ambiente designer 2025 hospitality 'the lounge

Ambiente Designer 2025: Fabian Freytag

From February 7 to 11, 2025, Ambiente, the renowned global trade fair for the consumer goods industry and for commercial furnishings and fittings, once again turns Frankfurt am Main into a nexus of cutting-edge design. With this edition, Ambiente’s spotlight shines on multi-awarded Fabian Freytag, the Ambiente Designer 2025, whose daring creativity and visionary approach set a new benchmark for the hospitality sector. Freytag’s ‘The Lounge – Shades of Space,’ a dynamic installation in Galleria 1, promises an immersive exploration of contemporary design and artificial intelligence – a place for the curious and the bold, showcasing styles that blend utility with personality. Through this special presentation, the fair aims to further solidify its role as a primary platform for groundbreaking design in the hospitality and contract business sectors.

Freytag designs The Lounge under the title Shades of Space in Galleria 1 with selected exhibitor products tours | all images courtesy of Ambiente and Fabian Freytag

Ambiente 2025 expands Product stage for commercial properties

Messe Frankfurt, the organization behind Ambiente, has long been at the forefront of international design innovation. Each year, Ambiente draws thousands of professionals across industries, from hospitality to commercial real estate, making it a leading stage for new concepts and trends. With Freytag as the 2025 featured designer, Ambiente emphasizes its commitment to nurturing creative innovation and expanding its offerings for hospitality and contract business professionals. Freytag’s project, ‘The Lounge – Shades of Space,’ underscores the fair’s evolving focus on hospitality, an area that has been redefined and expanded for 2025 to cater to designers, commercial buyers, and operators seeking functional yet inspiring spaces.

Fabian Freytag, born in Hamburg and currently based in Berlin, draws inspiration from his extensive travels across Europe’s vibrant urban landscapes, rich architecture, and diverse cultures. Known for his ‘gentle radicalism,’ Freytag integrates artificial intelligence into his design process, creating interiors that challenge conventional norms and appeal to those with a taste for the avant-garde. In ‘The Lounge – Shades of Space,’ he collaborates with Ambiente exhibitors, using their carefully selected products to craft a hospitality experience that is as inviting as it is inspiring. For Freytag, hospitality design is about more than furnishing a space – it’s about curating an atmosphere that encourages guests to pause, engage, and explore, with an approach that invites visitors to adopt new perspectives and embrace fresh ideas in the spaces they inhabit.

Ambiente Designer 2025 Fabian Freytag | © Kozy Studio Berlin

Hospitality banner integrates dining halls, interiors & offices

Ambiente 2025 takes its commitment to the hospitality sector further by expanding the range of exhibitors and offerings tailored to the industry. Beyond the traditional HoReCa sector (Hall 11.0), the event now integrates exhibitors from dining halls, interiors, and office design, all converging under a comprehensive ‘Hospitality’ banner. This curated selection addresses the needs of diverse venues, from restaurants and hotels to cruise ships and catering spaces, making it a one-stop destination for professionals in the hospitality and contract business industries. Meanwhile, a ‘Special Interest Contract Business’ category is poised to serve professionals outside the hospitality sector, such as those outfitting corporate and real estate projects, ensuring Ambiente remains an essential resource for commercial buyers of all backgrounds.

To streamline the experience for buyers, Ambiente 2025 has also introduced a new guide that will direct visitors to exhibitors with targeted expertise in hospitality and contract business. This guide, available in both print and digital formats, provides a straightforward tool for locating suppliers and innovators whose work complements the specific needs of commercial properties. Through these expanded offerings, Ambiente solidifies its role as the go-to trade fair for hospitality and commercial design, championing a spirit of accessibility, practicality, and creativity that resonates throughout the industry.

first visualisation of ‘The Lounge’, to be seen at Ambiente 2025. with his design, Freytag creates inviting worlds of style for the hospitality space of tomorrow

The fringe program is shaped by overarching themes such as sustainability, design and lifestyle, new work, digitalization, and the future of retail. These meta-topics provide the foundation for a concentrated offering of expert knowledge, especially within the Academies—Hospitality, Future of Work, and Conzoom Solutions—which emphasize a design-centered approach. Guided tours to selected exhibitors and curated areas complement the experience, while the Hospitality, Future of Work, and Conzoom Solutions Academies offer exclusive industry insights and networking opportunities throughout all four days of the fair.

The program is thoughtfully organized around themed days, each featuring multiple award ceremonies. Friday (07/02) marks the Awards Day, celebrating outstanding achievements, while Saturday is Designer Day, dedicated to the designer community and held for the first time in partnership with the German Design Council. This day includes exciting presentations on key topics such as AI and circularity. A highlight for the Future of Work Academy, the Architects’ Days, will take place on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday and Monday will see the Conzoom Solutions Academy focusing on the future of retail. The hospitality industry also gets special attention on Monday with Hotelier’s Day. Finally, on Tuesday, sustainability takes the spotlight with the Sustainable Office Day at the Future of Work Area and the Sustainable Day at the Conzoom Solutions Academy.

the range for the hospitality and contract business industry is being conceptually realigned and expanded for Ambiente 2025 – supported by a comprehensive supporting program full of lectures and guided tours | all images courtesy of Ambiente and Fabian Freytag