The Stockholm Furniture Fair in 2016 saw 40,000 visitors from around the world. Scandinavian design trends, which emphasize simplicity and functionality, continue to influence global furniture design. Mid-century modern styles from the 1940s-1960s are increasingly popular again. Natural materials like wood, glass, stone and metal are prominently featured. Plants and greenery are used to bring the outdoors inside and evoke a sense of nature.

1. Trend watch 2016

2. The Stockholm Furniture Fair 2016 was another successful year with 40 000 visitors from
around the Globe!
Scandinavian influence continues to set the design trends and we see a increasing link
between fashion, domestic furniture and office products / environments. Our Scandinavian
designers are becoming increasingly more Global. The Milan Furniture Fair remains
popular and well attended and we continue to see that the top trends from Milan are most
likely also visible at The Stockholm Furniture fair the following year.
Right now furniture designs are simple and very much reduced to functional aspects. A
chair is a chair! Sofas with high backs and room in room solutions are absolutely present
but less dominating than previous years, thin dimensions are getting even thinner, soft
seating is getting softer, cubic storage is shown “when needed”, a huge amount of smaller
tables can be seen, 5-6 different materials on one product is acceptable and velvet fabric
brings the fashion trends into our offices…….
Mid-century-design, from 1940 to 1960 is back and the “most noticeable” design in future
trends. This mid-century-character also has an impact on the general proportions of
furniture. Within current trends furniture is tends to be smaller than in previous years.
Despite the same functions, materials are being economised…..less is more! In contrast to
the thin lines we see thick and over filled soft sofas supported by some very thin legs. And,
they are all very similar.

3. Colours and material mix

4. Colours
The office interior is becoming significantly more colourful, we freely combine colours and
designs within fabrics and painted surfaces.
Modern upholstery materials can be very smooth and soft, some have an uneven texture and
we can also see a mixture of all. Designers welcome this because it enables them to express
their individuality through the product.
Sitting Is Becoming More Comfortable!
Nowadays people occupy meeting areas long after the meeting has finished instead of
withdrawing to their workstations as before. The furniture industry is therefore showing a
particularly wide variety of chairs and sofas. Whether leather or fabric, the new generation of
chairs and sofas are impressive with their high levels of comfort. Leaning back against the
dynamic ergonomics of an office task chair is one possibility, however the same meeting with
colleagues could just as commonly be held on poufs around a project table. Moreover, the
chairs of 2016 often have a lounge feel about them and are upholstered in a wide variety of
complimentary fabrics.

5. Deep Dreams

6. Deep Dreams

7. Deep Dreams

8. Green Velvet

11. Natural leather

12. Rose, Beige and Grey

13. Tones of Beige and Grey

14. Sitting is Comfortable!

15. Blue tones

16. Grey tones

17. Colour Summery

18. Natural Materials
Wood, glass, stone and metal. Natural materials are particularly popular. In addition to the
large proportion of wood used in tops, chairs and frames, valuable natural stone is also still a
commonly used material in table tops and sofa tables. Popular varieties include the classic
marble.
We love retro, we see a colour pallet of mid-century modern golds, coppers and metallic
furnishings and accessories. Metals are still being used to create style and warmth in a room.
There is nothing precious about iron and blackened steel. Designers are blending it with
wood and glass, or sometimes even create entire pieces of matte black metal. Welders are
the new rock stars.
We see more luxury fabrics such as velvet, cashmere and silk. The colour trends are tightly
linked to fashion.

19. Wood

20. Outdoor furniture in the office

21. Materials

22. Materials

23. Shapes

26. Iron and steel structures

27. Iron and steel structures

29. Fabric design

30. Softer shapes

31. Retro look

32. Bringing the outside in
A popular trend that Scandinavian designers have embracing is to bring the great outside
inside your office. Think lots of greenery, open spaces and natural light pouring in from large
windows.
If you love the natural look but are useless when it comes to watering plants, choose bright
and bold foliage-inspired wallpaper or paint your wall green instead….perhaps introduce
some natural wood and add lots of green details.
70s plants are back!
Green plants have had a real breakthrough and are now important in trend picture. Decorate
your office with large palm trees and other species of green plants and in large quantities!
The plants from the 70s and 80s are what we want now. Plants with large leaves such as
Peace Lilies, Window Leaf and also with Palm. Even the Little Yucca palm is on trend!

33. Nature inspire

34. Bring the outside in

35. Bring the outside in

36. 70s plants are back

37. Glade
Bar
Windbreak
Viewpoint
Stone to stone
Meadow
EFG Stand Story 2016

38. Colours of the EFG stand SFF 2016

48. Thank You!
See you next year at SFF 2017
www.efg.info