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...]
Updating Neutrals for Christmas
When the pandemic began, the black-and-white duos that had been so popular just a year or two before dropped off fast. So did angular geometrics. That’s because—suddenly—high contrast and hard-edged motifs felt too bold for a population that had been whipsawed by Covid. As high contrast looks … [Read more...]
Trend Spotting at Maison & Objet
Those who are in-the-know have long considered the Maison & Objet trade fair unmissable. The Trend Curve™ agrees. So, when the new edition, which returned to Paris September 9 – 13 was announced, I made plans to represent The Trend Curve team at the fair. In my first trade-fair assignment … [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...]
Halloween Trend: Gold Metallic
Move over, orange! There’s a new player in town for Halloween. Gold metallic is one of the freshest emerging color trends for October 31. The idea of swapping orange for gold in your Halloween mix may seem odd at first. After all, Halloween is casual and fun, while gold is considered as a … [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...]
Down With Denim Blue
Many Portuguese towel, rug, throw and bed-linen makers exhibiting at the last Guimaraes Home Fashion Week agreed that blues are key. Antonio Salgado characterized this color family as being, “on top.” Coton Couleur said sales of their blue products were rising. One mill, Domingos de Sousa, projected … [Read more...]
Color at the Chelsea Flower Show
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...]