In January, I had the privilege of attending as part of a small delegation from Canada, the HOMI Lifestyle Trade Show in Milan, Italy. This Event is co-hosted by the ITA (Italian Trade Agency), and the IDC (Interior Designers of Canada), and it was 100% sponsored. In other words, I didn’t pay a thing!! Reasoning I had a slim-to-nil chance of being selected, you can imagine my surprise and delight at being chosen- the only Residential Designer from the West Coast! Whoop! Whoop! Trend Spotting in Italy, here I come!
HOMI is a huge event in Milan. Spanning six days and seven pavilions, my goal was to meet as many vendors, manufacturers, artisans and producers as possible. I really wanted to get a sense of new designs, styles and products that were on trend, and hitting the market in Europe. HOMI hosts other countries as well, including: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, South Africa and The Netherlands among others! A truly international event, and a fantastic opportunity to see what is happening in ‘Home Decor’ around the globe! See below for some trend spotting at the Show!
Given the scope, scale and time allotted for our Canadian contingent, we divided and conquered, visiting as many booths, product displays, live demonstrations, and Proprietors as we could! I took photos of what I liked- which was mostly everything, but also a selection of items…
My overall impressions and trends spotting at this Lifestyle Trade Show are that of bold colours, like in a couple of pieces of furniture I snapped, unique and unusual pieces of sculpture and art, multiple styles and designs in ceramics and glassware, beautiful statement rugs, funky wall art, and home accessories. The displays were of a grand scale, and it was quite impossible to capture everything!
I am able to report that many of the recent trends we’ve seen in natural materials like woods, woven materials like rattan, plants like pampas grass, cotton, and biophillic walls are alive and well. I did notice softer colours in table settings, and linens, nothing all white, and natural elements of grass and woven material for pendant lighting.
I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t tell you that I expected, as part of this Trade Show, to see furniture, lighting and tile. However, as a rookie attendee, I am told that an additional Trade Show including these items and much more, occurs in April. In that, they nearly double the size of the Lifestyle Show! Seriously?!! I will have to come back!
A side note: One of my pre-scheduled visits was with a huge ceramics company that has been around for generations. They cater to the luxury yacht market- and apparently, rich Russians! As my eyes are roaming over the serious amount of gold and bling, I spot a familiar design. On a large navy and gold coloured urn in their display, is the same gold detail of one that I have on a small porcelain jewellery box my Dad gave me- like… years ago! Turns out, this company is the one and only producer of this China, and pattern. I had met the Owner! How amazing is that!? :))
It’s hard not to post every single image of what I saw! And of course, I didn’t take that many pictures! But maybe you get an idea of size?
I do want to point out, that there wasn’t too much by way of rustic, or farmhouse style. I visited one very large booth that catered to the French Farmhouse and French Beach scene. This booth had tons of kitsch! I was quite surprised! Apparently, it sells! But overall, the items for around the home, were of a modern, and clean look. Quite simple, but always functional!
Having been to Italy a few times in the past, I noticed some products and styles that have remained timeless. They are part of everyday life and culture. (I am talking about things like vinyl flooring in kitchens, and vinyl patterned tablecloths. Also, there were some beautiful designer-style, pull totes. I would have purchased one of these, but they did not have the pattern in the size I wanted…).
Below: I managed to snap a pic of an artist hand-painting a ceramic piece as part of a Signature Collection for Christian Lacroix! Very cool!
Lastly, because I wanted to do some exploring on my own, after the Trade Show, I spent three days walking around the beautiful city of Milan! This is the Duomo- the main Cathedral in the city centre. I took an amazing tour of the spires on the top! The views were incredible!
I would have loved more time to see more, I also would have loved to engage in Italian! Any Italian speakers out there? It was enjoyable listening to the lovely flow and passionate pronunciation in dialogue! Perhaps I will save that for my next visit..
And this last pic, doing my best to eat gelato, look chic, and take a selfie! haha!
Stay tuned for next month as I open the door for 20 Kitchen Design Trends for 2020!!
