In this two-part series, Joakim Cimmerbeck of environmentally friendly paint purveyor eicó shares his expertise on eco-friendly solutions.

Joakim Cimmerbeck is the founder of eicó, a paint company that strives to continuously improve the efficiency, sustainability and environmental aspects of its products, people and processes without reducing the quality. We speak to him about trends we can expect in the eco-friendly design arena in the upcoming years.

2016 offered plenty of events that changed the world as we know it and, in many cases, made it less safe. For that reason, we will see trends going forward that are more focused on my home is my castle”. I see design and colours becoming stronger because of this. The Scandinavian trend that we have seen throughout the last decade is slowly being taken over by more vibrant colours – deep purple, moss green and blue-grey tones. In addition to the increased use of colour will be the use of effect and feature walls, and strong coloured furniture, adding spice and life to the light tones we often use.

One of the most important trends is caring for our own wellbeing, in regards to our health, the environment and design. We will see an increased demand of things that won’t kill us. Eco-friendly products and socially aware companies will see an increase of clients, while businesses that don’t change with the times will struggle. We will see smarter decorative products and new companies offering better products. For example, we are working on a painted MDF that will be able to replace the heavy and costly roof tile. This will enable total freedom in regards to the colour and shape of your tiles. Insulating paint and colour-changing paint also already exist.

Some of these features we will see in other products before it comes to paint. A good friend of mine is making a garment that will keep you warm in any weather. Can you imagine going out in a snowstorm in a long sleeved T-shirt and nothing else? This will happen also in our homes – a thin coat of paint that could replace insulation, either if we keep heat or cold out or in. These new products are in most cases eco friendly and mostly socially aware in sourcing and producing.

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