How often have you encountered expressions such as “modern style”, “modern paints”, and “modern interiors”? Many, many times...
But what does “modern” actually mean?
Understanding this concept is key to recognising its defining characteristics in different contexts: from design to architecture, lifestyle to food, and from well-being to fashion.
“Modern” refers to styles/behaviour that represent something “new”, also through reinterpretation of ideas that existed years ago. Modern style can therefore be differentiated from classic style inspired by the past, embracing typical themes of the present. In terms of design and furnishings, however, the present includes everything achieved from the last century onwards.
Modernity represents the fuel driving creativity towards expression at the highest levels. The spasmodic search for new and modern concepts and objects, particularly in certain sectors, runs well ahead of the times, which still have to catch up.
A perfect example of this is in the world of architecture and design, where the ideas and trends of the following year are presented the year before.
The Salone del Mobile furniture and furnishings fair in Milan is certainly the leading international spotlight predicting and influencing the main trends in interiors and design.

New interior painting techniques: the 2020 trends from Salone del Mobile
This international event has long been a melting pot of experimentation and contamination, a chance for sharing and generating new opportunities to reflect on the world of design.
The 2019 edition of Salone del Mobile presented the key trends that will be the focus of architects, interior designers and enthusiasts around the world throughout 2020.
In the segment of decorative paints for interiors, in addition to new colours and the various shades on offer that are of great interest for design purposes, 2020 trends also focus on the surfaces and materials employed.
Here are the most interesting developments in the interior paint sector:

1) Velvet-effect wall paint
One of the most interesting aspects is the revival of velvet.
This was hugely on trend a few years ago before gradually losing favour, but today it is strongly back in vogue, both as a material to complement furnishings as a modern paint for vertical partitions of spaces.
In addition to soft furnishings and furniture, therefore, partitions, niches and walls become soft and velveted. The goal is to create elegant yet cosy surfaces that define exclusive environments, warm refuges from the confusion and turmoil of our cities.

The modern interpretation of velvet can be represented using a modern wall paint such as Valrenna by VALPAINT.
Valrenna is a modern interior paint that:
• thanks to its special composition, gives decorated surfaces sensationally soft and delicate tactile effects, just like velvet;
• with its delicate and elegant look, fully confers the above concept of the modern during design of an interior space;
• offers a great variety of shades, freeing the designer from traditional wall colours andguiding them towards more aggressive and eccentric colour solutions.

Would you like to learn more about the world of fabric-effect wall paints? Read “Fabric-Effect wall paint: all the features of POLISTOF”.
In addition to velvet-finishes, the 2019 Salone del Mobile event saw public attention being drawn to other materials that had been abandoned for some years now. These include Vienna straw and metals, in the form of gold, brass and copper.

2) Special interior paints: three-dimensional decorative effects

The Salone del Mobile 2019 event also placed a great focus on three-dimensional surfaces, particularly effects where artisan techniques are a necessary condition for their creation.
With Meteore 10 Cemento Effetto Vintage, VALPAINT offers a three-dimensional decorative paint where the decorator’s hand plays a fundamental role in the final aesthetics. The three-dimensional aspect is achieved using stencils, that can feature patterns of various types, from more geometric forms to truly modern floral designs with huge appeal.
The floral designs of Meteore 10 Cemento Vintage are perfectly aligned with 2020 trends, which captured the attention of many visitors during the event in Milan.

Painting your home… whilst caring for the environment

However, the key themes for 2020 arising from the Salone del Mobile event went beyond aesthetics. Sustainable materials have begun to play an increasingly important role.
The goal is to work with natural materials with zero environmental impacts.
In this regard, VALPAINT presents Meteore 10 Intonaco, a natural, water-based textured coating for interior and exterior use. With a strong natural identity, this product offers shades that are perfect for creating characteristically modern effects, in line with the trends that will be the focus of architectural design throughout 2020.