This February in Frankfurt, Germany three shows converge in one – Christmas World, Creative World and Ambiente. Together they are the largest show for consumer goods in the world, so you certainly get your steps in at Messe Frankfurt’s mega-fair. Browsing the endless aisles of design finds in every style and at every price point, it is clear: The challenge of covering the show is choosing what belongs in the highlights reel.
To narrow it down, each of the ten makers or lines you’ll find featured below offers cutting-edge aesthetics or concepts not commonly seen at U.S. fairs, but, as a matter of practicality, I wanted to ensure I was sharing product you can actually shop. (Since Ambiente is a European show, some of the lines are not set up for overseas distribution yet).
Each section of the fair has its own thoughtfully-curated trend-forecasting area where select pieces from vendors are showcased together in a philosophical theme, answering the question of how we want to live and work. This year, those themes were “Deep” “Ease” and “Real.” They emphasize softness, playfulness, whimsy, organic shapes and materials, and focus on sustainability. Notably, all of these themes run antithetical to many of our recent headlines involving tech-doomerism, social isolation, and climate catastrophes. The makers and products at Ambiente chosen by the trends committee embody responsible use of organic materials, quality pieces that are made to last, and often involve human interaction with technology intended to unite rather than divide.
What follows is but one mere taste of the extraordinary breadth of Ambiente.
Process and materiality
1. Pablo Ejaque Gonzalez
Part of Ambiente’s Emerging Talents segment, designer Pablo Ejaque Gonzalez, showcased “Fuego.” From Brooklyn, by way of Spain, Gonzalez is a household name in the making. His work could easily be sold alongside the best of the best at galleries like Apparatus or Future Perfect.
Love them or hate them, his “Leaky Lamps” make it impossible not to have an opinion. (Is anyone looking at these photos thinking “They’re just ok?’) His pieces grab you and invite you to tango.
His “All Burnt” side table tops have a glass labyrinth that burns its path into its wooded base. With each casting, the mold changes slightly, so no two pieces are exactly alike. The collection, appropriately named “Fuego” is both a nod to his Spanish roots and to the impassioned fight he has in the process of hand-making each piece with hot-casted glass and charred ash. Right now you can purchase his works on Adorno.
2. Claraval’s Sound Wave Ceramics
In a sea of porcelain plates in the tabletop section, when approaching Claraval’s booth, I knew I was in for a treat. Their large ceramic vessels have the kind of indescribable aura of a fabulous painting. Created through Claraval’s proprietary sound wave technology, their vases incorporate sounds like the designer’s singing voice, transforming musical notes into 3D shapes.
3. Studio Anne-Marie Hirmer’s knitted textile room dividers
Studio Anne Marie Hirmer’’s 4D “living” knitted textiles can be hung on a wall as an art piece or played with as a room designer in various configurations – a designer’s dream. Their hand is fantastic, and the points you see softly re-grip, like a baby holding your finger, giving the piece movement and personality. Hirmer works globally on custom commissions.
Youthful furnishings that grow up with you
4. Viktorija Kuliavaite’s Postcard Series Rugs
Talk about being on the cusp of so many different design movements: From sustainability, to organic-form rugs (Something celebrity designer Jennifer Farrell discussed in her coverage of last month’s Maison Object here) and investment in children’s rooms— Lithuanian designer Viktorija Kuliavaite manages to push the boundaries of all three trends with one powerful product concept. Her biomimic rugs, which come in fuzzy puzzle pieces, resemble aerial shots of various landscapes from around the world. Imagined as a piece for a children’s playroom, intended to be played with and played on, they are kid-approved but will age well too. You can shop her works on Adorno.
5. Gabriella Kawinska’s Pinocchio Tables
Polish furniture designer Gabriela Kawinska also draws her inspiration from childhood. Her uniquely sculptural Pinocchio Table is reminiscent of wooden block toys and it functions as one too – able to be taken apart and reconfigured. You can shop her works on FrankBros.
6. Teun Zwets
The ‘melting’ motif in Teun Zwets’s “Splitted” collection, created by heavy lacquering over Douglas Fir, makes the pieces look almost animated, like a 90s Nickelodeon show come to life. These are the kinds of playful, provocative pieces that could also start in a child’s room and look right at home in a sophisticated contemporary home office when they grow up.
Playful, functional, sculptural
7. Henry Dean Collectibles
Henry Dean’s candy-colored glass sculptures also hit every trend: They’re pure dopamine decor and entirely customizable. “The Collectibles” invite you to “release your inner creative child, encouraging playful customization” by mixing and matching and reassembling to make each piece your own. (Noticing another trend yet?)
8. Sitia
Sitia specializes in contract-grade sculptural seating, handmade in Italy. Their “Ariva” chair, originally designed by Manuel Barbieri in 2012, is a reimagined tribute to Hippolyte Flandrin’s painting Young Man Sitting by the Sea. Its unique structure replaces the conventional legs, seat and backrest with an interwoven design, creating an elegant and distinctive profile. Crafted entirely from natural materials, Ariva is both a functional work of art and a statement of sustainability.
Sitia’s “Japan” chair, made from a single curved metal rod, is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. Its minimalist aesthetic gives it a weightless, floating appearance, while its gently flexible structure provides a subtle, comfortable bouncing movement.
9. Riva
Brazilian design collective, Riva creates functional, architectural art items for your mantle, coffee table or bar cart. Their works were featured in German designer of the year Fabien Freytag’s pop-up exhibition at Ambiente, giving his moody, Twin Peaks Red-Room-esque lounge its modern metallic edge.
10. Rodam
Opening their High Point showroom in the Fall, Rodam is a family-run business out of Denmark producing modern solid wood furniture from sustainably-sourced materials. The subtle sweeping angles of their table bases are unique and the finishes on the table tops have a luscious hand.
