The Swedish interior fair Formex returned last week, bringing with it a vibrant splash of colors, new activities, and plenty of buzz. As always, it managed to surprise and inspire—but also left a few questions hanging in the air.
Numbers and Competition
Official visitor or exhibitor numbers were, as usual, not released. However, a quick count of the brand list showed around 338 exhibitors—a big jump from January’s 238. Growth like this is encouraging and shows renewed energy. Still, when compared to Denmark’s Formland, which boasts about 400 brands, Formex faces some tough competition. It’s no longer the “biggest” interior design fair, instead branding itself as the “most important”—a clever reframe, though whether that holds true remains to be seen.
Color, Creativity, and Installations
One of Formex’s undeniable strengths lies in its creativity and bold installations. This year’s major trend showcase, created by fashion designer Maxjenny and trend expert Jan Rundgren, was nothing short of spectacular—large, vibrant, and impossible to ignore. But few objects…
Walking through the aisles felt like moving through a kaleidoscope of color, which gave the fair a refreshing energy. On this front, Formex outshines many competitors, and it’s easy to see why other fairs might feel a touch of envy.
Innovation and Experiments
Formex is also notable for its willingness to try new concepts. From a large sustainability hub to workshop corners and the new “Things I Love”-walk curated by Lena Nyholm, the fair is clearly not afraid to experiment. Personally, I loved seeing this spirit of innovation. In spring we started our conversation club Designcirkeln and were invited to digest exhibited objects on stage. And I was invited to record a session with our podcast “Under Granen” with Helena Lyth on stage. To me this is proof that Formex is thinking beyond the traditional trade fair formula.
That said, the real challenge will be durability. It’s one thing to launch fresh ideas, but another to make them stick. Other fairs, like Formland, are investing heavily in structured buyer programs, even flying in buyers from abroad (Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden) —a strategy that provides long-term value. Formex’s initiatives feel exciting but risk being fleeting if not built into a more sustainable framework.
Overall Impression
Crowds were strong across all three days, with a lively buzz on the first two and steady traffic even on the last day. By most measures, Formex fall 2025 was a success: inspiring, colorful, and well-attended. Yet, beneath the energy lies a lingering question—can it sustain these new concepts in the long run and secure its place as the “most important” fair in the Nordics? I hope (and actually think) so. This successful event should give selfesteem for next session in January. I can’t wait.
Some of the trends I bring from Formex below.
Fudge
Colour of the season for fall 2025 is absolutely “fudge” or this warm brown. Flirting with terracotta, but still very brown. As mentioned the trend installation at the entrance hall was all about strong and bright colours but the stands showed more browns than pink. Here at Cooee.
I love the return of Swedish heritage brand Nittsjö. Loved, loved, loved. And my absolute favourite at the fair.
I mean, they are doing these flower pots by Signe Persson Melin. Wonderful.
Back to fudge. Bed sets by Tell me More and AB Småland.
Throws by Klippan in just the right colours.
Even the Christmas ornaments are fudge. Here at Miljögården.
But fudge (well, almost terracotta here) can be combined with other greys and light blues. Like here at Malkaa.
Or here with Men at Work who made a pillow.
Fudge, dark brown, blue, apricot and eggshel. Beautiful colour combination. At Malkaa again.
Ecclectic with pink and orange
Absolutely no fudge here. More maximalistic and ecclectic.
At the trend installation by Maxjenny and Jan we saw all colours. ALL COLOURS. Previous during the week I was talking to my trend experts at The Forecast Club. These colleagues of mine started to talk about interior design from a new angle. It is actually worth a bigger headline but I include it here now – and we will see how it grows.
The thing is that we are leaving styles and interior design according to a format. Like minimalism or cottoncore or whatever. Instead we will be talking about interior design as “moods”. In one room you are supposed to have one mood. And in another a different mood.
With this mood concept you are allowed to mix and match much more. And the image above represents that. Having a rainbow coloured easychair with a rustic wood object doesn’t match a style. But a mood.
So forget all about style rules and go for moods. With moods you can experiment much, much more.
Orange, zebra and terracotta. Skip style rules – how does it make you feel?
Same here at Lisa Bengtsson. What does it make you feel?
Orange is key, since it stands out so much. Here at Minna Salo.
Even Christmas will be orange. Here at Miljögården.
Beautiful craft. Yes, I believe crafted textiles will grow. By MB Form.
With the starting picture and easy chair from the trend installation, this is kind of the same. I am sure we will see more dipdye techniques. Mixing colours. Does it make you feel like Spring? Or feel like a different season?
And quirky things will be important. I love this cutlery. The grip looks like pearls. By Olsson & Jensen.
Just pretty flowers that of course represent this ecclectic atmosphere. Here at Aveva.
Thank you. It’s great to notice that we all together see more!