In early April of this year, an MIT survey of 25,000 American workers found that 34.1%, or just over one third of workers, had shifted to remote work. Add this number to the 14.6% of respondents that were already working from home, and the result implies that nearly half the US workforce is now … [Read more...]
Holiday Trends Q&A
A week or so ago, Tom Mirabile of Springboard Futures and I were interviewed about fourth-quarter seasonal trends. The venue was a webinar hosted by Lenise Willis, Editor in Chief of Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine. The timing was perfect. My fourth-quarter seasonal forecast, The … [Read more...]
Anticipating a Boost for Navy
Color studies done in the early 1940’s, and repeated many times since, confirm that blue is North America's favorite color family. And why not? Blue has high appeal for both men and women. Another interesting fact is that the degree of preference for blue is high from the start. It increases a bit … [Read more...]
Interview Topic: Seasonal Trends
On Thursday April 23, consumer trend analyst Tom Mirabile of Springboard Futures and I will be interviewed by Gifts & Decorative Accessories’ Editor in Chief, Lenise Willis. In the webinar, “New Seasonal Realities for a Post-COVID World,” our conversation will focus on how today’s health crisis … [Read more...]
Halloween, Harvest and Christmas Will Still Come
Are fourth-quarter celebrations at risk, given the current Coronavirus crisis? That’s a question I’ve been hearing for the past several weeks. It was top-of-mind as I prepared The Return to Happy Holidays™, my seasonal color and trend forecast for Halloween, Harvest and Christmas assortments. If … [Read more...]
For the Future of Wood, Lighten Up
For several seasons, colorful finishes like brown on walnut and gray or black on oak have been on-trend for furniture, lighting and decorative accessories. But of course, nothing remains static in the world of trend. Today, walnut's popularity has leveled off, along with the preference for … [Read more...]
From Gray to Brown: A Brief Trend History
In a conversation last week, a colleague asked whether I recommend gray for upcoming trend assortments. My answer was no. I realize that lots of people still love gray. If you are one of them, you have plenty of company. That said, the rate of preference for gray is solidly in decline, causing … [Read more...]
Home Décor to Color
There are a lot of coloring books out there for both kids and adults. But how many of them focus on home décor as the subject? My email this morning included a message from furniture-maker Blu Dot. Attached was a coloring book, featuring some of their pieces, sent just for fun. Marketing … [Read more...]
What’s Next for Trend?
In the past couple of weeks, several people have asked me how I think trend will change in a COVID-19 world. This is an important question, given the vital role that trend plays in assortments. To begin with, I believe that the language used to communicate about products softens. Already, … [Read more...]
Sasha Bikoff’s Whimsical Designs
Paris Déco Off bills itself as The Rendezvous of International Interior Designers and Decoration Editors. The Trend Curve’s editorial team always heads to Paris a couple of days before the Maison & Objet trade fair to see what’s new in the world up upscale fabrics and designs. The 2020 … [Read more...]