HBL Tradeshows: Live from Paralela Gift

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Paralela Gift 2011

The WGSN-homebuildlife team reports live from the first 2011 edition of the bi-annual Paralela Gift show in São Paulo, Brazil with the three key trends to emerge from the event:

The prestige of local artists

Mixing design with traditional forms of art, like painting and sculpture, and with the Brazilian popular art of needlework and craftwork is a strong trend that it is easily noticed in all exhibitors. Stationery, domestic utilities and clothing get new illustrations and other forms of intervention from Brazilian artists.

Wood and its imitations

Wood continues to be one of the most used materials in Brazilian furnishings and decoration objects - but now, concerned about the environment, its substitutes start to appear. A mixture of glue and cardboard gives birth to furnishings that make us think they are made of wood. And the exhibitors who still use wood emphasise the fact that it is a certificate material, working the luxury of this raw material in pieces with many textures and different types.

Cute vintage

Porcelain, stationery and decorative lights are adorned with vintage prints and girlie touches, along with a pastel colour pallette, polka dots and animals including rabbits, enchanted frogs and swans. The cuteness and  reassurance of the feminine universe are still strong trends.