Design should not only observe the Ethical Style (that is, being made from ecologically friendly and sustainable materials); it must likewise have functional simplicity.

This was underscored at the art fair Ambiente 2016 in Messe Frankfurt, Germany.

The Philippine booths, located on three floors of the massive 308,000-square meter exhibition space, aimed at positioning the country as a viable source of trendy designs. Nature’s Legacy, the company from Cebu that upcycles and recycles, was given the Ethical Design stamp.

More than 40 exhibitors— brought together by Worldwide Exhibitions Linkage Services (We-Link) and its general manager, Wilbert Novero—showed handmade artisanal home accessories. But the European designers, as expected, still led the way in charting the future of design.

COLORFUL bowls made of cement by the German design company Peppermint Products.

Alessi, for example, created a red-and-white centerpiece made of steel, colored with epoxy resin.

The Munich-based design label Peppermint Products came out with colorful concrete bowls, cut in half from the perfect spheres, which playfully rock back and forth when used. The bowls won a Design Plus award.

“What kind of a world would it be without all the beautiful things? It is our concern to promote high demands on design in the consumer good sector with Design Plus Award,” said Nicolette Naumann, vice president for Ambiente/Tendence at the Messe Frankfurt Exhibition.

The 2016 trends, according to Ambiente, are “Artisanal Gardening, Futuristic Couture, Functional Simplicity and Composing Freedom.”

Artisanal Gardening. Warm summer tones will find its way inside homes as the wide colorful spectrum of the garden will become the motif. Expect romantic floral concepts with a laid-back, hippy, homey ambiance. Natural materials will be used, such as ceramics, clay, bamboo, wool, denim, linen, velvet, wood and suede, paired with traditional handicrafts such as embroidery, braiding, carving, glazing.

Futuristic Couture. Modern technology, like 3D printing, is taking over traditional crafts. Made of what Ambiente calls hypermodern materials, the designs have crystal effects, iridescent with synthetic color nuances. These products have an almost surreal appearance, suggesting a future of unexpected, glittering interior designs with molecular patterns and other unusual silhouettes.

MULTI-OPENER made of anodized aluminum rom the German design company Kiboni

Functional Simplicity. It doesn’t get more Zen than this. Designs are “high-caliber” minimalist with geometric patterns using durable materials. The high-caliber minimalist design simply means the anatomy of the mold is solely designed to serve its purpose. A pretty angular bottle opener, for example, is designed around its sole purpose, that is, to open bottles. Colors are neutral and quasi-monochrome.

Composing Freedom. Here one will discover admirable chaos in design, the ’80s street-style with unconventional patterns in a myriad of colors. They are carefree, with brightly colored textiles combined with plastic, for example, or with faux furs and metals. These are wild contrasts that surprisingly go together.

Nello magnetic bike bell from Florence-based company Palomar, shaped like a little ball so you can keep it in your pocket while your bike is parked.

The trends of Ambiente’s Cem Bora, Claudia Herke and Annetta Palmisano are based on international research and informed analysis of the latest in design, fashion and architecture.

We-Link, a division of Global Link Exhibitions Specialist, is the official sales partner in the Philippines of Messe Frankfurt GmbH, the fair organizer of Ambiente. It has been providing the platform and experience for both exhibitors and visitors from the Philippines for more than two decades.

For more information, visit Ambiente here and We-Link here.

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