In 2024, new eco-friendly ways of recycling metal have made this material one of the main ones. All shades - from cool silver tones to brutal chrome - have become mainstream. Social networks have already named the trend of using steel, aluminum and chrome surfaces as one of the leading ones, and designers are demonstrating utopian projects about the future, where metal becomes the main media.
Aluminium and steel structures have ushered in a new industrial revolution. Avant-garde projects highlight the utilitarian appeal of metal in interiors and its high environmental benefits. During Milan Design Week, Norwegian company Hydro showcased seven designs made from recycled aluminium as part of the Capsule Plaza project. “This is the material we will be using for the next 100 years,” says designer and art director Lars Beller Fjetland. He is confident that a newly developed aluminum alloy made from 100% recycled waste will be a game-changer in the furniture industry. The seven designers created extruded objects to demonstrate the capabilities of Hydro Circal 100R, which is “the world’s first industrial-scale aluminium product made entirely from post-consumer waste.”
The first bench made from fossil-free steel and an aluminum chair designed remotely using virtual reality were among the top all-metal furniture projects to debut in Stockholm during Design Week. In just a few months, one of the biggest design trends of 2024 has become clear to major gallerists and retailers alike.
In their installation, The Mid-Century Journey at Villa Borsani, Supaform Studio creates an image of an office as a laboratory for design experiments, a sacred place for solitude. In an environment of sparkling objects, the designers reflect on what the creative process is. “In essence, the artist’s inner world is a personal office. The objects in the office become embodiments of this inner sanctuary, and the furniture inside it is the fruit of the author’s imagination. The name of the project refers both to artificial intelligence and to the process of creative generation itself. Of course, the office and its creator are the very combination that so accurately imitates artificial intelligence,” explains Maxim Shcherbakov.
Some designers are turning to techniques using aluminum tubes to finally make these secondary details play a major role. Others are so fascinated by the shine of aluminum that they are ready to give new visual properties to leather and textiles, as Atelier Biaggetti does in the Wearable Casa project.
Students from the Swiss design school HEAD Genève created the installation “2084, Diorama of the Future” during Milan Design Week, depicting a dystopian campsite. The project was developed by students from the MA in Interior Architecture (MAIA). This speculative design with an abundance of metal objects was placed in an outbuilding of the Villa Bagatti Valsecchi. The installation included a series of furniture for the “nomad camp”, elements made of sustainable materials and found objects.
Pinterest has declared millennials the biggest fans of the heavy metal trend. The trend doesn’t mean homes have to look like sets from sci-fi movies — metal can be incorporated into existing schemes. Decorators note that metallics add a sense of understated luxury, while matte finishes pair with muted tones, neutral sand shades, and organic fabrics like linen, as well as bright, open colors.
The return of metal and reflective surfaces also marks a departure from the image of a “cocoon” interior. In recent years, homes have been filled with bouclé and textured fabrics to compensate for the lack of tactile impressions during the pandemic. However, with the return to active life, it turned out that metal is more in line with the desire for safety - it becomes a symbolic shield reflecting the complexities of the surrounding world.
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