Trend Flash™ is an exclusive benefit for Members of The Trend Curve’s subscriber family. Michelle Lamb, Editorial Director, has been in Chicago for the International Home + Housewares Show (IHHS). Her top trends are below. Read more about IHHS in the next issue of The Trend Curve and also view images, taken by the Trendcurve Team, which are posted to @trendcurve on Instagram as well as being displayed here on our website.
Noteworthy in Chicago:
COLOR
- Red and black continued as key housewares basics
- However, dark blue gave both hues increasing competition
- Purples were called trend colors
- Browns had more visibility
- Copper expanded fast, but gold was building
- Metallic color surged
MATERIALS AND FINISHES
- Silver-tone stainless steel, while still strong, gave up share to color
- Silicone bakeware highlighted internal metal frames for stability
- Wood and bamboo became even more decorative
- There was buzz around cast iron
- Matte finishes debuted in multiple stands, distracting from brushed finishes
- Raised patterns, from swirls to honeycombs, stepped up
FUNCTIONALITY
- Multi-functionality was key, as everything strove to do more
- Everyone was focused on products for small-space living
- Spiralizers were still hot
- Gadgets for corn-on-the-cob emerged
- Measuring got more precise
- Canning jars won’t go away, so ideas to repurpose them kept coming