The Chelsea Flower Show, held May 19 - 23 was a visual delight. Color always leads the way at this Royal Horticulture Society event, and this year was no exception. Nonetheless, along the Main Avenue show gardens, there was an overwhelming sense of green. Towering trees, quiet under plantings … [Read more...]
Sustainable Textiles at GHFW
The fourth annual Guimarães Home Fashion Week was held June 26 and 27 in Guimarães, Portugal. At this year's fair, ways to minimize the impact of home-textiles production rivaled interesting materials as top innovations. Fátima Sousa, Commercial Manager for Domingos de Sousa & Filhos, … [Read more...]
Nature Rises from the Ashes
One of the newest trends in wood, seen in accent furniture, kitchen products and decorative accessories over the past year or so is Shou Sugi Ban. This ancient Japanese technique involves charring, cooling, cleaning and finishing with natural oils as a way to preserve wood. This process results in a … [Read more...]
Trend and Core: They Were Meant for Each Other
A long-time subscriber to The Trend Curve wrote to me a couple of days ago to ask my opinion of Farmhouse collections going forward. I told her that I haven't seen Farmhouse as a trend for some time. Farmhouse is a core look. The same is true of Mid-Century Modern. It's a basic, not a trend. But … [Read more...]
Color for Outdoor Living
Nature-inspired shades of green and blue always attract attention in outdoor assortments. That said, not all green and blue hues are on-trend. Some of them are core colors. This designation doesn’t take anything away from the basic shades. Instead, it clarifies that they can be counted on day-in, … [Read more...]
Ready for Heimtextil 2019
With just a few days before Heimtextil 2019 opens at Messe Frankfurt, there’s once again optimism in a new year. That’s in spite of economic volatility and political unrest globally. One reason is the theme for the 2019/2020 design trends, always one of the most anticipated presentations at the … [Read more...]
SoCal Halloween
Since moving to Southern California from Minneapolis a few months ago, I have discovered that many elements of décor remain consistent across the miles, yet some things are different. Take Halloween decorating, for example. It turns out that kids here in SoCal love decorating their homes just as … [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...]
Smitten by Texture at GHFW
After years of focus on minimalist simplicity, consumers began to crave product designs with a different sort of character. Mixed media combinations were the market’s first response to that need. The next step was texture. And once consumers got a look at what texture could provide, they were … [Read more...]
These Ideas Are On The Fringe
For so many years fringe has been thought of (when anybody thought of it at all) as down-market. It had a reputation for being thin and scraggly, and it always got tangled in the wash. No wonder fringe faded from view long ago. But now fringe is back in a big way, and it has a growing following … [Read more...]