Trend: Hybrids

Communication and the media through which it is conveyed increasingly dominate every-day social life. New forms of communicating and sharing, like the millions of short messages sent via wireless phones – totally unknown a few years ago – have transformed society into a communication society. The new trend, which has now caught on in the furniture industry, complies with this development: the creation of hybrids.

Hybrids are the simple combination of furniture and media. Several product genres thus merge into a whole. The phone was combined with the camera some time ago; now, phones are being equipped with video and audio functions, turning them into hybrid multimedia terminals. This trend was picked up in the furniture industry and used for innovations. A new product category has emerged.

Media technology, communication technology and lighting are integrated into sofas, armchairs and beds. The primary goal is not the enhancement of comfort, as was the case during the '70s. Instead, new combinations of perception arise, new rooms for enjoying audio and video are created and new media spheres are established in the home.

You can find the images for the trend gallery "Hybrids" here.