Kristina Meyer
- Product designer
- Designer & Co-owner of byform produktdesign
- Jury member of interzum Award
1. Looking back over the past years, what new trends in furniture production and interior design have captured your attention? How are these trends specifically reflected in the products or companies nominated for this year’s interzum guangzhou Award?
Over the past years, three developments have particularly engaged me:
First, the reframing of sustainability — moving away from a marketing term towards genuine, measurable materials and process innovation. Circular materials, mono-material constructions, and reversible connections are no longer niche approaches.
Second, the increasing emotionalization of functional products. Especially in the kitchen and furniture sector, the focus is no longer solely on ergonomics and technology, but on atmosphere, identity, and spatial resonance.
Third, we are seeing a deeper integration of technology that has become more subtle and invisible. Smart components are increasingly embedded behind calm, architectural surfaces.
These trends are clearly reflected in this year’s nominations for the interzum guangzhou Award. Many submissions combine material innovation with strong aesthetic restraint. I find it particularly compelling when sustainability is not showcased as a feature but seamlessly integrated, as well as the growing number of products incorporating smart technologies.
2. Among all the submissions this year, what standout features have caught your focus the most (e.g., material innovation, smart technology, design philosophy, sustainable practices)?
Four aspects impressed me most this year:
Material innovation with emotional quality. It is no longer just about new surfaces, but about materials that convey warmth, naturalness, and value — qualities you can see and feel. The new decorative surfaces in particular demonstrated a remarkably high level of innovation.
Intelligent and intuitive technology. Smart functions are convincing when they feel natural, simplify everyday life, and preserve design clarity. Many products have long been supported by technology, but the precision and learning capability they can now achieve — enhanced by AI-driven processes — continue to fascinate me.
A clear commitment to reduction. Precise proportions and conscious restraint create a sense of calm that allows emotional resonance to emerge. Often, technology supports this by eliminating user pain points.
Credible sustainability. I am especially impressed by approaches that consistently combine ecological responsibility, longevity, and aesthetic quality. There were several truly rigorous and well-resolved submissions in this regard.
3. From your global perspective, did you observe distinct innovation priorities or design languages emerging from specific regions (e.g., Europe, North America, Asia)? How can a global award like interzum guangzhou Award foster meaningful dialogue between these regional trends rather than simply promoting a single, unified standard?
Europe is strongly driven by material and construction. Innovation often emerges from technical precision and a clearly reduced design language.
North America places greater emphasis on individualization, brand identity, and emotional staging. Products often tell a consciously crafted and strategically positioned story.
Asia, particularly China, impresses with its remarkable speed in technological integration and production innovation. Highly market-ready solutions are developed in very short timeframes.
What fascinates me most about the Asian market is that products are presented there that are often not yet in focus in Europe. There is a stronger emphasis on user-friendliness, experiential quality, and sometimes even a certain degree of entertainment value. This leads to new forms of need creation and entirely different usage scenarios.
A global award like the interzum guangzhou Award should therefore not aim to define a single design canon. More important is the creation of spaces for dialogue. Innovation today emerges at cultural, technological, and economic intersections. An award can make these perspectives visible and foster mutual learning.
4. As a product designer, what do you think about materials or components that can balance the demands of aesthetics, function, cost, and sustainability into a single, coherent design concept?
As a product designer, I know how challenging it is to balance these four dimensions. A successful product does not emerge from prioritizing one factor over another, but from integration.
Today, materials and components must achieve more than ever before:
They must be aesthetically convincing, technically precise, economically viable, and meet sustainable criteria.
For me, the key question is: does the material support the product’s emotional resonance? A surface that feels pleasant to the touch, hardware that operates silently and precisely, a construction that conveys durability — all of these contribute to a perception of quality and trust.
Good design is not a compromise, but a strategic synthesis. When material selection, construction, and form are conceived together from the beginning, a coherent overall concept emerges that convinces both rationally and emotionally.
5. As a jury member, you are not just selecting winners but also sending signals to the entire industry. Beyond recognizing excellence, what is one specific, actionable signal or call to action you hope the outcomes of this award will send to manufacturers, designers, and brands worldwide?
Design products that not only function, but truly resonate.
The industry should have the courage to move beyond pure performance metrics and invest more consciously in emotional quality — in tactility, proportion, lighting, acoustic comfort, and intuitive user experiences. Develop products in such a way that users no longer experience pain points. Strive for the highest level of support, quality, and authenticity, combined with a transparent and long-term sustainability strategy.
What matters are holistic concepts in which technology, economic viability, and ecological responsibility serve a clear goal: creating a coherent and emotionally powerful overall experience.
With new smart technologies and the integration of AI-driven processes, design is fundamentally changing. Products can understand user behavior, adapt, and offer personalized support. Yet technology alone is not enough — it must be applied subtly, supportively, and in a human-centered way.
In an increasingly digitalized world, emotional resonance becomes the key differentiator in furniture and kitchen design. Emotional product design today means less staging and more relationship: products should not impress, but accompany. Resonance arises when users feel understood, supported, and never overwhelmed.
