On The Watch List

Before something becomes a trend, there are always early indications that it will catch on and grow. When we see these signs at The Trend Curve, we put the color, materials or pattern on the Watch List. Here are three not-quite-trends that made it to our Watch List during the fall of 2013.

1. Bone: Pieced bone has always been around for smaller items, like decorative boxes and orbs. But recently, it has also begun to cover accent-furniture pieces like chests, desks and small tables. Some of the newest examples have also gone from typical one-color looks, featuring standard off-whites, to black-and-white contrast, resulting from pairing bone with black resin. That updated wakes up bone and makes it look fresh and new.

2. Toiles: They have been a bestselling look in the past, so why not again? Toiles can show up in traditional color-plus-white applications, but they do a better job of catching the eye when unexpected colors, shadow effects and whimsical subjects are featured. In addition to spotting toiles in home-interiors products, I snapped pictures of toile-patterned apparel this summer in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

3. Cork: Cork is an eco-friendly material that has been gaining ground for some time. Lately, however, there has been a bigger push for more than bottle stoppers. Related categories, like wine racks, are using it, but so are trays, pendants and even cameras.