1,400 exhibitors from more than 60 nations
– New: Young Designer Trendtable to present visions of the future of flooring
– Keynote on “Future Living” by star designer Alfredo Häberli
Hannover. From 14 to 17 January, the Hannover
Exhibition Center will once again be hosting the international floor coverings
industry. Some 1,400 exhibitors from more than 60 nations will be showcasing
their latest flooring products and collections. Spread
across 12 exhibition halls, DOMOTEX 2017 will feature the world’s biggest
offering of carpets and floor coverings. The innovations on display span
multiple product categories, including machine- and hand-made carpets, textile
and resilient floor coverings, parquet, laminate and wood flooring, outdoor
flooring solutions, and application and installation technology. DOMOTEX gives
front and center stage to exhibitors’ latest and greatest innovations, helping
them get all the attention they deserve. “Thanks to the popular
Innovations@DOMOTEX showcase, trailblazing materials, creative solutions and
impressive designs are sure of attracting major attention at the show. Another highlight
is the Young Designer Trendtable, where five up-and-coming European design
studios are presenting their visions for the future of flooring while engaging in
dialogue with interested attendees,” said Dr. Andreas Gruchow, the Managing
Board at Deutsche Messe in charge of DOMOTEX. “DOMOTEX serves as an early
indicator of the trends preparing to sweep the market, thus generating valuable
impetus and making innovations tangible,” he added.
An
overview of the leading must-see highlights of the show will be on display in
the Innovations@DOMOTEX areas in halls 6, 9 and 17. These areas are
artistically designed showcases that lend added prominence to specially
selected product innovations submitted by DOMOTEX exhibitors. They function as
a quick guide to DOMOTEX, giving visitors a good overview of what’s hot at the
show. Many of the 38 highlights selected by the jury this year feature highly
authentic natural surface textures, materials and motifs. All of the products
in the Innovations@DOMOTEX areas also score highly on sustainability.
Hitting our floors this season...
When it comes to wood
flooring, natural is in. The in-vogue natural look comes in many shapes and
forms, including vintage styling, complete with knot holes and shakes. The
trend towards individuality is also still going strong, with multiple colors,
shapes and textures available to create a whole range of exciting and distinct
looks. There’s also a trend towards longer and wider element dimensions and
herringbone patterns. Meanwhile, laminate flooring is moving towards ever-more
authentic-looking prints. The laying systems used for these products are also
getting smarter, opening up a wider range of applications. Other key trends
include authentic surface textures in the LVT segment and nature-inspired
patterns in fitted carpets. Carpeting in tile and plank-form also continues to
gain in popularity. In the carpets and rugs segment, there is strong demand for
natural tones in understated shades of sand and stone, while, at the other end
of the spectrum, vibrant colors and exuberant patterns are also on the up. In
terms of installation and application technology there is a strong focus on
sustainability, with many products boasting lower solvent levels, reduced
environmental impacts and improved speed and ease of use. 
Young designers on the
hunt for tomorrow’s trends
DOMOTEX takes in the future as well as the present. A case in
point is a special showcase dubbed the “Young Designer Trendtable”. In the
lead-up to this event, five up-and-coming designers from Germany, France, the
UK, the Netherlands and Turkey took up the challenge to sniff out tomorrow’s
trends in flooring. They will be presenting their visions of the future in Hall
9 at DOMOTEX from 14 to 17 January. Among other things, they will show how
traditional craftsmanship can be integrated into modern manufacturing processes
and how materials like marble and stone can be put to unusual uses. They will
explore ways of combining hard and soft surfaces and map out flooring solutions
for temporarily used spaces and rooms.
Big-name speakers, hot industry topics
As
well as being a display platform for pioneering new creations, the
Innovations@DOMOTEX area in Hall 6 is a stage for lectures and discussion
groups (Innovations@DOMOTEX Dialogues) featuring high-power architects,
interior designers and creatives. These experts will debate burning questions,
such as “How can home living be made more human?” “What flooring solutions does
tomorrow’s world need?” “What sorts of settings do service providers need for
their work?” and “How can optimized spaces set new standards in interior
design?” Experts from Büro Caramel (Vienna), Sauerbruch Hutton (Berlin), Peter
Haimerl. Architektur (Munich), Plajer & Franz Studio (Berlin) and the
Stuttgart-based online shop InteriorPark will explore the flooring
perspectives, prerequisites and opportunities that arise from these questions. 
The
Innovations@DOMOTEX Dialogues will kick off on Saturday, 14 January, with a
richly informative keynote by multiple-award-winning Swiss designer Alfredo
Häberli on “Future Living – the case for a human architecture”. Each day’s Dialogues will be followed by
tours of DOMOTEX that will take in products and solutions relevant to the
themes covered by the Dialogues. The program also includes guided tours
of the displays of selected exhibitors. Offered twice daily, the guided tours
will be led by experts in architecture and design.
Award for the world’s
most beautiful designer carpets
Another visitor hotspot at the show will be Hall 17, where trailblazing
designers like Creative Matters, Hossein Rezvani, Rug Art, Rug Star, Wool &
Silk Rugs and Zollanvari will present an alluring lineup of exquisite hand-made
carpet creations. The most beautiful of these
will be honored at the Carpet Design Awards. The Awards are the world’s top accolade for modern hand-made carpets,
and this year will be the twelfth time that they have been presented at
DOMOTEX. The 24 carpets that have made the shortlist for the Awards will be on
display in the Innovations@DOMOTEX area in Hall 17. The winners in each of
eight categories will be presented with their awards at a special ceremony in
Hall 17 on Sunday, 15 Januay
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