Hamburg  - It's nearly summer, and flowers and plants are coming out, but not just on balconies and in gardens.

Decorative motifs inspired by plants are one of the biggest design trends of the season. Stylized leafy twines adorn chairs and paravents and small end tables resemble large blossoms.

The infamous large-format prints used on sofa covers as well as country patterns of strewn flowers in miniature format are nowhere to be found in furniture designs nowadays. The floral pattern for 2008 is discreet and delicate, but nevertheless striking.

"The plant motifs are getting smaller and more delicate," said Irene Fromberger of a design and consulting company located in Wiesbaden, Germany. She believes societal developments have something to do with the way the patterns, which seem ever more romantic despite all abstraction, have become nearly ubiquitous.

"There is an interplay between the shift toward the city and people's desire to hold onto at least a piece of nature," Fromberger said.

"In economically insecure times, people need that to provide for good mood and romance," said Brit Dieckvoss of a German furniture design trade magazine published in Hamburg.

Ursula Geismann of Germany's furniture industry association in Bad Honnef agrees, saying floral-inspired furniture "expresses something playful that stands in opposition to the cool world."

Antal Nemeth of Leolux in the Netherlands also refers to the way designers are playing with patterns. His company's own collection includes a piece called Magnolia, a small table whose top looks like melted floral petals. Available in various heights, the Magnolia can be used to create a sea of blooms in the living room.

A chair in the Aguape line by Italian furniture maker Edra surrounds those who sit in it by floral petals. The chair is made of individual leaves made of leather and is in a shape similar to a water lily. Another Italian designer, Moroso, also offers an entire collection of furniture inspired by plants - from a chair called Bouquet made from upholstered floral petals to a table called Little Garden, which has a flower pot as a base.

The German furniture manufacturer Weishaupl takes people into the woods. Its forest chair, which is available in indoor and outdoor variations, shows that aluminium doesn't always have to have look cold. The chair's delicate seat is an abstractly refined image of a tree branching out.

A room separator screen or paravent by Zanotta of Italy uses a similar principle. It is an example of a paravent made of metallic blooms and twines, which provide for private space while allowing some transparency.

Designers also appear to have been attracted to clover patterns and motifs this year. A four-leaf clover, the symbol of good luck, hugs those who sit in the chair Clover by Driade. Equally inspired by clover is the stool Optimist designed by Klaus Hokamp of Berlin. It consists of a stylized clover offering a seat. (dpa)