Infusing Japanese elements into already established Scandinavian looks, the Japandi trend emerged in 2017 – 2018. It really touched a nerve—in a good way—and grew to be immensely popular. No wonder products in this style are still being introduced. The most recent incarnation was at KBIS, the … [Read more...]
Revenge Travel: Now It’s Impacting Home Furnishings
Revenge travel? Yes, please! We love this buzz-phrase because we can totally relate. It’s all about being cooped up during COVID. It speaks to people wanting to get away, fly away, like in the lyrics from Lenny Kravitz’ 1998 hit. And almost two years after exploding on the tourism scene, the … [Read more...]
Color Stories at KBIS
Color hit different at KBIS, the industry trade show for kitchen and bath products, organized by NKBA. Consumers apparently are reaching a new comfort level beyond safer neutrals, as they emerge from pandemic era restrictions. Designers at the 2022 event, which took place in Orlando in February, … [Read more...]
Green is a Rising Star
When it comes to color families, green’s star is rising. Under the spell of a biophilia trend, greens are going lush and rich. And although select cool types can still be found, the best new versions are leaning toward warmth. Names like olive and moss keep repeating when makers describe these … [Read more...]
Business Gets PERSONAL at Sweets & Snacks Show
At last month’s Sweets & Snacks Expo 2021, our first in-person food show in over a year, it was impossible to ignore how often the aspect of “personal” arose. The importance of getting personal resonated throughout several merchandising disciplines. Its influence was felt in product creation, … [Read more...]
Anticipating 2021-22 Seasonal Trends
In our year-and-a-half of quarantine and isolation so far, we 've had plenty of time to think about the people we have been separated from, and the traditions we once shared with them. To say that we now long for these touchpoints is an understatement. Whether 2021 is the year we return to … [Read more...]
Christmas Redux: Letters To Santa
Letters to Santa is a sweet, child-like Christmas theme that The Trend Curve highlighted last in our 2012 color-and-trend forecast, ‘Tis The Season. For 2022, it is making a comeback. In fact, at Christmasworld in Frankfurt and at the Atlanta Gift Market, this theme was just emerging (we posted … [Read more...]
Red or Green, Not Red and Green
When it comes to Christmas, conventional wisdom holds that the most salable color story is red and green. I’m here to tell you that while this may be absolutely true for core products—the bestsellers you repeat with success year-after-year—nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to … [Read more...]
A Mix of Horror and Fun Midsummer Scream
Because I forecast color and design trends, consumer shows are not normally on my radar. After all, the products shown at consumer events come way too late in the trend cycle to be of any use to forecasts for the industry. But I have learned that this is not necessarily true of Midsummer … [Read more...]
Gingham? Check!
If you count yourself among gingham’s adoring fans, get ready to be wowed. A revival of these cheerful checks is emerging for tableware and décor that feel breezy and lighthearted. Assortments debuting at Dallas Market Center in June, and AmericasMart in July showed off a range of sizes, colors … [Read more...]