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The most exciting event in trade furniture!

January saw one of the most exciting events in trade furniture, the Interiors Birmingham show. The show brought to fruition this year’s must-have designs, rounding up the looks and styles to grace the interior design world in 2009. Buyers and industry professionals flocked to the event to see the latest designs that will be shaping the future of our homes. This article will take a look at some of the biggest trends to emerge at the 2009 show, giving you advice not just for sofa buying.

One theme which was displayed throughout various pieces was the current hot topic of environmentally friendly products: for example wood sourced from sustainable forests used in designs. This makes sense as impact on the environment is at the forefront of many consumers' minds these days. Manufacturers at the show, such as sofa designer Mollio as well as many others are always keen to show their green credentials as well as their cutting edge designs for this very reason.

In addition to furnishings, the lighting section of the show housed an area dedicated to the best new designs using LED lighting, which again reflects the growth in popularity of energy efficient products. The Lighting Association also hosted a display to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficient lighting at this year's show.

In fact, many of the seminars the show holds, which look ahead to trends for 2010, had an environmental theme. An example is the seminar presented by Puff & Flock, a textiles collective specializing in sustainable and recyclable fabrics.

The show also demonstrated the current trend of interior designers mixing the contemporary with more traditional styles. It was clear from the amount of traditional styles at the show that this trend is set to continue for some time. An example of this was the popularity of the classic Chesterfield style of sofa being featured across a number of designers' displays, for example Tetrad PLC.

The current global financial crisis is at the forefront of consumers' minds at this time and so the interiors industry has adapted to this feeling. This was demonstrated at the show with the popularity of accessories and finishing touches such as rugs. People are less likely to move house in these times and so instead are choosing to restyle their existing home with these items.

The main trend however seems to have been the focus on environmental credentials and with more consumers wanting to know what impact a product will have on the environment, incorporating some designs featuring the latest in low energy, low impact materials is a must for all manufacturers going forward.