Habitat Valencia Forward 2007: Designers and businesses go for "Open House" at Domus 07

The pieces of furniture created this year reflect the rapid social changes that are taking place and the way in which life is lived in the home. The Domus Mediterránea project is promoted by the Spanish Furniture Manufacturers and Businesses Federation, FEDERMUEBLE. Now in in its fifth year, it is pursuing the concept of the "open house" as a connecting theme running through the pieces of furniture that will see the light of day thanks to the joint efforts of designers and businesses.

The slogan has emerged from various studies and reflections on how life is lived and what a house means today.  Some of the issues that are changing the concept of the home and opening it up to new demands are decorative trends such as putting contemporary and old furniture together, and using eclectic objects and furniture.  Other factors include reduced space in the home, the melting pot of cultures and their influence on the home and the various types of family and their different circumstances.

Domus 07 is being financed by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade through the General Directorate for Policy on SME´s and is being supported by Caja Mediterráneo (CAM) and Feria Valencia through the Habitat Valencia Forward trade fair. Its aim is to develop design as an instrument for innovation and for driving the Spanish furniture industry forward to be able to compete in foreign marketplaces from a position of offering added value.

The companies taking part in Domus this year come from 10 of Spain´s Autonomous Regions, most significantly the Comunidad Valenciana, Andalusia and Castilla y León. Other regions represented are Castilla-La Mancha, the Basque Country, Rioja, murcia, Extremadura and Aragon. The designers taking part in this fifth Domus Mediterránea are from the Comunidad Valenciana, Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha and the Basque Country. Some (viz Borja García, ErreQerre, Herme Ciscar & Mónica García, Lledo & Campos and Odosdesing) have been involved in Domus in earlier years, which gives an indication of how well established the event is becoming in the industry.

The rapid social changes that are taking place, the way they are influencing how life is lived in the home and the different way that the traditional spaces in the home are currently viewed are conspiring to create a new living environment that furniture manufacturers are having to respond to. Against his backdrop of change Domus Mediterránea 07 is facilitating the connection between trends and practical development, design and production.  It is this connection that produces pieces of furniture and decorative items that are in tune with the new lifestyles, such as those that will be on show at the next Habitat Valencia Forward from 24th to 29th September.

The results of the four Domus Mediterráneas held so far make it abundantly clear that the formula is a success: 250 of the manufacturers that have taken part to date have incorporated design into the products in their portfolios as a matter of corporate strategy. Equally, more than 50% are now marketing the products they showed at Domus, have added them to their catalogues and advertising and have managed to sell them in other markets.

Domus has also been a way in for many new designers to enter the job market, either going to work for an exhibitor, setting up their own design studio or making their company stronger by specialising in products for the home.