Interview trendwatcher Milou Ket By C-More
interior trends | Part 2
Interview with Milou Ket
Trendwatcher for Interior and Fashion
Prefer to read the interview in Dutch?
Milou Ket is trendwatcher specialized in the field of fashion, colour, interior and innovation. She works from her studio in Purmerend, close to Amsterdam, for large international customers. The trendoffice publishes a few times a year trend books. Milou also gives seminars and presentations and does consultancy for international companies on trends. The agency has, besides itās general website, also since a short time an inspiration website: MilouKet.tv
I have interviewed her a few weeks ago about her work and the emerging trends that she has noticed.
In this part we continue to focus on the trend books and the trends.
In between the interview youāll see some very exclusive Trend presentations for Interiors 2014-2015 by Milou Ket.
These images have copyright, but they may be shared by mentioning āMilou Ketā and a link to this interview.
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| Grading of Colour | Trend Mood Board interior 2014/2015 | Ā© Milou Ket |
Milou shows me some of her trend books.
Browsing through the book, she explains what there is to see, what the trends are and what the underlying principles are. She shows how the book is composed, with the mood boards, materials and the color cards.
The outside, behind the cover, matches always the contents as to the colors. That is something that I specifically choose. It is followed by an introduction, the explanation of the themes in several pages and then the trends themselves.
Now with the crisis you see a tendency to a romantic atmosphere, with neutral colors and sobriety. The combination of opposing items such as old and new, hard and soft, industrial opposed to āsoulā. This contrast evokes a certain tension, and that is what we want right now. Do-it-yourself, emotional values opposed to new and smooth. I have called this direction “Opposites Attract”. *See mood board beyond.
Furthermore there is a romantic theme: “Sweet and Sour”, with somewhat faded neon colours and a lot of graphic prints. *See mood board later onā The theme “Eccentric and Nomadic” shows especially ethnic elements. Then there is still a theme with lots of dark colours, baroque and crystal. *See mood board beyond.
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Natural Mix | Trend Mood Board Interior 2014/2015 | Ā© Milou Ket
I translate the colours into compatible Pantone colours.
I make and print the colour card myself, make different colour combinations with materials and prints and surface effects. I pay a lot of attention to the colour cards, so they are really perfect and use in my mood boards real sample materials such as for instance hides, fabrics and special paper for the textures.
The book is meant for target groups with different atmospheres and styles.
Many of my customers work with fabrics, but it is also suitable for a customer like Sony Ericsson.
Click here + read beyond for more inspiration and a sneak preview for the Interior Trends for 2014/2015!
Continuing browsing:
I look at trend images with feathers, glass bells, nests, shades of beige, bamboo, paper, light wood, Zen influences, recycled wood, felt, special materials, stone veneer, degraded materials: very inspiring.
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| African Influences | Trend Mood Board Interior 2014/2015 | Ā© Milou Ket |
I can imagine that you observe certain trends, that donāt appeal to you at all. How do you deal with that?
I am not that much of a romantic person, but I am able to explain it to a customer. I have learned to do so, especially through my work for Hema: I want to make it as beautiful as possible, because in the production process with the manufacturer often things get lost. They are for instance not able to reach that perfect colour, so it is important to me to find the most beautiful variation. I try to give the utmost, and can go far. Such as the large trend āPunkā, with prints of skulls: then I look for an acceptable ātranslationā, the esthetic side. I translate that for instance into a theme with fringes.
Mieke de Bock (of de Bock & Dekker), a previous colleague, has successfully explained that: something is culture attacking or culture confirming.
In this case āpunkā is culture attacking. I try to find then the middle of the road. There has been a large Punk and Couture exhibition in New York recently. These ideas are adapted. I try to translate that too into something more acceptable.
Sometimes it is difficult to judge your own preferences with objectivity, therefor I do my āhomeworkā very thoroughly, so it is not my personal opinion.
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| Soft + Colourful | Trend Mood Board Interior 2014/2015 | Ā© Milou Ket |
Continueing browsing through the book:
In the interior fluo colours applied to large fields are a bit too much, but they are very suitable for accessories and for smaller areas. The new fluo is even somewhat faded. Besides that grading of colour is going to be very important in the interior. The nice thing about the colour cards in this book is that they can be taken out.
Is fashion or interior more forward as to trends?
In the past, interior used to run behind fashion, but I know that at present professionals from fashion find their inspiration in interiors and design. Fashion people are more sensitive to colour, the interior is following that often in a later stage.
I see in interiors also more and more the change of seasons like in fashion. What is your experience?
Yes, thatās right. In the interior world it is more the change from summer into winter. In the spring it itches and you want to change your interior. You can easily adapt the colours, shapes and materials in your interior with covers and accessories. That is very well possible, when the basics are timeless. You are not going to renew the items like a sofa, but special tableware for outside is a good idea, also because outside/inside has become an important trend.
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| Multicolour | Trend Mood Board Interior 2014/2015 | Ā© Milou Ket |
Further explaining about the trend book:
In the book I have also shown some colors together in a tone-in-tone manner, so all pinks and reds together, the shades of blues, and all shades of greens etc. etc. The colors are shown with the trend themes, but also separately, in the back of the book on a colour card with all these colors together. The customers compose their own collections with these ideas.
Besides that I make a color box with yarns and a color booklet. It looks like a kind of candy box with an illustrated excerpt with the themes from the large interior book. That is sold separately.
Trend watching is collecting a lot, you save really a lot of information, imagery and materials. Youāre building a huge archive, also digitally of course.
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| Water Colours | Trend Mood Board| INNOVATION Lab #2 | Ā© Milou Ket |
I also publish a book on Innovation. The last version is made 8 years ago, and at that time I was speaking already about 3-D prototyping and printing, Ledās and the use of bamboo. The book is still very up to date. It has been bought recently by the hospitality branch and by Ikea. I have given a lecture shortly ago about design hotels in Asia, and in China there are very interested in these developments.
In the book modern materials have been the starting point, a transparent color card that represents shine very well, gels, neoprene, perspex, colors that adapt to the situation, such as a car that changes into a red color when you brake. A lot of these items are now going to be quite accepted.
In what way do you distinguish yourself from other trend agencies?
Especially because of my commercial background, to design within the boundaries of my client, and to advise with selling as a final goal. I work from my head and from my heart, cq intuition, and can combine the two of them quite well. And of course with 40 years of experience.
To translate a trend into a salable product, that is what I am good in.
To keep the essence of the design in mind. I can do both, working for very high end customers, for instance with expensive fabrics, but also working for mass production, for instance for Hema.
I compare it sometimes with a little bird in a cage: the more requirements there are and the more limitations you have, plus the more you know from your customer, the more you have to do your utmost to keep on singing in the most beautiful way!
That is different for a designer. I am a stylist, more of chameleon and have a more professional distance. For that reason I never say āI thinkā, but try to explain with arguments, more describing, why a certain idea does not work. It is always structured criticism and not personal.
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| Website MILOUKET.TV | Ā© Milou Ket |
On your site Milou Ket.TV you are presenting a large amount of inspiration. What is the purpose of this site?
It is meant to bring my information also digitally across. In that way I can reach a larger amount of interested people worldwide, by offering a subscription and downloads with information.
How is the imagery created?
I visit about 15 different fairs and design events a year. Besides that, I travel a lot and see shops in the whole world. The most imagery I photograph myself. I enjoy that a lot, and it is for me a mental memory support. In that way I keep in mind what I have seen.
Do you have a special quote or image that inspires you and why?
No, not really, but I am primarily interested in the design of the world around me. I enjoy new impressions, look for new ideas and things that are different from the well-known. My interest is broad, because I have been able to delve into many different products, materials, techniques, target groups and techniques. I have of course a few personal preferences, for instance color, light and transparency. For my website I focus especially on architecture, design, fashion, prints and fabrics, window displays and images from my trips and travels.
Does that change often?
That is for me a very self-evident and natural process, which changes with time. When I have seen something too often, it loses for me the fascination and I will be looking for something new.
Will you still give a sneak preview for the readers of my blog? What are the most important trends at the moment, and what can we expect in the near future?
What is currently important is combining old and new, to recyle, the pleasure of the repair of products that one is attached to. Homeliness. And the interest in natural materials and nature in general. To bring nature inside.
For the coming time I expect a lot of digital prints, but also new materials, such as the ones with an iridescent effect. Interest in romanticism, transparency and products that are ultra-lightweight. And new technical developments for yarns.
Specifically for interiors, what do you expect there for large developments?
Definitely more color in the interior, by means of the application of accessories and textiles. Graphical and geometric weaves and prints with more color, plus black and white. New possibilities by 3-D printing. Besides streamlined shapes there will be attention for very angular shapes, like a kind of origami or facets. Fascination for the process, the production method. Interest in eccentric and historic images and influences. Botanical ideas and interest in images with animals. Metallics, including copper. New applications with a kind of stone veneer.
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| Rich Magenta | Trend Mood Board Interior 2014/2015 | Ā© Milou Ket |
And what are the tendencies on a larger scale, world wide?
I hope and expect that there will be more interest in āthe Blue Economyā, as described in the book with the same title by Gunter Pauli. Low-tech and bio-based solutions, where we make use of physical principles and those from biology. Especially applications of materials from renewable sources, like for instance bamboo, paper, algue, seaweed, coffee grounds etc.
Now again back to the proceedings of your agency.
Where or for whom or for which company would you like to do a trend research?
I do not really have a preconceived plan, I just let it happen. I present myself at trade fairs, and often have interesting encounters there. When I have the feeling the assignment fits me, then I accept it. At the other hand I refuse an assignment when I take a too large financial risk because of a too large assignment, when I donāt have sufficient grip upon it. But in principal, I am open to all kinds of challenges, like I did recently when I had to indulge in Asian Luxury Hospitality Projects for a conference in Singapore. I would enjoy doing a trend research for a car brand.
And with whom would you like to cooperate?
With an architect.
Where can we encounter you in the future?
During one of my lectures at international trade fairs.
Thank you Milou Ket, for this inspiring and informative interview. And also thanks for the beautiful images.
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Copyright all material trend collages
Ā© Milou Ket
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Thx so much! Iris
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