Under the title “Shades”, a walk-in installation is being created in Hall 3.1 that brings together colour, light and shadow. “Colours are never alone. They need company and it is like a recipe where it is all about finding the right balance,” say Daniera ter Haar and Christoph Brach of Raw Color. For hospitality projects, this means that colour takes on the role of the first host, intuitively guiding visitors through spaces.
Raw Color as Ambiente Designer 2027: Colour and form as a design language
Colour is at the heart of their work: Eindhoven-based design studio Raw Color materialises colour and form across design disciplines. With an experimental and intuitive approach, Daniera ter Haar and Christoph Brach explore how colours interact with a wide variety of materials. In doing so, they combine graphics, photography and product design to create a direct, energetic design language.
Since founding their studio, they have realised international projects for companies and institutions including Adidas, Hermès, IKEA, Kvadrat, Samsung and the Van Gogh Museum. Their work has been exhibited around the world and selected pieces are included in renowned museum collections, including the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Shades: bringing colour to life through light and shadow
For Ambiente 2027, Raw Color has developed the concept “Shades”. The name deliberately encompasses two meanings simoultaneously: sun shades and shades of colour. The starting point is the iconic canopy – a defining design element in hospitality settings such as hotels and restaurants. It transforms spaces by creating shadows. The interplay of light and shadow significantly affects colour perception. Colour exists because of light. Without light, colour loses its meaning. Without shade, colour can become overwhelming. Together they create balance.
The Interior Design & Architecture Hub presents a dynamic spatial composition, balancing subtle colour details with bold colour spaces. Compact elevated areas are shaped by dark tones, enhancing their intimate atmosphere and inviting visitors to pause and explore the curated selection of Ambiente products. Conversely, the expansive ground-level spaces radiate openness, welcoming visitors and encouraging encounters and interaction. The design creates experiences enriched by colour, celebrating the relationship between colour, form and texture. At the same time, the Hub serves as a source of inspiration for debate on the profound impact of colour in spaces.
Inspiration for the international project business
“With Ambiente Projects, we are strategically developing Ambiente further for the international contract business. To achieve this, we identify relevant developments in interior design at an early stage, connect them with products and solutions from our exhibitors and, thus, create space for inspiration, knowledge transfer and personal exchange. The Interior Design & Architecture Hub brings all of this together – and as Ambiente Designer 2027, Raw Color gives it a distinctive design signature,” says Julia Uherek, Vice President Consumer Goods Fairs, Messe Frankfurt.
The curated area combines interior design, architecture and hospitality with selected products from exhibiting companies. The Hub is complemented by an integrated Academy that promotes international knowledge transfer together with AIT Dialog, bdia, ECIA, the German Design Council, Office Roxx from Prima Vier Verlag and World-Architects. This creates a central meeting point for interior architects, interior designers, architects, hospitality experts, contract furnishers and the international specialist retail trade.
Each year, an internationally renowned design personality puts their own stamp on the Hub and opens up new perspectives on interior design and hospitality. Following Elena Salmistraro, Fabian Freytag and Katty Schiebeck, Ambiente is continuing this successful tradition with Raw Color as Ambiente Designer 2027.
Next trade fair dates
Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld will take place at the Frankfurt exhibition grounds at the end of January 2027. Once again, the Compass Talks will kick things off on the preceding day, 28 January 2027.
Ambiente/Christmasworld: 29 January to 2 February 2027
Creativeworld: 29 January to 1 February 2027
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