Furniture exhibition imm Cologne announced the trends for next year: they are centered around sustainable, smart and multifunctional design and decor that defines the space. Six interior trends that define the development and innovation in the field of home interior – what are they?
![Home decor trends: from season to season](https://i0.wp.com/cmf-trend.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imm-cologne-2022-six-top-trends-2.webp?resize=860%2C609&ssl=1)
Home decor trends: from season to season
The organization of life in the house is now a vivid expression of personality. It is an ongoing process, influenced not so much by trends as by our preferences, lifestyle, and natural—that is, seasonal—changes. The decor turns out to be a kind of collage, changing depending on the season and the perception of nature. When it comes to buying furniture, it should be purchased considering how good a backdrop it is for changing styles. Neutral tones are preferred for walls and furniture.
![Home as communication](https://i0.wp.com/cmf-trend.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imm-cologne-2022-six-top-trends-3.webp?resize=860%2C574&ssl=1)
Home as communication
Home as communication
The digital world is becoming more and more important in our daily lives – and it will become more and more integrated into our homes. The interior is adapting to this growing trend through various intelligent applications that are becoming more diverse and easier to use. Technology is becoming part of the furniture, especially in the kitchen. The home is adapting to new ways of working remotely, becoming an AI-driven hub. Connecting to the internet helps make our lives easier and smarter, but above all it helps the environment in terms of optimizing energy consumption.
![Multifunctional housing](https://i0.wp.com/cmf-trend.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imm-cologne-2022-six-top-trends-4.webp?resize=860%2C860&ssl=1)
Multifunctional housing
The furniture industry is increasingly meeting the requirements of maximum comfort in a small space. Housing prices are rising, and therefore, interior items also need to adapt to new realities. In the future, even greater demand for affordable modular systems is predicted. The main requirements for compact self-contained elements are their ability to scale (that is, they must adapt to different room sizes), versatility and the ability to transform. The focus is on the modular sofa, which is gaining more and more popularity.
![Blurred borders](https://i0.wp.com/cmf-trend.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imm-cologne-2022-six-top-trends-5.webp?resize=860%2C574&ssl=1)
Blurred borders
The house of the future is a space with blurred boundaries. Barriers are disappearing not only between indoors and outdoors, but also between public and private. Areas of different function merge together – living area and kitchen, dining and living room, workspace and bedroom, bedroom and bathroom. Areas with a specific function are zoned with decorative elements and furniture, using elements such as partitions or permanent built-in units, rugs to highlight important areas, various colors and materials. In the interior, where there are fewer and fewer walls and partitions, the furniture should be “front door” from all sides. A symbol of change is mobile furniture on wheels (like the classic serving trolley). Outdoor areas are now like “second living rooms”: balconies, patios and gardens, designed and decorated in such a way
![Sharing spaces](https://i0.wp.com/cmf-trend.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imm-cologne-2022-six-top-trends-6.webp?resize=791%2C1024&ssl=1)
Sharing spaces
Urban lifestyles, telecommuting and flexible work patterns are creating new living spaces. These are apartments for long-term and short-term residence, co-living and co-working areas. This means a growing need for new furniture solutions and concepts, as well as a demand for high quality and functional rental furniture. The better the location of the point of shared living (city center or district), the more multifaceted the concept of an apartment building becomes, where work, leisure and home are united under one roof. Such apartments represent a new large segment of the interior business.
![E-Natural luxury](https://i0.wp.com/cmf-trend.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/imm-cologne-2022-six-top-trends-7.webp?resize=860%2C608&ssl=1)
E-Natural luxury
Comfort is becoming a real luxury: it is increasingly synonymous with traditional craftsmanship, classy materials and organic design without sharp corners. The environmental crisis of recent years has pushed the interior sector to focus on quality, moving away from the leading concept of past years, focused on “more and cheaper”. Everyone wants to see their homes more stylish and at the same time natural and sustainable. The concept of natural luxury is expressed both by materials (exquisitely crafted wood and leather combined with marble and stone) and textured finishes. The trend is furniture that lasts a long time and that has its own history. The colors are inspired by nature – these are sandy-beige, brown shades, which are based on a gray-brown gamma. However, along with neutral and natural tones, attention to bright accents is growing.