As with every year, the much anticipated Design Week held annually in the trendiest spot in Europe, lived up to its expected design climax.  New trends in modern furniture design and contemporary interior décor were prevalent and inspiring (as always) encompassed everything from new shapes to new materials and new utilities, albeit the ailing state of global economy.  Below are a few that were pretty consistent and highly noticeable throughout the fair grounds and across the who’s who of modern design biosphere.

Color Stained Wood Finishes – following the successful craze over colorful lacquer finishes that have been used over the past year, color stained wood was a natural progression, as was the case with Pianca’s new wall unit collection.

Natural Woods – while walnut veneer continued to remain extremely popular, solid walnut with natural, irregular edges was realized in the table top seen in the new Ikon and Ikon Drive dining table by Cattelan Italia.

Blue Color – cool tones of blue, aqua and cobalt were carried over from last year and was incorporated into one of the most eye-catching creation, the 36h modern armchair and 56h designer chaise lounge by Fabio Novembre for Driade.

Ethnic motifs – rich and eye-catching, ethnic motifs from all corners of the world were reinvented through sleek structures and incorporated into various surfaces including chaise lounges, table tops, and headboards of beds.  One of such inspiring trends was incorporated by Yaroslav Galant into a console and modern bench.