Making Next Now:
How Motiv Turns Inspiration into Objects to Covet
At Motiv, we pride ourselves on not just being one step ahead of the trends, but actually being part of the force that creates them.
In short, this comes down to knowing what customers will want next—even before they themselves know. It’s part science and part art—all sifted through the minds of our design and product engineering team and their decades of experience. Here’s a look at how we make it happen.
Get Out and Take It In
If there’s one place in the world that best showcases the state of art and design in home décor, it’s Maison & Objet. The international trade fair for home decor, interior design and lifestyle products is held twice a year in Paris, France. The experience showcases a massive range of products including furniture, lighting, textiles, accessories and tableware from established and up-and-coming designers and manufacturers from around the world.
“Maison & Objet is where the future can be seen, often three to four years before trickling into the mass market,” explains Steffen Koury, Director of Product Development at Motiv. “Historically these trends and aesthetic approaches will find their way into boutique and high-end retailers before becoming mainstream. We observe and then add it to our own design vocabulary before infusing it into our clients’ lines in a way that’s distinctly right for their brands.”
Next Stop: Milan
Our next stop for inspiration is Milan, Italy’s Salone del Mobile—or Milan Furniture Fair as it’s often called. “The Milan fair is also immersive throughout the city, with pop-up exhibits in historic cathedrals, industrial parks and outdoor venues,” says Koury. “It’s a spectacular event representative of a culture that embraces cutting-edge design, fashion and art.” Attracting thousands from around the world, the fair showcases furniture (of course), but also lighting, textiles and accessories. More importantly, it offers the Motiv design team a preview of cutting-edge technologies and materials used in home décor design that we can adapt to be relevant for the next wave of home appliances.
“The pace is remarkable,” explains Koury. “Year to year, we see seismic shifts—and our job is to be able to take in the changes in form, materials and color and apply them to our clients’ products in new and imaginative ways. We want to make their consumers covet what’s next, and we have a great track record for exceeding expectations.”
Guten Tag, Frankfurt
Frankfurt, Germany’s Ambiente comes next—a vibrant international trade fair for consumer goods. Broad, inspiring categories like Dining, Living and Giving go one step further in guiding the Motiv team.
“The living category alone is worth the cost of admission,” says Koury. “It’s a fascinating mindset: What will inspire you to be attracted to a product to give to others? It often comes down to novelty—true newness—and this can be incredibly valuable for Motiv. Imagine a product so eye-catching that you want to wrap it and put a bow on it. We bring that to our design ethos and it can turn up anywhere—a Motiv-designed blender, faucet or even packaging design.”
With over 180 design patents and a collection of prestigious awards including IDEA and Good Design, Motiv is proud to have Steffen Koury as our Director of Product Development. Steffen’s influence extends across housewares, hardware, consumer electronics, and health and beauty. He strives to captivate people’s imagination and instill a sense of wonderment when they find Motiv designs on the shelf. Pushing boundaries of design and seeking unique solutions, Steffen creates experiences that leave a lasting impact.
Ready to see how the Motiv design and engineering team can make your products truly objects to covet? Get in touch.
Next, we dive into the process of translating inspiring trends into brand-right products.
