IMM Cologne Highlights

The prevailing trends at this years IMM were natural materials like wood, leather and marble and pale grey/brown background colours accented by a pop of fluorescent yellow or pastel and jewel tones.

Left: Müller Mӧbel, Centre and Right: Schonbuch

Mellow Daybed by Formstelle for Zeitraum

Das Haus by Doshi Levien was an update on the Ideal House concept and showcased their taste for the eclectic and colourful. A house crammed with design and arranged around a courtyard, classics by Alvar Aalto and Nelson sat alongside their own designs for Moroso, Authentics and Cappellini as well as pieces from e15 and Flos. You could also find some religious icons and family photos pinned to the walls. 

It was certainly more engaging than the surprisingly lacklustre Patricia Urquiola A&W Designer of the Year show in the city centre. Of more interest was Patricia's decision to pass the baton, via the Mentor Award to young British designer du jour Benjamin Hubert. He is certainly making a name for himself in the international design world.

The Ineke Hans Collection was shown in the Pure Village area. Simple rough wooden planks, almost as if they had been recycled from pallets were fixed to precision metal joints and painted in candy colours to provide a cheerful and almost childlike alternative to the slick designs elsewhere.

 

Studio Kepenic attracted some blog attention even before the fair, with a post appearing on the influential Dailytonic for their new Plug&Play series. A simple idea of how to make flat-pack furniture less of a chore, Plug&Play comes with 2 sets of beautifully turned wooden legs - a main set and a second extension set which enables you to turn your coffee table into a dining table with ease.

  
Finally, a mention to Richard Lampert who revitalised their classic Hirche lounge chair from 1953 (shown below in the outdoor version) and showed it alongside Dish's Island by Alexander Seifried.

So, as the door closes on IMM Cologne for another year, we're keeping our luggage close to hand. Next stop Stockholm!