Houses of the future: Sustainable living, bamboo cutlery, and no holes on the walls

FRANKFURT: The world over, houses are becoming smaller than what they used to be. Shrinking spaces have consequently put a high premium on rentals. As societies change, fuelled by globalisation, home living trends, too, have been forced to think differently.

And adapting means that the available landscape has to be used intelligently, and intuitively. For many wanting to rent homes in cities - whether Mumbai or Manhattan - storage remains a crucial issue. Drilling on walls is something that most Homeowners look down upon, and many have even included that as part of the rent agreements.

German homemade brand Kommod seems to have got the perfect answer to all renting woes faced by tenants. A lean-in device created by the newbie player has come up with a multi-purpose stand, called the Lendra Ladder. Spartan to look at, minus all trappings, and almost Nordic, this 220 euro piece can pass off as an object of utility in the kitchen, and one that adds decor value if you were to place it in the corner of the room. (https://www.kommod.de/lendra-ladder-ash)



And marrying utility with aesthetics emerged as the predominant theme at the Ambiente 2018, Europe's mega exposition of living, dining and gifting items held at the Frankfurt Messe in Frankfurt. While indigenous German brand Kommod makes use of oak and wood ash from the Bavarian forests, French firm Ekobo goes a step further in creating home and kitchen items using bamboo sourced from the sawdust of the chopstick factory. A no-varnish, no-PVC policy means that its products are good to be brought to the table.



Sustainable, though, was not the only buzzword at the Ambiente fair. Reusing scrap and resurrecting it for urban homes in a fashionable manner also had its moment. The Scrap Life Project, relies on upcycling to create fashionable stools, that could be used in any part of the house. While the stands are made of stainless steel, and are screwed to the form, the seats are made of leftovers sourced from manufacturing units dealing in cars and other auto parts. It takes around six minutes to create a stool that roughly costs around 200 euros, and comes with a guarantee of 475 (yes that's the number!) years.



And it was not just European labels that were upping the innovation game. Two Asian names, 100 Per Cent Inc, and Tidy, also created solutions that were put on the box for home living. Set up by two brothers 12 years ago, 100 PC Inc looks at material innovation using stone grass, in sync with the Japanese philosophy of simplistic living. The result: stunning sun dials.

The takeaway from the Ambiente 2018 was very clear. As technology sweeps in and democratises lifestyle, the trend of the future lies in sustainable living that involves giving back to the environment. And believing in less, and its innate beauty.

(The writer was in Frankfurt at the invitation of the Messe Frankfurt Council to attend the Ambiente 2018 expo)