Alongside the overarching social trends that are changing the way we live and work, while lifting up the furniture world with innovative furnishing concepts, it's the latest colours, shapes and materials that are making consumers want to buy new furniture and home accessories. Design trends come with a particular impact on the products Hettich develops because the manufacturer itself has become a trendsetter for constructive furniture design with its innovative fittings. This is where cost effectiveness and exacting design expectations go hand in hand.

Stunning simplicity
In terms of colour, muted shades are set to dominate furniture design. Beige and nude in all hues exude timeless elegance. The great advantage of this colour palette is that it goes with any style of home, and combines exceptionally well with natural materials or contrasting colours. As a contrasting colour, orange is an absolute favourite among designers. The trend towards natural authenticity is continuing, hence also the light shades. These make the ideal choice for setting off natural materials such as wood, stone and marble.

Vertical stripes
Whether as grooving in the surface decor, as wall decor or furniture front made of timber slats, as prints on paper or fabrics – there's no way around the retro look that's still the height of fashion. Three dimensional surface textures in particular cut a very classy figure that speaks quality. Accent colours in striped look add variation. A trend that's fun and provides huge creative scope.

Designer favourites – glass & marble
Glass is and remains ever present. Whether coloured, clear or etched: glass gives furniture a light and airy feel. The change being heralded in by the megatrend of urbanisation is leading to smaller homes such as mini apartments. This is making glass an increasingly important element in small spaces as the transparent material creates the bright and airy ambience that's needed here. Equally, glass gives furnishings a look of exquisite elegance and can be staged by indirect lighting with stunning effect. A heavy yet exceedingly vibrant counterbalance to glass is real marble. No two pieces of marble are alike, each having its own particular characteristics. This makes marble an exclusive material that's preferably used as an accent feature in high quality furniture lines.

Big hit: interplay of shapes
Purism yes, but with panache. Organic shapes are continuing to transcend stringent linearity. Lines are following natural structures, such as wood grain. Corners are becoming increasingly rounded, shapes more fluid. In shelving, the clear trend is towards the interplay of open and closed elements. Ideal for this are Hettich's sliding door fittings that make sliding doors incredibly easy to move back and forth or up and down in front of furniture. This lets you change a shelf element's look and conceal storage spaces in any way you choose. This trend is also catching on with room dividers. And makes the use of shelves even more attractive and versatile.

At Salone del Mobile, Hettich's trend scouts made an entertaining video in which they present the leading design and furnishing trends: https://www.hettich.com/short/nm28xz