Hannover. DOMOTEX 2018 (12–15 January) opens tomorrow with lots of tailwind and a fresher and more innovative look and feel than ever. Thanks to the show's revamped site and hall layout for optimal orientation and navigation, "UNIQUE YOUNIVERSE" as a keynote theme putting the focus squarely on today's hot individualization trend, and an immersive and interactive array of displays for maximum inspiration, the 30th staging of DOMOTEX is set to be its most vibrant and engaging to date. "DOMOTEX is putting a new spin on how we look at floor coverings. Attendees can discover the very latest trends and innovations in a more direct and experiential way than ever, thanks to a host of appealing showcases put together by exhibiting firms, artists and up-and-coming young designers. They can also pick up lots of valuable insight and know-how thanks to an attractive series of guided tours, lectures and workshops," remarked Dr. Andreas Gruchow as the member of Deutsche Messe's Managing Board responsible for DOMOTEX. "Visitors can look forward to an absolute feast of new ideas in interior design and lifestyle," he added. Another important change is that the run of the show has been moved forward by a day and is now Friday–Monday instead of Saturday–Tuesday.

The changes to the DOMOTEX format have been well received by the market. 1,615 companies from more than 60 nations are coming to Hannover to showcase the future of retail, industrial production and craftsmanship in carpets and flooring. "That's the biggest exhibitor turnout in the history of DOMOTEX," explained Gruchow. "What's more, over 85% of the exhibitors are from abroad. The show is has also topped all expectations with regard to booked space. In fact, this is the first time DOMOTEX has ever filled as much as 106,000 square meters." Apart from Germany, the biggest exhibiting nations at this year's DOMOTEX are Turkey, India, Belgium and China, followed by the Netherlands, Iran, Italy, Egypt and the USA.

UNIQUE YOUNIVERSE – wall-to-wall individualization

At DOMOTEX, visitors from the flooring wholesale and retail trades will find the world's biggest range of floor coverings all at one convenient location. Everything they see on the showgrounds will relate in some way to the keynote theme of UNIQUE YOUNIVERSE. With its focus on the trend towards individualized products and services, the keynote theme is the common denominator throughout the show's display categories spanning everything from hand-made and machine-made carpets and textile and resilient floor coverings, to parquet, laminate and wood flooring, luxury vinyl tiles, application and installation systems and outdoor flooring. DOMOTEX will reveal how products and services can best be tailored to customer needs and lifestyles, and what this sweeping trend means for the industry. A prime example of this is the new carpet tile collection by DOMOTEX newcomer yogo design of Nicosia, Cyprus. With its myriad designs, the collection opens up virtually endless creative possibilities for customers. The tiles can be used to transform not just floors, but walls as well. Visitors will also discover new carpet tile systems that are ultra-easy to install and result in more homogeneous, broadloom-like floor surfaces. One such innovation is the "LockTiles" system by Fletco, in which the tiles interlock like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The rugs by nomad, on the other hand, are an alluring fusion of different worlds. Made from recycled plastic from India and traditional wool from New Zealand, each rug is a custom creation and represents the ultimate in hand craftsmanship. There is also a lot happening in the LVT space, with geometric patterns and textural and mosaic interpretations adding further layers of creative choice alongside more conventional wood and stone looks. The reprised "Expona Domestic" collection by Objectflor is a perfect example of this.

"Framing Trends": Immersive showcase of creative ideas in Hall 9

The keynote theme finds concentrated expression in Hall 9, the new heart of DOMOTEX. Hall 9 houses the special "Framing Trends" display, which comprises 20 display spaces grouped into four zones. These spaces are "frames" in which manufacturers, artists and up-and-coming young designers will stage amazing ideas and designs. In the "Flooring Spaces" zone, companies from the floor coverings industry will stage extraordinary product showcases that explore and illustrate the individualization trend. Among them will be a futuristic installation created for floor coverings manufacturer Classen by designer Konstantin Landuris. It presents the designer's vision of a living space from the future, complete with sleeping tube, water basin and greenwall. The entire room – including walls – is decked out in marble-look LVT flooring. The flooring was created by Classen using an innovative process in which individualized, customer-designed decorative finishes are digitally printed onto floor coverings. The highlights also include the "Urban Jungle" installation by Tisca, which uses a range of materials, carpets and outdoor textiles – all interspersed in individualized combinations with earthy and green tones – to transform rooms into natural living spaces. Then there's the exquisitely creative carpetscape by Turkish company Stefany Hali Tekstil, which draws visitors in on a journey of self-discovery. Stefany's installation looks like a catwalk – a sumptuous fusion of interior design and haute couture. Visitors to the installation will experience first-had how great design can make them feel like a star.

Next-door, exhibitors will partner with interior designers to craft inspiring spaces and lifestyle realms in the "Living Spaces" zone. The big visitor magnets there include "Endless Uniqueness" – a walk-through kaleidoscope exhibition involving a multiplicity of mirrors and textile surfaces. As they walk through, visitors can change and rearrange the various materials on display to create their own unique universe. As part of this installation, 50 creatives, including Germany's 10 best interior designers, have each built their own personal interpretation of the UNIQUE YOUNIVERSE keynote theme in the form of their favorite everyday items and flooring staged inside an open mirror box.

The third zone is called "NuThinkers". It is a place of experimental and visionary designs by daring students and budding young designers tasked with reinventing the world of flooring. The exciting new ideas there include a new kind of floor heating system inspired by reptilian thermoregulation, a new type of tactile floor guidance system for the blind and vision-impaired, and a virtual reality software that uses body movement to create individualized spaces in real-time. And then there's the "Art & Interaction" zone – an immersive, multi-sensory exploration of the keynote theme from an artistic and creative design perspective. The mesmerizing spaces there include "Meanwhile in the Universe" –an installation in which visitors can open a window to catch their own personal glimpse of the infinite in the form of a NASA live feed from space.

There will also be inspiration aplenty at the Art Day-Workshops that Canadian design firm Creative Matters will be running at the "Framing Trends" showcase. Workshop participants will be able to experiment on paper with pastels, charcoal, ink and wax to create their own fresh new designs inspired by the UNIQUE YOUNIVERSE keynote theme. Visitors will likewise have the opportunity to devise future flooring scenarios at the "floorCODES WorkLabs" run by the International Trendscouting Institute (IIT) of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hildesheim.

Attractive supporting program

To add to the inspiration on offer, the show will feature a captivating program of speaking events – the DOMOTEX Talks – devoted to the UNIQUE YOUNIVERSE keynote theme. The speaker lineup includes internationally renowned architects and designers, such as Jürgen Mayer H., (J.MAYER.H, Berlin), Andreas Krawczyk (NKBAK, Frankfurt/Main), Chris Middleton (KINZO, Berlin) and Werner Aisslinger (Studio Aisslinger, Berlin), plus various new and emerging names in the design world. World-famous American interior design blogger and interior stylist Holly Becker will be giving a talk on the first day of the show in which she will share her views on the latest exciting and creative new developments in interior design. She will also participate in a discussion with other bloggers on future trends in interior design. The supporting program also includes daily Guided Tours led by big-name international architects and designers.

The presentation of the Carpet Design Awards on the Saturday of DOMOTEX is another Hall 9 highlight. The internationally coveted awards honor the world's best new designer carpets in eight categories. The 24 carpets shortlisted for the award will be on display in Hall 9 for the duration of DOMOTEX. Hall 9 will also have a key focus on the exciting promise of virtual reality as an interior design tool that streamlines planning and opens up a whole world of new possibilities. DOMOTEX will also feature an extensive and practically oriented exhibition and speaking program for parquet installers, floor layers, interior furnishers and painters.