INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS 2024
Invisibly powerful: innovative products with a minimalist design
Minimalism is a timeless philosophy that represents far more than aesthetic simplicity, especially in design. It embodies a purist form of functional intelligence that is free of any ornamentation and is concealed behind simple shapes and designs. Technical precision and an economical use of materials with a minimalist design language go hand in hand here. This year's winners of the ICONIC AWARDS 2024: Interior Products demonstrate this in an impressive way with their designs.
Less is more – this principle not only leads to a visual reduction, but also to a lower consumption of resources and materials. By consciously selecting high-quality, durable furniture and dispensing with superfluous details as well as reducing the number of components and materials, we protect the environment and minimise our economic and ecological footprint.
Invisible innovation: the hidden side of progress
Whether in old buildings or cutting-edge industrial buildings, simple design products can be easily integrated into various architectural styles. The "Unifit" socket outlet from Prado Europe BV offers an intelligent solution for anyone who wants sockets that are not only simple but also virtually invisible. "Unifit" seems to blend effortlessly into a variety of materials, from wood to stone. The innovative design, for which the company has applied for a patent, impressively illustrates that minimalism and technology are not contradictory, but can be combined successfully.
Reduced aesthetics in spatial planning
Many designers and architects are also focussing on simple, straightforward and sophisticated design elements in interior planning. The two "Best of Best" award winners Rimadesio SpA and SMART.ELECTRIC present innovative solutions for building design. The "Air" pivot door system from Rimadesio SpA revolutionises how we could connect rooms in the future. By dispensing with traditional structural elements such as mullions, the system not only enables seamless integration, but also creates a new sense of space. The purist design made of high-quality aluminium emphasises the height of the room and underlines the clear lines of the door frame, while at the same time helping to effectively maximise the available living space. The technical innovation of "Air", which makes it possible to dispense with a classic door frame, remains invisible.
SMART.ELECTRIC from interstil is also characterised by simplicity. The motorised curtain system combines technology and design in an elegant symbiosis. The ingenious positioning of the motor allows the fabric to unfold as if by itself. The motor remains invisible, allowing the minimalist design to take centre stage: By skilfully integrating a gear stage, the motor is discreetly moved downwards and to the rear so that it is discreetly concealed behind the curtain.
The essence of time
Reduction is also expressed in our everyday companions. A prime example of this understated aesthetic is the "Miqona" watch, created by Miqona GmbH. Here, the design surpasses the conventions of conventional timepieces by reducing the design to three rotating discs - an avant-garde interpretation of time. This innovative watch is not only a statement of minimalism that radically eliminates the superfluous, but also a tribute to what the symbiosis of form and function can produce.
Exemplary Projects:
unifit series by Prado Europe BV
AIR by Rimadesio SpA
Miqona by Miqona GmbH
SMART.ELECTRIC by interstil
ANYWHITE by ANYWAYdoors
A Master of Innovation: Light
Hardly an industry brings human beings and their surroundings into focus as much as lighting. Light stages itself for us as a design object, even a sculpture. It creates the desired atmosphere in an interior. Where necessary, it even conceals the light source and fixture. What is more, it can adjust its luminary strength to the time of day to meet our needs and create optimum conditions for concentration and comfort at every moment. Our living room, a shop, our working environment—whatever space we're in, light can enhance it and be a decisive factor for our wellbeing. This year once again, ICONIC AWARDS 2024: Interior Products has assured itself: Light solutions are becoming ever more flexible, multifunctional, variable, and intuitive!
Brightcell Air by Hamed Mahzoon, for example, is not only a ceiling fixture, but also cleans its users' interior air. TRILUX has brought the classical tube light up to date with SO-TUBE LED, which self-confidently retakes possession of the modern office space in simple lines or playful pick-up-sticks-like clusters. Human needs are also the focus of Yingzhu by Xiamen LEEDARSON Lighting. Forming the core of the hanging lamp is a 3D-printed cylinder whose artfully devised form distributes the light and prevents any unpleasant glare. This technically perfected centre is surrounded by a shell that celebrates imperfection: The blown-glass shade responds to the 3D-print element with manual craftsmanship and offers scope for an emotional connection to the object.
Adaptive Lighting: Vibia Sets Standards
The Spanish company Vibia sets a shining example in the lighting industry. The lamp maker owes this prominence to its many visionary projects drawing on inspiring dialogue with renowned designers. An especially felicitous instance of successful cooperation is Plusminus designed by Stefan Diez. The luminaire could scarcely be better suited for an area currently calling ever more attention to itself in interior architecture: adaptive lighting. A fundamental attribute here is the seamless integration of innovative technologies allowing intuitive adjustment and control. With its conductive textile strip and extensive set of different fixtures—from little spheres to long tubes to shades—the user can flexibly position spots of light wherever they like. In the framework of ICONIC AWARDS 2024: Interior Products, Vibia was named “Brand of the Year.”
“These days, adaptive lighting has to react sensitively to the changing requirements of the space and its users,” writes Lutz Dietzold, executive director of the German Design Council, describing the sector's development. “In view of rising costs, surfaces are being used ever more efficiently. In living, working, and retails worlds alike, rooms have to be able to change according to need and provide various spatial options. Flexible and adaptable lighting is the order of the day.”
Long-Lasting Lighting Concepts Endure in the Object Area
With its innovative lighting system, Yonos by TRILUX offers a solution to the growing demand for sustainability in the object area. Office buildings are characterized by high tenant turnover, which goes hand in hand with the frequent replacement of room furnishings and lighting systems. For the industry, considerable amounts of waste are the result. The universal, form-fit design language of Yonos is a sustainable alternative: Its individual luminaires, light strips, and light structures are individually adaptable to every room concept without loss of light quality. If a room concept changes, Yonos simply changes with it. For this contribution to efficient resource use, the ICONIC AWARDS 2024: Interior Products jury awarded Yonos the title “Best of Best.
When lights don't have to shine …
To an increasing degree, today's light fixture is appealing by virtue of its form and object character even when it's not “on.” Creazione SUGO's Stick Insect—the ICONIC AWARDS 2024: Interior Products “Winner”— livens up the room by day as a conspicuously humorous sculptural object; at dusk it turns into an aesthetic luminaire. Its adaptable design lends Stick Insect the appearance of legs on which it can “stand” anywhere in the room, whether the ceiling, wall, or floor.
Exemplary Projects:
Yonos by TRILUX
Stick Insect by Creazione SUGO
Plusminus by Vibia
Brightcell Air byHamed Mahzoon
So-Tube G3 by TRILUX
Yingzhu by Xiamen LEEDARSON Lighting
Thinking afterwards beforehand - Monomateriality in design
Once irrelevant, now unavoidable: the question of what happens to a product at the end of its useful life is now as important as the usefulness of the product itself. Across all industries, designers are looking for solutions to ensure that the materials used are not needlessly destroyed, but can, at best, be returned to the cycle and reused. The once revolutionary proclamation that "form follows function" is in the midst of a paradigm shift, as another star has joined function on the playing field: The material itself. Aesthetics and form are no longer based solely on the utility of the result, but on the resilience, reusability and recyclability of the material used in the end product.
This presents the furniture industry with a complex task: how can furniture, which is usually made up of several components, meet these new requirements?
Design must take responsibility: From start to finish
Monomateriality greatly simplifies the recycling process, as products made from a single material do not need to be separated and are easier to return to the cycle. This increases the recovery rate and minimises the environmental impact at the end of the product life cycle. Monomaterial products also have the advantage that they are generally easier to manufacture and require fewer resources. Monomateriality also makes it possible to minimise production waste, as excess material can be reused more easily.
The ClipHut shelving system, winner of the ICONIC AWARDS 2024: Interior Products, is an impressive demonstration of how mono-materiality in design can be put into practice without compromising on aesthetics or function. This system uses a single material and completely eliminates the need for screws. Thanks to its innovative clip-and-pin mechanism, it can be easily assembled and disassembled in just a few minutes. The furniture consists of three basic elements that can be combined in a variety of ways and expanded with additional sets. The open design concept makes it possible to adapt the screwless shelving system to different needs and space conditions. The result is a durable piece of furniture that is flexible and sustainable.
Sustainable design requires designers to consider the entire life cycle of a product - from the extraction of raw materials, through production, use and disposal. Monomateriality is an important part of this process, but so is how a product can be repaired, reused or recycled. Designers need to think about what will happen to the product at the end of its life.
Repairability
Furniture can also be repaired more easily when products are made from fewer materials, as it is generally easier to dismantle and replace individual components. This increases the lifespan of the product and reduces material consumption. Simplifying the repair process also contributes to sustainability by reducing the resources needed to manufacture new products.
The KGT wall units from This is Util lda, awarded "Best of Best" at the ICONIC AWARDS 2024: Interior Products, are a prime example of modularity combined with mono-materiality. These modular wall systems allow for easy adaptation and expansion and are made entirely of one material, maximising their recyclability. The use of a single material also facilitates repairs and alterations, further increasing resource efficiency.
Exemplary Projects: