Interior Design Blog

Ambiente features over 4,300 contributors, pulling together all international furniture, kitchen and accessories designers. There are many categories, including 'Designer of the Year' and 'Kitchen Innovation', as well as many more interesting and quirky awards to strive for.

Dedicated to the exposure of the freshest faces 'Talent' places emphasis on established interior design. For the 'Talent' exhibition Ambiente reserves 35 exhibition stands for newcomers to use free of charge. The criteria they are looking for are sincere, everlasting, sensitive and original pieces. These phrases embody the buzz words of current trends authenticity, durability, progressiveness and craftsmanship. The 'Talent' exhibition is the perfect place for a breath of fresh air. The picture above shows the stark difference between each designer. 'Is bubbly and bold the next 'it' thing?' their expression reveals... probably not.

The thing I like about Ambiente is that you are not just tied down to cultural expectations. The ideologies of a western norm dissipate as there are specialist categories for international designers. Unique stands such as 'Authentic Afrika' and 'Japan Style' bring sustainable, traditional and diverse creations from all over the globe. It is great to see the individuality of another country shine.

My favourite of the awards is 'Plagiarius', an award that shames the imitations and fake creations. The award is used to promote the effects of counterfeiting on small and independent companies. Merit goes to those who blatantly go for the prize of being a design pirate. The results, as the awards name suggests, can be really humorous, where the best plagiarised entry is awarded the golden gnome. The gnome approves toilet hand-dryers, it seems, seeing these replicas as so 90s.

Ambiente will be taking place at Frankfurter Messegelände, Germany, from 12 to 16 February 2010.