Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair

In February we visited the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair. This show is the world's largest meeting place for Scandinavian design and never fails to inspire with insights into the latest trends and product innovations in our industry.

This year sustainability was a central theme with a very clear focus on the use of recycled and recyclable materials. Many manufacturers looked to showcase their efforts to introduce environmentally friendly processes, not just components, to illustrate a more joined up and end to end commitment to the planet.

This pattern extended through to the earthy tones and textures that were evident in the colour palettes, fabrics and finishes across the many stands in the three main exhibition halls. There was a veritable smorgasbord of greens and rustic browns framed with sky and deep sea blues.

Bent wood seating is of course a staple at this fair but what was striking this year was the sheer volume of wood furniture options on offer. A noticeable development in this category was the trend towards wooden bench seating for collaborative spaces, most of which had a chunkier park bench look about it.

These elements were often complimented with storage or space dividing systems that offered multiple opportunities to house or hang plants to great effect. Bringing the outdoors inside and reconnecting with the natural world has long been on the agenda but what was palpable here is that it will now be the key driver in our industry in the years to come.