Trend Flash is among the exclusive benefits for Members of The Trend Curve’s subscriber family. Arthur Douglas Thayer, part of The Trend Curve team, is in Atlanta for the twice-yearly rug show. His top trends are below.
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COLOR
- Mid-tone green emerged as a key color
- It was directional, especially when paired with incoming cocoa
- Cool, grayed-off purples suggested a next step after blue-grays
- Blue preferred dark-and-intense cobalt or rich sky blue
- Saturated pinks and purples were accented with black
- Pink, nuanced toward copper, advanced quickly
- Black and white, while tentative, became a strong new force
- Multiple brighter and stronger hues rose, often mixed with black or off-white
MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
- Hi-low texture became a major influence
- So did a trend toward softer hands
- Antiqued looks came from severely shorn hand-knotted rugs
- Mixed materials looked particularly right in patchwork geometrics
- The interest in quad-color, barber-pole yarns increased
- Fringe, tassels and even mega-tassels were on-trend
MOTIFS AND THEMES
- Air-brushed, sprayed effects started to nudge watercolor techniques aside
- Layered patterns, differentiated by color or style, made a statement
- Nature inspired rock formations, glaciers, over-scaled leaves
- Traditional designs became more elegant with fewer borders and updated hues
- Small-scale geometrics were expressed in tonal shades
- Tribal Southern-Persian Gabbehs took a leap forward in figureless stripes