For the unaware, Salone Del Mobile is the largest furniture expo in the world, hosted annually in Milan, Italy. And despite Covid keeping many away, this “slow year” still saw over 250,000 attendees and 1,353 exhibitors!

Poliigon’s mission is to help archviz artists make better renders. Which means as CEO I found myself spending 6 days going booth to booth to discover the upcoming trends.

Here’s the top trends I uncovered…

1. “Teddy bear soft” fabric

By far the most noticeable trend was plush, comfy fabric you can curl up into.

There are several fabrics that fit this description, but Bouclé (pictured above and below), is the most popular. It’s described by many as having a “teddy bear” feel (which is totally accurate). And yes, Poliigon is actively talking to brands to digitize this!

There was also Chenille, which could best be described as “thick, soft velvet”. The chunky directional fibers also produce great visual texture for the composition of a room.

And finally Pile. Commonly seen in carpet, but can be used in upholstery too. It’s probably a nightmare to clean (also a dirt magnet), but it feels so soft you could melt into it!

2. Pastel colors are back

A few years ago it was all about neutral tones. But now the public wants color again.

This was particularly noticeable at the bathroom exhibitions. With sinks, faucets and cabinetry; all available in bold tutti frutti coloring. The most popular being “indian red” (shown below).

3. Reeded & Fluted wood cabinetry

I don’t know who started it, but almost every bathroom and kitchen brand have followed.

For the unaware Reeded produces convex lines, while Fluted is concave.

Reeded wood - photo by The Surface Studio

Fluted wood - photo by The Surface Studio

This trend was found across the expo, in cabinets, sideboards, and even wall treatments.

4. Recycled Materials

With the environment on so many buyers minds, you can expect this trend to continue for many years to come.

Many brands made investments into alternative manufacturing and recycled material production, creating products that looked and felt as real as their traditional counterpart.

Kartell introduced a chair made of recycled illy coffee pods.

Closeup of a rug, woven with 100% recycled PET plastics

5. “Noisy” upholstery

A noticeable trend across the expo was upholstery woven with complex, heavily contrasted patterns.

Each brand gave their own names to them, but two popular choices were “Melange” (reminds me of digital camo) and “Outmap” (which looked similar to a cross-hatch texture).

‘Melange’ textured upholstery on this chair from Kartell

Chair cushion from Ethimo using Outmap Ardoise fabric

Honorable mentions

AI Designed Furniture

This can hardly be called a “trend” as only one brand (Kartell) featured furniture designed by AI.

But since AI can create furniture that is stronger and more durable from less material, you can expect this technique to explode in the coming years. In 10 years, our furniture might take on a more organic, optimal aesthetic.

Velvet

Found in many booths were cushions and seating decked in rich velvet, that looked almost vantablack due to the directional fibers.

And that’s it! Poliigon will be busy over the coming year partnering with brands to bring these materials and trends to 3D. If you’re a brand who wants 3D digitization and distribution, speak to us. We’re hungry for partners!

Did you attend the Salone Del Mobile expo? What trends did we miss?