Heimtextil 2011, Frankfurt

Last week we sped over to Frankfurt to take in the gargantuan Heimtextil fair, where over 2,600 exhibitors unveiled their latest fabrics and papers for every conceivable surface. Whether it was freelance designers showing new patterns ready to be put into production, big brands unveiling their latest collections, or contract houses revealing fabrics with new acoustic and olfactory benefits, there was plenty to inspire within the fair's epic 11 halls.
To bring a little focus to proceedings, show organisers, Messe Frankfurt, called in the trend gurus at The Future Laboratory to deliver their prophecies for 2011/12. Looking at signals in the worlds of art, fashion and design, they condensed these into four themes, summed up by their names: sobriety, wilderness, mix mash and utility. While perhaps already quite familiar ideas, the team certainly produced a beautiful edit of fabrics from exhibitors at the fair, many exploring new technologies. These were presented in four imaginatively conceived pavilions.
Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's biggest trade fair organisers and Heimtextil is one of its stalwarts, now in its 41st year. The first trade show of the year, it provides some indications about the shape of the industry over the next 12 months, and, with a growth in exhibitors and visitors on last year, it bodes well for 2011. All in all, the future is looking good.
'Utility' is about rough-hewn textures and an industrial aesthetic
More fabrics in the Utility pavilion
A Tosunoglu Tekstil swatch
More Utility samples, including a cork swatch by Pongs Textil
A Chaman Sultana Fabrics swatch
More Utility swatches, by the likes of FAF Design (right)
The ’Wilderness’ concept is about a mix of natural fabrics and raw textures
More Wilderness fabrics, including a swatch from the 'Into' collection by Liina Blom (centre)
The 'Mix Mash' look is about a vibrant mix of cultures, patterns, techinicraft and colour
More colourful examples of Mix Mash
An Ekelund Linneväveriet swatch
Throws from Silkeborg UAB, shown as part of the 'Sobriety' pavilion - about minimal luxury, authenticity and a rethink of midcentury style
Bark Cloth samples in the Green Exhibition
Bark Cloth samples
Sustainable fabrics at the Green Exhibition
A throw from Silkeborg Plaids, elsewhere in the exhibition
More from Silkeborg Plaids
Fabric swatches from Dash+Miller
'Linkki' by Morgane Joly - part of of the 'Young Contract Creation Awards: Upholstery' exhibition, for which designers were challenged to create multi-functional seating
'Pivot' by Mikka Mattsson
Fabrics from Fleuresse
'Rhythm' bedlinen by Hugo Boss, with furniture by Maxalto
'Dandy' bedlinen by Hugo Boss, with furniture by Roche Bobois and Maxalto
Vescom fabrics
Horn textiles
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Malaika Byng is an editor, writer and consultant covering everything from architecture, design and ecology to art and craft. She was online editor for Wallpaper* magazine for three years and more recently editor of Crafts magazine, until she decided to go freelance in 2022. Based in London, she now writes for the Financial Times, Metropolis, Kinfolk and The Plant, among others.
-
Pedro y Juana's take on architecture: 'We want to level the playing field’
Mexico City-based architects Padro y Juana bring their transdisciplinary, participatory approach to the Mexico pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; find out more
By Ellie Stathaki
-
The Sialia 45 cruiser is a welcome addition to the new generation of electric boats
Polish shipbuilder Sialia Yachts has launched the Sialia 45, a 14m all-electric cruiser for silent running
By Jonathan Bell
-
Tokyo design studio We+ transforms microalgae into colours
Could microalgae be the sustainable pigment of the future? A Japanese research project investigates
By Danielle Demetriou
-
Ambiente 2017: the Frankfurt fair puts British design and retro hues in the frame
By Olly Mason - Interiors
-
Ambiente 2014: the Frankfurt design fair casts a spotlight on Japan amid its new launches
By Rosa Bertoli
-
ISH fair report, Frankfurt
By Emma Moore