Trend Flash emails come exclusively to members of The Trend Curve ™ subscriber family with immediate updates from major markets and trade shows around the globe. Douglas Thayer, Editorial Correspondent for The Trend Curve, is in Atlanta for the semi-annual Rug Market. His top-line trends are below. For more details about this show, read the August 2010 issue of The Trend Curve.
Most important:
COLOR
- Simple tonality reigned supreme
- Blued Grays staked their claim as the neutral of choice
- Grayed Purple emerged as a new tonal neutral
- Magma hues (Red, Orange, Yellow all together) edged toward preferred status
- Soft, mid-shade Green refreshed neutrals and Blues
- The been-there/done-that brown/blue story revived on a new lighter, pastel level
MATERIALS AND TEXTURES
- Modern, retro shag and loop rugs flamed up in importance
- Wool/silk and wool/rayon combinations remained key in transitional stories
- Novel yarns—ribbon, seed, eyelash, chunky wool—were woven into fine substrates
- Hemp and aloe appeared in high, lush pile to increase softness
- Two-color weave effects created complex fine textures, and read as solids or slightly modulated stripes
- Atmospheric textures pushed aubrush backgrounds out of the way
PATTERN/CONCEPT
- Modern and transitional designs shoved traditional aside
- Morocan, Belgian and Spanish tile designs heated up
- Tibetan or Nepalese and boxy Oushak weaves firmed up contemporary designs
- Arts & Crafts went to the next level
- Axminster looks broke from their traditional roots
- Classic Navajo patterns in traditional desert colorations returned.