Interview with Barbara Busse 

How do you manage to identify long‑term developments in design, lifestyle and interior in a world full of short‑lived trends?

Long‑term shifts are easy to overlook when the momentary omnipresence of short‑lived trends takes up so much space. Long‑term developments are not always entirely new topics. Anyone who thinks too quickly, “I’ve seen this before, so it can’t be a new trend,” is mistaken. Long‑term developments reflect deep‑rooted consumer trends – and this is exactly where our work begins. It’s about states of mind, needs and broader contexts, not about a single colour. The move away from the “artificial and industrial” towards the “natural” has become evident in recent years, for example in the steady decline of clean white and the rise of warm whites and beige tones, as well as the shift from black to grey. We observe such changes with a lead time of around five years – a solid horizon for material and product development.

Which current or upcoming trend excites you the most — and why are you particularly looking forward to its development?

I’m fascinated by retro‑futurism with its 1980s nostalgia – a synthesis of Eighties culture and science fiction. As a child of that era, the colours and shapes of the time feel comforting to me. They come from a phase in which we GenX grew up with a great sense of freedom – somewhere between BMX bikes and gumball machines. In addition, the revival of old colours, brands and forms is fuelling the market for second‑hand furniture. That benefits the environment and reflects the growing meaning economy.

The topic of haptics has been an important factor in the furniture industry for years. How do you assess the trend towards deeper, more distinctive surface textures – and what role will tactile experience play in the future perception of premium quality?

The kitchen and interior industry has reached a level of perfection in surface quality that is almost impossible to surpass. Matte has long become the new normal – from the hob to all quality segments and markets. Conversations with other experts, as well as current studies from 2025, indicate that haptic surface experiences are once again in demand as a premium feature. We underestimate how important our haptic sensory perception is in everyday life – and how little this need has been addressed so far. That’s why tactile experiences will become even more important in the future, and hyper‑tactile surfaces will increasingly play a role in the market.

Since 2023, our highest‑quality range has been called Feelings, with haptics at its core – a signal of quality and longevity. Does this align with your view of what customers expect from furniture today and in the future?

“‘Customers’ as a homogeneous group will no longer exist in the future. Even today, the differences between generations are enormous. While the financially strong Boomers appreciate traditional values and sales channels and understand quality as a promise of durability and long life, quality for Generation Z also includes what you cannot see: fair production using raw materials from certified sustainable forestry, freedom from harmful substances and longevity to conserve resources. In fact, young people invest in products they view as assets, keeping an eye on their resale value. This so‑called ‘asset‑based consumption’ leads them to consider whether their piece of furniture will become tomorrow’s bulky waste – or whether it will remain meaningful, flexible to use and suitable for resale. They understand that their livelihood is at risk and, in line with the necessary ‘deconsumption’, want to buy less but better. For the kitchen, this means more modules instead of fixed installations.”

What role will the individualisation of furniture and surfaces play in the coming years? Will the desire for uniqueness continue to grow?

Definitely yes. Individualisation is one of the fastest‑advancing shifts in the market, driven by direct‑to‑consumer models and social media. When it comes to surfaces, this doesn’t mean that every customer wants to specify an exact colour value for every piece of furniture. However, individualisation is becoming increasingly important in terms of dimensions and functions – especially as living space per capita continues to shrink and affordable products from China become more widespread. This allows people to use their spaces in a meaningful and efficient way.

Is there a trend you would consider a true game‑changer for the furniture industry – something that completely redefines the rules?

Two things will be decisive: First: There will increasingly be AI systems that take over many tasks for the customers of tomorrow. This includes, for example, matching colour values within a project, calculating prices, planning requirements or presenting variants. For interior designers and private builders, AI will deliver substantial support – from visualisation to sourcing. The same applies to volumes and individual structural solutions. The smartphone scans the living space – and the AI plans. We are talking about functions that already exist in today’s iPhones and the capabilities of current AI assistants, which are still mainly used by early adopters but will soon reach the mass market. Second: The seamless availability of sustainability information within these systems. Since the AI makes a pre‑selection, sustainable customers or users who must comply with tender specifications will be able to ensure that required standards are met. Private individuals can also use AI to make sure their personal sustainability criteria are fulfilled. Providers and suppliers who do not offer interfaces and transparent information will fall through the cracks. They will therefore have an obligation to communicate their circularity and emissions‑free production in order to remain competitive.

If you’d like to gain deeper insight into the perspective of practitioners, you can read the ‘Carpenter to Carpenter’ interview here.