11/04/2024 – 14/04/2024
The selection fair of interior design DESIGN SHAKER, which takes place from April 11 to 14 at PVA EXPO PRAGUE, also brings with it the conference Matriál + Trend. Scandinavian trend expert Stefan Nilsson will be one of the speakers. If you are a fan of modern design and architecture, don’t miss this event.
Stefan Nilsson
“We are obsessed with color,” says Scandinavian trend expert Stefan Nilsson, who is heading to Prague. At the DESIGN SHAKER fair, he will be one of the important foreign speakers at the Trend + Material conference, which takes place on the very first day of the fair. What does he think the word trend means? “Trend is change. It’s something we’re doing that’s new or something we haven’t done in a while. New technology can also be a trend, as can new behaviors such as vintage hunting. When a lot of people follow it, the trend is large, and vice versa, when only a narrow group of people behaves like this, the trend is narrowly profiled. My job as a trend hunter or trend specialist is to collect these new behaviors and try to see if they have a common thread. My job is also to predict when this new behavior will take hold and become commercial, so that brands or companies can work with trends,” says the world-renowned expert on trends, explaining where he looks for trends and where he gets information about new ones. “I work with four sources. I read all kinds of statistics I can get my hands on. Numbers and values are important when we talk about change. Then there are many conversations and debates where we talk about this topic and solve it. Third: I look at history. Have we ever done this before? Are there similarities and changes? And fourth, I travel around the world to 20 to 30 fairs or design weeks a year. This gives me information about what will actually appear in the market. It is also important to visit world cities such as London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Milan. I have to see what’s happening on the streets here,” Nilsson clarifies.
Energy and nostalgia
And what about the most important trends of this period in interior design? “We still have a post-pandemic period where we see that meeting people is extremely important. We want to go to restaurants and travel. Retail is also changing because of this. No one wants to be at home – shopping in a brick-and-mortar store is key instead. This energetic trend can be seen in the use of colour, bold, bright colors and patterns. We all have “digital fatigue”. At the same time, a huge trend in nostalgia can be seen. The hotels are built in a nostalgic style. The things we buy are nostalgic, etc.
After a long time, we will see the return of the 80s. Shiny surfaces, pop music, stripes, and also elitism… We can mention slogans like dreamy pastels, artificial intelligence, folklore with red colors, tropical greenery… Many things are happening,” adds Nielsen.
Also this year, from April 11 to 14, you can look forward to the attractive combination of the DESIGN SHAKER, FOR INTERIOR and FOR GARDEN trade fairs. In addition to exhibitions full of news, there will also be counseling centers and a rich accompanying program.
