Frankfurt - Vases are essentially vessels for flowers, small branches trimmed off trees or bushes or tufts of grass, but they are currently the centre of attention for designers.
Many of the new models, both large and small, are decorative pieces of art that function without flowers. The designs range between two extremes. One takes shapes from nature or day-to-day life, reproduces them or enlarges them. They are sometimes richly adorned, sometimes inventively designed.
In the other extreme, their style is diminished, said Nadine Philipp of Frankfurt's convention centre, which organizes an interior design show. Both styles require a high level of skill to create.
Frankfurt - Josef Ackermann, chief executive of Deutsche Bank, stuck Wednesday to his optimistic prediction that the world financial crisis will be over soon.
