The New York Gift Fair at a Glance

With 2,900 exhibitors and hundreds of thousands of products displayed at the New York International Gift Fair, the trends can’t help but reveal themselves. If last season’s trend doesn’t make an appearance again, it means nobody was buying it. When the same look keeps turning up, it was a best seller. And when hundreds of manufacturers start exploring the same motif, together they are carving out a trend.

Here’s a glimpse at what’s in, what’s out, and what made the cut for the decor of Spring 2009.

DOMINANT TREND: Faceted Mirrors

Not only was the above mirror by Artecnica one of my favorite pieces at this year’s New York International Gift Fair, but faceted mirrors were one of the biggest trends we saw.

SOMETHING BREWING: Hats

Hats have left the fashion category and are posing as home decor. These antique helmets from Bobo Intriguing Objects are purely decorative but I also saw top hats being used as champagne buckets and bowler caps electrified for pendant lamps.

DYING DOWN: Ikat

At the last two markets, the bold running colors of Ikat seemed to cover every piece of upholstery available at the Gift Show. But at this market, this plate was all I found left of the trend. Here, Home James has freshened the over-played textile technique by applying the motif to a new medium, dishware.

TRENDS THAT WON’T DIE: Sea Life and Birds

Cutesy octopuses and seashells are still everywhere. However, I thought this take from Eloquent Ink brought the tried- and-true trend to a refreshing sophistication.

I admit these Thomas Paul plates are still charming; I would just love to see his graphic shapes and colors around something other than another dove.

A TREND I NEVER WANT TO SEE AGAIN: Guns

Amazing enough there were a lot of gun designs at the show. If I’d only seen one, I might let it slide, but this glass piece in combination with the other manufacturers’ sculptural weaponry really disturbed me.

A TREND I WANT TO SEE MORE OF: Flat Pack

Though I’m not crazy about the look of these lamps, the flat pack design caught my eye. I hate packing peanuts and the Styrofoam that comes with product shipments, so I adore that this product from Wabnitz requires very little packaging and energy to ship.