Ambiente Trends 26+ charts design directions for 2026

The trend showcase curated by Stilbüro bora.herke.palmisano at Ambiente 2026 in Frankfurt, outlines three style worlds

03 Oct 2025

At Ambiente 2026, 6 –10 February, Frankfurt, the trend area in the foyer of Hall 4.1 will bring to life Ambiente Trends 26+, anchored around three distinct style worlds: brave, light and solid. These are framed through the meta-themes of Dreams, Facts, Stories, giving coherence to otherwise contrasting aesthetics. The trio responds to a central question: How do we want to live, work and dwell in these times? Each style world offers a different lens on materials, forms, colours and narratives, aiming not just for visual appeal but for meaningful impact in changing times.

Ambiente’s Trend Area has long served as a directional guide for the consumer goods sector, offering cues and confidence to buyers, designers and retailers. The trends, curated by Stilbüro bora.herke.palmisano, distil signals from fashion, lifestyle, art and design into three accessible worlds, each offering inspiration and commercial potential. As Annetta Palmisano observes, “The new trends unite optimism with creative enthusiasm. They demonstrate how design can become a tool for positive change.”

With transparency, ethereal colours and seemingly weightless designs, light embodies clarity and a new, subtle sensuality. Graphic: Messe Frankfurt

DREAMS, FACTS, STORIES: THE NARRATIVE FRAMEWORK

The overarching themes of Dreams, Facts, Stories weave through all three trend worlds. Dreamlike encourages imaginative and whimsical settings. Timeless anchors the familiar and enduring in new interpretations. Curated emphasises the art of deliberate composition, allowing individual objects to interact in harmony.

This narrative trinity gives designers and brands a guiding structure, bridging expressive vision with functional coherence.

BRAVE: BOLD, EXPRESSIVE, IMAGINATIVE

The brave style world is about experimentation and audacity. Here, contrasting materials and techniques collide — think craftsmanship meeting digital innovation, retro references fusing with futuristic notes. Design will favour expressive shapes, vibrant palettes and narrative motifs such as florals or animals. The aim is to balance beauty and utility, to make statements that stimulate curiosity and conversation.

Solid brings together clear forms, lasting materials and considered design to shape timeless living environments. Graphic: Messe Frankfurt

LIGHT: AIRY, ETHEREAL, VISIONARY

In light, weightlessness and clarity take centre stage. Transparency, flowing fabrics and subtly dynamic forms shape environments that feel poetic and serene.

Pastel tones, silvery sheens and shimmering surfaces bring in a sense of delicate sensuality. Light is about reframing everyday living into something visionary. A space that both calms and inspires.

SOLID: ENDURING, TIMELESS, VERSATILE

The solid world speaks to a longing for durability and substance. Clean lines, modular systems and materials built to last form the backbone of this aesthetic.

But it is not static: even here, innovation finds its place through geometric structures, recycled or unconventional materials, and fresh juxtapositions. The emphasis is on merging functionality with confident quality and sustainable sensibility.