Home is Where the Heart Is, and the shortcut is through Ambiente by Messe Frankfurt

For those who love design in the home and the world, the good news is that consumer trade shows and fairs which showcase the latest trends in interiors, furnishings and artifacts, are back with a bang. For the last two years Covid-19 had held design adventurers hostage in their own homes, with no access to the larger world of design – but 2023 promises to be a bustling year.

It is a changed world with new roles for the home and the office and many consumers are developing a new design language where their worlds of work and home merge and mindfulness and self-care are new buzz words. Having been starved for these explorations of trends and innovation during the pandemic years, design buffs are being offered the luxurious excess of not one, not two but three huge fairs of consumer goods – all at one prime location in Frankfurt, Germany: Messe Frankfurt will be home to Ambiente, Creative World and Christmas World – all set up in one vast space from February 3-7. This will be the place to network and engage in changed realities, and create a dialogue across cultures.

Recently several home design denizens gathered at Hudson Yards to meet the people behind Messe Frankfurt and get the inside details on what to expect from this upcoming fantasy island of possibilities, with global design and creative ways of experiencing the changed worlds of work and home.

Julia Uherek, Vice President Consumer Goods Fairs, Messe Frankfurt, while giving a glimpse of the upcoming Messe Frankfurt, said that because of tough general conditions like the economy, energy prices and climate change,  the global consumer goods industry is in transition but is pushing forward, focusing on sustainability which is really the top topic of the day.

She pointed out that for many, working from home is the new reality and so there is a change from work life balance to work life planning. Before people used to work from offices and now the working space needs space in their home, and this influences the emerging interior trends, and this will be highlighted at Ambiente. Besides the comprehensive dining and living areas, there is also a giving section and a new working area which shares solutions for our changed world of work.

Uherek says the emerging changes in our world affect everyone from designers to production teams to suppliers and retailers, and are challenges which have to be faced:  “They are enormous, but on the other side, you all know that every challenge also has its chances, and come with new potential. And so I think we need to talk. We need to engage with each other. We need to discuss solutions for the future. And the best way of doing it is in person, – not online, not on the phone.” Indeed, exhibitors and goods from all over the world will travel to Frankfurt and this will be an exciting way to see the many possibilities, and create and nurture new businesses.

In our hybrid world, connections in diverse ways are the new reality. Taking immersive design a step further, Messe Frankfurt has formed a partnership with ByDesign, the design television series and will be showcasing the best of design on screen, featured in episode one of America ByDesign: Innovations on the CBS Streaming Network, and in the first  Europe ByDesign series which will showcase innovation and design launching in 2023.

The Ambiente Trends 23+  section offers an overview of new products from the entire consumer-goods sector, including trends for New New Work and the modern workplace. As Annetta Palmisano, of the trend bureau bora.herke.palmisano notes: “The signs are noticeably pointing to a new start. In our research, we have found powerful living themes – what they all have in common is a close connection to people, their feelings and their experiences.”

So whether you travel to Frankfurt In person, watch it online or on the TV screen in your living room – let the global design show begin!