Színes Ötletek

It's been a few weeks since this year's Ambiente-Christmasworld-Creativeworld tradeshow. Although we published a gallery post immediately afterward, the promised report has not been written until now for various reasons. However, on the one hand, "a promise is a promise...", and on the other, we saw so many beautiful, interesting, and inspiring things in Frankfurt during the time we spent there, that it would be a shame not to mention them, especially now that the experiences we had there have settled down a bit because the lesson of the event was that creativity is truly limitless, and that success depends on the simplest laws.

As a personal digression, I will not deny the fact that Messe Frankfurt and the size of the whole trade fair, the number of exhibitors and visitors, are still difficult for me to process, since, as you read in last year's report, there were 12 pavilions, each the size of a single event, almost all of which had several levels, thousands of companies from literally all over the world, in fact from every field that can be related in any way to home decoration, HoReCa/hospitality and creative hobbies, from leading stationery manufacturers to decorative arts, from global companies producing and distributing cutlery and kitchenware to recycled home decor made from waste. In such an environment, how does the one-time creative hobby blogger who, so to speak, just writes about it all, feel like a factor? It's like wading through a simultaneous tournament of a thousand chess grandmasters, having heard about the Sicilian defense and the fact that Don Corleone does not organize it as a friendly favor.

Of course, I got used to the unimaginable flow of inspiration after a while, and as soon as I did, I was transformed into a child who was amazed by puppet theatre. After all, there are as many exhibitors as there are products, life stories, expertise, motivational packages, and stories. From designer furniture made from scrap wood, unique Christmas decorations, and home accessories made from rubbish thrown away by tourists on a Zanzibar beach, to a reindeer and Santa Claus lighting installation the size of two elephants, aimed at a shopping mall or a public administration rather than a single customer.

As it would be a literally impossible task to give a comprehensive and detailed account, let's take a look at the most memorable impressions!

At the Chako Zanzibar stand, I first encountered the aforementioned home accessories made from recycled waste. It was no coincidence that I was struck by the products on display, as I had seen examples of wine glasses made using a similar principle but in-house at a friend's wedding, and it was a very pleasant surprise to discover that someone was doing this on a professional level. The company is a good example of 'gold from the mud', using wine bottles and drinks bottles collected from beaches and tourist areas to create elegantly tailored lamps, vases, candle holders, and various kitchen accessories, all with restrained minimalism. As I learned from Chako founder Annaloes on the spot, the company places great emphasis on education, and they also employ many women in the immediate area where they operate, which is still not necessarily the norm in Tanzania. It is always good to see such efforts, especially as they were not the only exhibitors focusing on sustainability, as Dutch company Original Home's products included lamps and lampshades made from plastic waste fished out of the ocean - probably needing no further illustration of how much better a scenario this is than ending up as microplastics polluting drinking water or floating garbage islands.

Visitors to the Lübech Living exhibition space were greeted by a similarly inspiring display and world of ideas. The Danish company, run by Susanne Lübech, sells eco-conscious home furnishing products made using a variety of recycling methods: Their raw materials include waste wood, sawdust, waste paper, solar ceramics, recycled glass and plastic, textile waste, but they also use waste paper from their own factory to make their patented Zero Waste Paper, which they use as raw material for vases and flowerpots. The company has been in business for 15 years now, and the beautifully crafted, unpretentious objects on their stand, which show good taste and spirit, and can be interpreted as sustainable craftsmanship, probably not by chance, made me think how far the concept of saving waste, which is often used as an apropos example in our country, can lead if someone takes it seriously, has good ideas and the perseverance to consistently implement a concept. No wonder there were visitors from other stands, with cameras, looking for inspiration that was perhaps a little more detailed than necessary!

But it was just as interesting to see the traditional soaps, made mostly from olive oil and shaped like huge blocks of cheese, at the Savon De Marseille stand, where of course there were also countless other beautifully practical cleaning products, to admire the wind chimes in the Nature's Melody exhibition hall, sometimes in surprising sizes and tuned to different melodies, the amazing range of Gry & Sif, starring felted animal figures of all sizes and varieties, or the 201st anniversary of the founding of the Gry & Sif company this year. Or the pavilion of Portugal’s Vista Alegre, which is celebrating its 201st anniversary in 2025, and where, as last year, porcelain art was embodied in real works of art - and where it was particularly pleasing to see a collection Ritmo, designed by a Hungarian artist, Ágnes Hegedűs, in one of the rooms. So it's not an exaggeration to say that we would have thrown a half-brick anywhere - although I certainly wouldn't have taken the liberty of doing so, especially in buildings displaying kitchen equipment, glassware, and porcelain, I'd probably still be cleaning there as a debt slave years later! - There is no doubt that everywhere you will find more and more eye-catching products, interesting stories that can be told and listened to for hours, and diverse and inspiring motivations. 

When you think about it, what a misfortune that it's physically impossible to reach out to everyone and get them to speak during the event. After all, if we count an average of 5,000 exhibitors, we would still have to conduct 13 to 14 interviews a day even if the fair lasted a whole year, and we would be there taking notes all 365 days of the year, including weekends and holidays, without a day off. I think this short reflection is a good illustration of the magnitude and why the author initially felt hopelessly insignificant in this environment.

Fortunately, Hungary was represented by several exhibitors over the five days of this year's Ambiente-Christmasworld-Creativeworld, most of whom we managed to meet. Seeing the recycled wood furniture of Liviel, based in Gyomaendrőd, I was reminded, wittingly or unwittingly, of James Hetfield's guitar Carl, which was made from the garage door of Metallica's first rehearsal room, with all its stormy, nails-driven into it. The handmade cupboards, beds, shelves, and all kinds of home and kitchen accessories gave a modern, up-to-date, clean, and elegant impression, while the material itself told the story of the pieces' history without words. It was an uplifting feeling to think about all of this, at least much more uplifting than when I barely managed to apologize while picking up the elements of one of the installations, which, after an unfortunate move of mine, had fallen like dominoes, accompanied by an indulgent smile.

It is at least equally interesting and instructive to learn why someone returns to Christmasworld as an exhibitor after 35 years, and how diverse, varying from company to company and individual, the inspirations and motivations behind products that at first glance are not too complicated, such as Christmas tree decorations. After all, there are family businesses that have been operating for decades, such as Pannonia Dekor, which, as a company with a long history in the industry, works with technology that is unique on the market and was even able to survive the fire of their factory to continue doing their job unbroken ever since. And there are fresh businesses, founded a few years ago, such as Glassis, which provide excellent proof of how far someone can go who finds an unfilled market niche, believes in their idea, and does not regret investing some time, energy, enthusiasm, and perseverance in its implementation.

From an editorial perspective, perhaps a bit contradictory, it was also good to see that so many visitors and interested people constantly turned up at the stand of the Hungarian representation of Zebra Pen, which ultimately meant that I didn't have a chance to interview the staff during the fair, even though I would have certainly learned some interesting things about the history of the venerable Japanese parent company, which has been producing special pens since 1897, and its Hungarian implications. At the same time, I see no contradiction in the fact that Pentart, a stable exhibitor at Creativeworld for many years, once again displayed very spectacular, unique installations this year, and not least new materials debuting this year - notably the Pentacolor Wall Decor product line, intended primarily for decorating wall surfaces - at its stand, at the end of the conversation, topics such as the similarities between abstract expressionism and improvisational music in terms of principles and ideas, or how painting, dance, and even various martial arts are actually about the same thing deep down. And of course, the idea expressed by several exhibitors that participating in exhibitions and fairs is an activity that can and should be learned just like anything else was very instructive. After all, we can learn from potential failures and less successful events, and sometimes all it takes is a few small or large changes to increase the number of interested parties, potential customers, and business partners several times over in the following year. One thing is for sure: success, although it depends on the combination of many factors, is never a mere coincidence.

However, these thoughts alone would make a complete article, which you will hopefully be able to read soon here at Colors & Ideas. In the meantime, let us conclude this year's experience report by saying that next year, the home furnishing, design, decoration, and creative industry fair trio will be held in Frankfurt between February 6 and 10, where the audience is expected to encounter at least as many exhibitors, amazing products and interesting stories. If anyone is interested in the above areas in any way, it is definitely worth visiting the event once, as there is a good chance that nowhere else can we get such a large dose of inspiration from so many sources. As for us, we will hopefully be there next year to experience all of this again.

The on-site report would not have been possible without the help of the Messe Frankfurt and BD-Expo teams, to whom we would like to thank them for everything.

For more information on Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld, please visit the social media platforms of the events, or the websites of Messe Frankfurt and BD-Expo.

A beszámoló magyar nyelvű változatát itt olvashatod! 

The photos were taken by the author.