If you like to read shelter magazines, you may begin to notice that purple is making its mark in the design world. The trend began in France and is becoming a major trend. Personally, I love it. It’s a bold color - one that can transform a room tremendously with just a can of paint.

This room is from French magazine, Maison Francaise. Notice the way the designer used three colors to create a wonderful sense of drama. He used purple on the walls (”Brinjal” by Farrow and Ball) and coordinated it with indigo on the doors and furniture to create depth. The final touch is the turquiose used for the back the armoire. the turquiose is reflective and makes the glassware pop.

Also, notice how the purple and indigo play off the orange tones in the dining table. The wood is accentuated because the blue tones are complimentary colors of the orange tones in the wood. Zip!

Finally, the light colored carpet and fabric on the chairs add light, so the room isn’t too dark. This is also where adding ambient light comes into play. A chandelier is wonderful, but if the room is still too dark, adding some simple downlights will brighten the room on a dark day and add even more drama if used creatively.

Here are a couple of other rooms in the same home. Again, look at the way color is used to work together. The indigo doors are aged so emphasize the decorative molding. I love the way the fabrics aren’t matched to perfection. Lots of stripes - but they work so well together. It’s this more casual approach (for lack of a better word) that creates a sense of a “real” room for “real” people. It looks like humans with an opinion live here. Not like a decorator super-matched everything to death. Those types of room always wind up looking like hotels to me.

If you’re interested in trying purple in a room, here are some paint colors to consider:

• Mythic’s #016-5 & 016-6
• Pratt & Lambert’s Shaded Climatis and Anchusa
• Benjamin Moore’s Grape Gum and Starry Night Blue

I couldn’t find the Farrow and Ball colors on their American website. We haven’t caught up with this trend. I”ve contact the company to find out if and when they’ll be introduced here and will update when I hear back.

UPDATE: A reader corrected me about the “Brinjal” color, which is on their website. I was working too fast and didn’t see it. My bad.

Photos: Jean-Marc Palisse

Going to the Salone del Mobile was a wonderful experience. As I said earlier in the week, the most inspiring aspect were the kitchens. Of everything I saw, kitchen design was the one things that’s taking the largest step forward. The rule of the kitchen triangle principle is a thing of the past. And once the rules have been broken, everything becomes open to change.

Here’s a peek at some of the innovative things I saw.

In-line cooktops are a huge trend. The improvement in ergonomics is obvious - no more reaching for pots behind pots.

Smeg (more about them later) has introduced a horizontal dishwasher that opens with a touch. It sits higher in the cabinet, making access easier.

Miele has a built-in pressure cooker. For busy families, it’s a great thing to have. I use mine (not built-in) all the time. It makes perfect risotto in 9 minutes.

You might think there isn’t a thing anyone could do to improve a simple sink, but I saw a lot that were integrated into stainless steel countertops. A slope drains the water into the sink. Colanders and cutting boards were also built-in design elements.

Archlinea offered up a couple of nice ideas. One is a greenhouse designed for growing herbs and such - this one suspended from the ceiling. The other is a countertop warming tray.

Elica had a large display of artistic vent hoods. They’re designed to resemble light fixtures. Some looked a bit strange to me, but it’s an interesting idea and one that kicks the idea of kitchen as living space up a notch.

Finally, I fell in love with these tempered glass counters and backsplashes. Loaded with color, which you know I love, they broaden the creative aspects of kitchen design. Above are examples from Valcucine and DADA.

Now some bad news. Not all of these products are currently available in the states. But fear not, the US is such an enormous market that many are coming our way. We just have to wait a couple of years.

Continuing with the idea of kitchens and family rooms living as one, here’s a photo essay of kitchens from Milan. (Did you know that Italy ranks number two in the world when it comes to kitchen sales?) Notice how the dining tables are creatively integrated into the workspace. I also love the new way cabinet doors are opening and their larger widths.

Archlinea used larch for their table.

One of Snaidero’s kitchens with a more furniture-like look to it. I like the way the upper cabinet doors open.

Not such a great photo, but this was an interesting way to incorporate a cooktop with a dining table.

Another Snaidero kitchen. I like the way the shelving runs across the wall - moving from kitchen utility to decorative space.

See more after the jump.

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It seems ironic that families have less and less time to sit down together for a meal, yet kitchens are rapidly becoming the heart of the home. Their reason for being is expanding from a room set aside solely for food preparation into one that incorporates the needs of everyday life.

Kitchens are becoming a social hub, fully integrated with a larger living space. In the United States (where houses are comparatively larger) that typically means kitchens are combined with family rooms.

The kitchen designs I saw at this year’s Salone del Mobile, in Milan, reflect this change. The trend is strong and is clearly moving toward designs that allow kitchen components to flow seamlessly from the food preparation area directly into the living space.

I spent my kitchen time in Milan checking out the contemporary designers. With 160 different vendors and more than 39,000 square meters devoted solely to kitchens, I just couldn’t get to every building. But the trend applies across the design board. Here’s just one example of how the new trend is being applied.

The exhibiter, in my opinion, that did the best job of visualizing the kitchen/living trend was Valcucine. Their unique glass-covered cabinets (2mm thick) can be printed with customized graphics, photographs, or simply a solid hue. The sink and hob were creatively integrated into the lower cabinets and fit beautifully into the open shelving.

Directly across from the workspace, a cabinet with LED-lit, glass shelving hangs on the wall. The cabinet not only looks like a work of art, the extra-large, sliding doors allow for greater visibility and access to tableware or pantry items.

Another wall holds the oven and refrigerator (behind the right-hand door). Again, the doors are wide and slide to open. When closed, the wall becomes a solid block of color – pink in this case.

Around the corner from the pink wall, Valcucine installed a family room. A red built-in cabinet sits below a wall cabinet. The same playful graphic is incorporated in the upper cabinet thereby unifying the overall space. A table for dining blended perfectly with the lounge seating.

Aside from the exposed sink and hob, one could barely tell this all about a kitchen. Whether or not you like the childlike graphic (personally, not for me), I think Valcucine did a nice job of demonstrating how kitchen and family space can live as one.

Mix-and-match fabrics - could this be an emerging trend? I saw several examples throughout the Salone. I thought Moooi and Moroso were spot-on. Others, like Blå Station, didn’t do so well.

Moooi’s Boutique sofa & some fabric detail

Moroso’s new “mix-and-match designs (above and below) are awesome.

I’m going to enjoy watching this trend so see how it unfurls. As with the fashion world, there’s a trickle down effect in the furniture design world. Just as mass-market clothing manufacturers follow trends set by high-end fashion houses, furniture manufacturers, such as Crate and Barrel and West Elm, are influenced by what they see in Milan.

Blå Station didn’t get it right (the unfortunate chair didn’t help).

You don’t have to wait for it to come to our local furniture store. You can recreate this look yourself. All you need is some creative flair, interesting fabrics and a good upholsterer. I’ll write how-to tips next week. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, what do you think of the mix-and-match fabric look?

This year Moroso was spectacular. Not everything was a hit, in my humble opinion. I didn’t particularly like Ron Arad’s work. Patricia Urquiola’s Bohemian Collection was not to my liking.But her additions to the Shanghai Tip collection were beautiful.

Bohemian collection - not for me

The new sofas, chairs and settees from the Shanghai Tip Collection are more soft and relaxed. And she sets the gold standard when it comes to intertwining different textiles and pattern.

New, softer sofa

I love this settee, pouf and chair - with their Asian flair and wonderful use of pattern and texture.

Nipa Doshi and Jonothan Levian’s Charpoy Collection was wonderful for these up-and-comers. Definitely not for everyone, but I found them to be lovely, and totally new.

You can see Urquiola’s influence. Their customizable My Beautiful Backside (what a name!) settees are young and cheerful. They used wool and felt because the combination reminded them of old-fashioned clothes with stiff starched collars.

Nipa Doshi sitting on her Beautiful Backside Settee. She’s definitely someone to watch.

I saw copies of Tokujin Yoshioka’s Bouquet Chair throughout the Salone. He says, “I got the idea for Bouquet from the installation I created last October for Moroso’s New York showroom. I used about 30,000 paper tissues to recreate a cloud-like atmosphere.

The Bouquet makes people who sit on it happy, just as a bouquet makes the person who receives it happy. The vibrant, delicate colors trigger different sensations in each of us.”

The chair is a pleasure to sit in. I felt very feminine and wished I were wearing high heels.

Philippe Bestenheider’s collection of Nanook tables (part of a larger furniture collection) were a hit with me. They also remind me of Urquiola’s feminine instincts.

However, Bestenheider says he drew his inspiration from the cold north, and Inuit cultures.

The Moroso exhibit was jammed. Obviously a hit with everyone.

I hadn’t expected to see this the first day here at Salone, but square tables were everywhere. Large, square dining tables. Or for meetings, some were placed side by side to form a large rectangle - more suitable for conferences. I love the trend. The materials varied widely - from wood, to marble, to laminate. I particularly liked one from Porro, which was white with a lovely base. Another from Porro was marble, but also comes with a wood top. Not my favorite. But the trend is definitely there. Here’s a look at what we saw.

Rimadesio’s marble-topped table.

 
White Synopsis table with lovely criss-cross of legs from Porro.

Ferro-Lissoni from Porro

I loved everything from Heron Parigi - here a powder-coated steel table

Toea table, from Bellato, in wood and also laminate materials.

Another beauty from Rimadesio. Perfect in its simplicity.

It may create some problems in a traditional dining room. But it’s a break from the round dining tables. The crispness of the square is something new, and makes for an easier conversation at a dinner party. What do you think of this trend?

I was surprised at the riotous colors I ran into at the show. Maybe because of economic conditions back in the States I was expecting things to be more somber. They weren’t. The last show I attended here showed a fair amount of orange stuff - as is true of one of these casual Giovanni Pouffs.

But this year, Orange was just the start. There were fuschia chairs and foot stools.

I saw purple shelving…

Even a hideous aqua “day bed” or “neck destroying device” - I’m not sure exactly how to use this piece.

Finally a note about green - the movement, not the color. If I find the time, I’m going to post about the extensive use of plain wood I’ve seen at the show. But even the companies that were making an eco-statement had a magnetic attraction to color. Here, for your sitting around pleasure, some nicely painted logs-er-footstools.

Tomorrow, (once I’ve recovered from jet lag), I promise a more thorough coverage of things I liked and things I think you’ll like, too. In the meantime, Jennifer has a much more interesting point of view on our first day at the show.

Italian company, Zazzeri, manufactures impeccable kitchen and bathroom faucets. This photo was taken at their Salone booth three years ago. Orange was the color of the day and we were just beginning to see Carrera marble. Both are now quite the thing over here in the US. I’m so excited to see the new trends.

See you in Milan!

I’m loving this Bracket table from young designer Valerian Gagnaire. He’ll be showing his designs in the Satellite pavilion in Milan. I like the use of color.

I’m especially looking forward to reporting on color trends. Three years ago I saw lots of orange. I’m hearing that shiny black was a big thing at IMM Cologne. Hmmm. Not big on shiny. How about you?

via: Pan Dan

In case you didn’t know, purple and brown is the new blue and brown. Be sure to write that down. You can use it at cocktail parties to impress your friends. Leaving the brown out of things for now, let’s take a look at the new blue of the duo - purple.

Is it everywhere yet? Not quite. It still looks really fresh. And, despite my humor, I really do like it. Various shades of purple look great with brown, pastel yellow, soft pinks, and gray. A little tip: when selecting color combinations, cool tones go with cool and warm with warm.

You can add purple to your life with accessories, wallpaper and paint (the least expensive option). If you’re ready to completely embrace a trend, accent furniture is a good choice. Just be aware that trends come and go. So don’t invest in a trend unless you can either afford to replace it, or you love it so much wild horses couldn’t drag you off your violent violet sofa.

Resources seen here: Unikko from Alwaysmod; Taqsaq lamp from Bleu Nature; Birds on a Wire plate from Snowden Flood; Basket from Rice; Milan Buffet from Shine Home; Damask fabric from Manuel Canovas. Wallpaper from Walnut.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the new line of wallpapers from Anna French called Glamour. Yesterday, I was talking to Bonnie Doran, the manager of Thybony’s showroom at The Michigan Designer Center. (Thybony is adding Anna’s line, which will be available in a couple of months.) Bonnie gave me a little insider info. I thought you’d enjoy.

The photo featuring the pink and red flocked wallpaper is Anna French’s bedroom. Ms. French is 62 years old, which says to me that you’re never too old to have lots of fun in your bedroom. So here’s a big toast to Anna French.