Trends I’ve Been Seeing: Part I

Our Aspecta Director of Design Robert Langstaff returned from London Design Week (a venue for emerging designers and companies to show new and innovative products) and the Cersaie International Ceramic Tile Exhibition in Bologna, Italy, with these trend observations.

European Trends: Part I

Hygge is a Danish term for a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of content and wellbeing – a defining characteristic of the country’s culture. Hygge is quickly gaining a foothold in the interior design world. It’s all about getting comfortable and cozy - similar to the emerging Grandmillenial Style in the US. It fills a void created by information overload from social media and a general over-involvement with technology. It’s an organic extension of Biophilic Design, bringing natural elements/materials and a lot of light and views into an interior, whether residential or commercial. Hygge can help create a more personal connection to one’s living and working environment for a sense of contentment, retreat and security. 

How can Hygge be expressed through flooring? LVT can be a welcoming platform for the designer to start the process. I’m seeing more wood grains being installed than ever before – “nature’s neutrals” – with light or mid-range colors and authentic embossings. This doesn’t exclude dark colors for contrast or accent. The goal is the look of an untreated floor - not rough luxe, but more subtle, with cleaner, fewer knots subdued by glazing.

Flooring needs to work with this new approach to color and texture with either lighter or darker natural/neutrals and finishes - even Espresso can be considered neutral. Greys are becoming weathered grey to reflect hints of other colors, such as a tint of green or blue, but still neutral.

The new refreshed Aspecta Ten line will be able to contribute to incorporating a Hygge vibe in commercial settings with new trend colors – lighter, more natural looks allowing designers to have an even wider range of colors to explore and use.