Would you like to see the 6 tops trends from the Milan Furniture Fair, Salone del Mobile, for 2013? I am very happy to share my trend scrapbook today from my recent trip to the Salone del Mobile so you can see which 6 trends I've spotted for this year. Here are the top "must-see" trends...

#1 PASTELS: The use of pastel shades is more of a reality than a new trend and comes as a result of the bold colours we have been seeing for quite some time. Home decor has never been so feminine! We can see pale violet, mint, soft blue, lemon, pale coral and other sorbet-like hues. Pastel color used to be injected through small accessories but as consumers grow in confidence, they begin to decorate now with pastels as statement pieces. The porcelain and beech wood pastel Lù tables shown were designed by Pinwu, a Chinese design firm that Holly is fond of so she says you guys have to look them up! Holly also loves designer Patricia Urquiola, you can see her new and gorgeous Clarissa Hood chair above that she designed for Italian brand Moroso which launched in Milan as part of the "Clarissa family" which are geometric in form (on the outside) but soft and cozy on the inside.

#2 NEW COLOUR - TERRACOTTA: I first spotted this colour in Stockholm in February at the furniture fair. Very few companies are launching this new colour so it looks still more of an experiment than a real trend. But that’s what makes it exciting! NCS, the colour academy, calls it terracotta which I believe hits the mark. What is your feeling about it? Some examples above are by Billiani, Flexform and Vitra.

#3 VERTICAL PLANTS: Hanging baskets, bulbs, wooden and metalic grids are innovative ways to grow vertically and one of the innovative gardening trends for your home. At the fair, many stands worked with hanging garden walls as part of the stand concept. Flower pots on display were not as common as specific furniture pieces designed to decorate with plants. Shown are some examples in the stands of Roda, Booo, MatteoGrassi and Moroso.

#4 MARBLE: Marble is culturally associated with a more luxurious taste, social status and, well, bathrooms. This trend appeared last year in Milan but is still to be seen and even growing - this year I spotted it developing in different ways for table tops and pedestal tables (Covo had a good example in solid marble shown above), seating structures, wall sculptures and accessories. There is almost no contemporary furniture label which is not at least offering one or two marble pieces in their collection. Others shown that I snapped and included above are from Poliform and also Flexform.

#5 CLUSTERED LIGHTING: Although I didn't visit the lighting fair that took place at the same time (it's a huge event and I didn't have enough time), I still have observed that the aesthetics of the setting have become as important as the lamp design itself. All technical components are carefully designed and the lamp cable itself can be a playful item, as seen on the lights from Merry-Go-Round based in Sweden. Pendants are grouped with similar or equal pieces to create a dramatic lighting sculpture. And all kinds of materials are allowed: baskets, porcelain, glass, silk, wood, metal, etc. Other examples shown above are by Vuorivirta and Rossana Orlandi.

#6 AIRY STRUCTURES: This is one of the trends I love most: metal and wood structures are carved in an organic, light and very airy way becoming almost an art object or sculpture. Craftmenship is key here! I have seen this trend mostly at Italian brands so far like Ceccotti, Galotti&Radice, Porada and Porro.

So that's my take on some of the trends this year. Which is your favorite? Where are you getting your trend updates from? Would you like to share your inspiration sources? Have you visited any inspiring fairs lately?

(text+images gudy herder, photo editing and layout: holly becker)