#Product Trends
Sunday in Bed: Like Being on Vacation Every Day with the Right Textiles
Throughout the hall for home linen at Maison et Objet in Paris this year the most comfortable-looking beds invited visitors to recall their busy, stressful everyday routine which makes us long for more relaxed lifestyles.
It’s like being on vacation every day no matter where you are: at home, staying in a hotel during a business trip, dining in or out. Not limited to only the bedroom, textiles are making us dream and turning our dreams into reality.
The trend choice of washed, wrinkled or embossed linen could be found for the bedroom, the table and bath, curtains, lighting and even as upholstery for furniture. It’s really the “washed, wrinkled or embossed” aspect added to a variety of materials that matters. In addition, the trend of 100% locally produced remains the center of importance. The combination of locally produced and a relaxed look links to our renewed interest in nature and human needs—mental, physical and spiritual.
Here’s a short list of several brands who displayed their textile collections that respond to the need for such a relaxed lifestyle: Tell me More, House in Style, Dirty Linen, Loft by BiancoPerla, Hamam, Himla AB, Libeco Home and Vandyck.
Taking Comfort Seriously
In the beginning, over ten years ago, the German brand Sunday in Bed supplied its customers with an array of comfortable bedding solutions. Originally called OKHA, founder Ina Solbach soon realized the need for comfort to spread well beyond the bedroom. While Ina Solbach was speaking to a client, her husband told ArchiExpo e-Magazine:
My wife couldn’t find any comfortable clothes to wear to bed or to go out in, so she decided to complement our bedroom solutions with a clothing line.”
The company now has products in three categories: the bedroom, spa and clothing. At Maison et Objet, the company’s two new clothing collections (winter 2018 and summer 2019) hung on racks, acting as the wall for their stand; they also displayed their variety of material options. Sand covered the floor on the left side of their stand, where the summer 2019 collection was on display, offering visitors a moment to really feel like they’re on vacation.
At the center of the entrance, an extremely comfortable-looking bed ready for winter revealed a mixture of materials along with heavy blankets. A wooden bench at the foot of the bed supported several blankets and throw pillows, whose cover were also of various materials, topped with a pair of deep mustard yellow thick socks (socks not for sale).
An Artistic Soul
Swedish artist Carina Björck began her exclusive interior design brand with eco-certified art-printed linens. At the fair, she presented her latest collection which does not have any of her artwork printed on the sheets but instead really focuses on the eco-friendly aspect. The sheets portray a lining of beautiful buttons, eye-catching without question, made of bone and not plastic. Björck told ArchiExpo e-Magazine:
I think it’s important to always consider the environment, no matter what.”
The brand’s products are made entirely in Sweden, with high-quality Swedish handicraft in collaboration with Swedish companies. The fabrication of the colors used are certified as environmentally friendly and Öko-tex marked for the printing on fabric. The manufacturing of blankets, cushions, duvets etc. are done in a small local factory close to Borås in southern Sweden.
Björck’s past collections, having elements of her artwork printed onto cloth for bedsheets, pillow covers and more, enable her customers to turn their home or hotel interior into an art gallery.
She has exhibited her paintings in USA, Japan and Europe; at Big Arts in Florida, USA, and in the City Hall of Kyoto, Japan. Björck has also owned an art gallery in the Old Town of Stockholm where she exhibited other international artists art and her own art.
Back to the Countryside
Local, that’s the word to keep in mind. The Spanish interior textile brand Mikmax, created in 2007 by designer Cristina Montaña, creates bedding and textile collections crafted in Spain. Its products of quality cotton, linen and natural fibers, the brand explores the well-being and comfort of people in any interior (ie homes, hotels, restaurants). Designer Cristina Montaña told ArchiExpo e-Magazine:
We’re actually located in the countryside, maybe 30km outside of Barcelona, surrounded by the beauty of horses. In an environment where we see nature all around us, we’re reminded of its significance.”
The products range from plaids to sheets, cushions, duvet covers, bedding sets and baby bed linen, all crafted with high-quality fabrics. Their newest release combines linen and leather, each on either side of a throw pillow.
Mikmax has traveled around exploring Asia this year, from Lombok to Dubai and Hong Kong. Catch our interview with online retailer JD.com on how European brands are entering the Chinese market.
Quick Note for Body Towels
Japanese company Harada Textile created its brand Koyoi under which it launched several healthy solutions for interiors using natural materials such as corn fiber, ramie Hemp and charcoal.
Its Charcoal Rayon Fiber & Cotton Body Wash Towel contains healing fiber from the charcoal which provides a natural deodorant effect. The company states the material helps maintain beauty and told ArchiExpo e-Magazine during the fair:
Charcoal kills bacteria so these body towels do more than soften your skin.”
