EUROCUCINA/BAGNO REVIEW BY HABITUS & COSENTINO

Held in the Cosintino Sydney showroom, a number of guests from architecture and design companies joined us to discuss the latest trends coming out of Milan this year. Our showroom was transformed with an Italian theme (complete with a Vespa!) – a nod to the venue for Eurocucina and Bagno, with guests enjoying traditional drinks and cuisine

We were lucky to be joined by a panel of architecture and design experts, who took to the stage to talk about their experiences and the new trends for this year.

Experts included Alice Blackwood, who is passionate about bringing fresh ideas to the Australian architecture audience in her role as InDesign Group Editor; Darren Genner, the General Manager of Mimosa Design, an innovative Australian design company specialising in furniture and concepts for contemporary bathrooms and kitchens, and; Kim Duffin, Director of Sublime Architectural Interiors, an award-winning kitchen renovation and bathroom design company from Brisbane.

Our panel discussed how the 2014 fair differed from previous years, highlighting significant changes in the design and architecture world due to new trends, the GFC and the changing functionality of spaces within the home. After talking about their experience at Eurocucina and Bagno, the panel discussed the key trends emerging in 2014.

This year’s key trends included:

Finishes

Our panel found that one of the growing trends in design are finishes using natural, organic materials and colours, which create warmth and go “back to basics”. This differs greatly from what was seen in previous years, with the panel mentioning how finishes – especially those in the bathroom, are moving away from heavy, dark and solid, to natural and light. Kim mentioned the finishes are very tactile, but not just practical, with their purpose as trying to elicit an emotional response rather than a purely functional use.

Precious materials

This year saw a focus on nature and an organic approach to design, with a movement away from the use of glass towards more tactile products like wood and stone. Alice mentioned how the materials provide a sense of interest and luxury.

Colour palettes

As with the other trends, our panel noted a movement towards natural and organic colours, particularly in bathrooms. While Australians are very conservative when it comes to colour, Eurocucina saw pastel colours transitioning from furniture to benchtops, paints and cabinets. Kim suggested colour is becoming less taboo, although people are still choosing the safer option of muted tones.

Dynamic forms

A key trend seen in Milan was the increasing number of companies creating dynamic, moving products, such as flexible bench heights, lift systems and retractable tables. Whilst this dynamism was an exciting and fun change, the panel questioned whether many of them were functional and how these trends would translate in Australian homes.

Integrated spaces

One trend our panel saw becoming more and more popular is the integration of spaces in the home, with the bathroom and living spaces merging. They discussed how people are combining different rooms to suit their own personal space and lifestyle, with both design and furniture gradually becoming more focused on aesthetics and ‘lifestyle-integrated’.

The panel finished with Alice discussing her visit to Cosentino’s headquarters in Almeria, where she joined Cosentino Australia’s Gary Isherwood and Pepe Oliver for a tour of the facilities and some close contact with our products.