Ambiente 2003, Frankfurt am Main

Trend Report "Dining Culture" from the Consumer Goods Fair

A trend as immense as this one is rarely seen: existing products are combined into new arrangements, product lines or realms of experience. The innovation is in the combination of the existing. It’s a trend that banks on security and leaves risky business to others. This not only applies to the manufacturers but also to consumers: Now, new acquisitions can be combined with what is already there without having to fear a break in style. For example, a single new acquisition can update the entire collected and perhaps somewhat dusty assortment. This is a concept that accommodates cautious consumers - and an attempt at bringing them out of their shells.

Complementary: the trend of creating an individual product world for every time of the day. However, most of these products are not really new but have simply been recompiled. Typically, basic Asian forms of kitchen- and tableware that are translated to accommodate European foods serve as a reference. Traditional, simple soup bowls, for example, are covered with a small plate and integrated into the formal language and colours of the Mediterranean country home.

When it comes to coloration, this trend can be observed: the colours and décor of the fifties are posh again. Yellow, red, green and blue stripes can be found on glasses and plates. They match rippled or engraved glass with a form that slightly tapers outward towards the top especially well - a fallback to the product language of the fifties. The return of plastic materials occurs simultaneously. And yet, they no longer seem old: the new plastics now decorate the more sophisticated dining table where once only stainless steel, ceramics and porcelain could be found. Now, new plastic products create striking accents and hold their own alongside the traditional materials and tableware.

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