Homebuildlife: HBL Tradeshows: Live from Domotex

Carpetus at Domotex 2012

Domotex 2012 , the world's largest flooring tradeshow, is currently taking place at Hannover Messe in Germany. From stained wooden floors in all colours of the rainbow to technicolour, traditional kilim carpets, this year's Domotex is a particularly colourful edition. Exaggerated texture is also a key theme as designers find new and inventive techniques to create designs with depth and tactility.

Read on for our full live report, including emerging trends and the top three exhibitors.

Quick Step at Domotex 2012

Lace: Lace is imprinted onto tiles and used as inspiration for hand and machine-tufted carpet designs.

Jan Kath Designs at at Domotex 2012

Reinvented: The theme of taking traditional rug designs and re-working them into contemporary art pieces continues to be popular. German designer Jan Kath leads the way with his traditional Russian Kilim rugs revamped in electric colourways.

mat THE BASICS at at Domotex 2012

Eco Hedonism: WGSN-homebuildlife’s autumn/winter 12/13 macro trend Eco Hedonism was clearly confirmed at the show through the abundance of faux fur, rough hewn wooden flooring, texture and rhythmic pattern, delicate florals and nature-inspired designs.

Top three exhibitors

Bó Hamsa at Domotex 2012

A new arrival at the show, Bó Hamsa was set up last year by young German designer Julia Gèsine Stefan. Julia studied surface and textile design at the Bauhaus influenced school of KHB Weissensee School of Art and decided to embark upon a career in the carpet industry after spending several months in Marrakech.

Bó Hamsa at Domotex 2012

Key Direction: The first collection was designed in collaboration with Persian carpet dealer Mohammad Kazem Haghnegahdar in Hamburg. All handmade in Nepal, the designs combine bold, modern pattern with traditional carpet making techniques.

Bó Hamsa at Domotex 2012

Key detail: Brightly coloured diamond patterns and multicoloured fringing give Bó Hamsa’s rugs a bright, circus-inspired aesthetic.

Esprit at Domotex 2012

A division of the German Esprit Home brand, Esprit carpets creates designs for residential use and also a range of children's rugs.

Esprit at Domotex 2012

Key Direction: A bright collection of fifty relaxed, contemporary designs are based around five trends inspired by the cities of Berlin, Barcelona, London, New York and Paris.

Esprit at Domotex 2012

Key detail: The collection is accompanied by a brilliantly styled catalogue that explores a stylish interior within each city.

Bauwerk Parkett at Domotex 2012

Swiss company Bauwerk Parkett have been manufacturing wooden parquet flooring for 70 years. Their catalogue includes over 400 parquet floors from traditional finishes to trend-led designs.

Bauwerk Parkett at Domotex 2012

Key Direction: Bauwerk exhibited a range of vintage-inspired printed parquet designs with distressed finishes including lace and newspaper prints as well as stripy, beach hut-style colourways.