as apartment buildings and co-living projects. It's important to create new offers for them," says Dick Spierenburg, Creative Director of imm cologne, who anticipates good prospects for this product segment. "At imm cologne 2021, a special edition of our design event Das Haus will also create an experimental platform for innovative concepts like these in order to pick up on the important new ideas stimulating the industry." 3. Outdoor living is becoming a basic need for nature lovers and city dwellers The trend for outdoor living has transformed the furniture market. The "second living room" has grown in importance over the last couple of years. It doesn't matter whether you have a large garden or a small rented flat – balconies, patios and gardens are being revitalized and upgraded to become full-fledged living areas with high-quality outdoor furnishings, intelligent furniture concepts, water-repellent fabrics and suitable lighting solutions. "Is it meant to be used indoors or out?" This is our instinctive question when confronted with the new garden and patio furniture. Wood, metal, wickerwork and plastic; cotton or PVC; stone, concrete or composite materials – it's hard to distinguish by sight alone, from surface texture or the aesthetics of their workmanship. That's because the design of these items is no longer based on typical patio furniture, but rather on what we have in our living rooms. The main thing is to be stylish. The two types of living space influence each other – and they sometimes even swap furnishings. Overall, the future of modern home living will be characterized by open floor plans, transparency between exteriors and interiors and an awareness of the social importance of the way our living environments look. We keep an eye on trends, seek out a style of our own and exchange ideas through social media. The home is synonymous with living and being together; it's an expression of individuality and social interaction. KOELNMESSE – GLOBAL COMPETENCE IN FURNITURE, INTERIORS AND DESIGN Koelnmesse is the world's top trade fair organizer for the areas of furnishing, living and lifestyle. At the trade fair hub of Cologne, the leading international fair imm cologne as well as the trade fair formats of LivingKitchen, ORGATEC, spoga+gafa, interzum and Kind + Jugend rank among the internationally renowned and established industry meeting places. These fairs comprehensively represent the upholstered and case furniture segment, the kitchen industry, the office furniture sector and outdoor living as well as the innovations of the furniture supply industry. Over the last few years, Koelnmesse has specifically added to its portfolio international fairs in the most important fast-expanding markets. These include idd Shanghai, interzum bogotá in Bogotá, interzum guangzhou in Guangzhou and Pueri Expo in Sao Paulo. With ambista, the online portal for the interiors business, Koelnmesse offers direct access to products, contacts, expertise and events relevant to the industry year-round. Further information is available at: www.global-competence.net/ interiors. Further information about ambista: www.ambista.com. RO

• Cover