Capturing the Mood

A snapshot of the year’s European design shows.

Keeping abreast of where design is headed and making sure you’re familiar with the lastest products takes a lot of legwork. You have to visit showrooms, designer’s studios, and museum exhibitions. But there is a shortcut. European trade shows such as the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, in Milan; 100% Design, in London; and Maison & Objet, in Paris; and biennials like this year’s Saint Etienne International Biennial Design Convention, in France; and Interieur, in Kortrijk, Belgium, are great one-stop sources. And here we’re making it even easier. Consider these pages the “Cliffs Notes” to this year’s European trade shows. When it comes to design trends these days, diversity is the key. Enduring concepts like sustainability were in evidence alongside short-term trends. We’ve chosen to group the objects shown here in six formal categories—Fluid, Baroque, Line, Structure, Surface, and Luminous—that capture the moods of this year’s shows.

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