Tag: <span>design trends</span>

Published January 30, 2009 by

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.

Another fragmented mirror by Global Views

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.

Etc Finds

accessories design trends tradeshows

Published August 22, 2008 by

Fall Trends

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An ottoman by Global Views demonstrates the budding rose trend

The great furniture fairs of the world (iSaloni in Milan, Maison & Objet in Paris, High Point in North Carolina) may illuminate the design trend forecast for the year to come, but the New York International Gift Fair reveals if the predictions came true. The savviest of the 3,000 exhibitors at the Fair followed the important shows too and have manufactured what they believe are the trendiest design concepts. No longer prototypes, this is the decor that will be shipping to your local boutique within the next two months.

The six-day show wrapped up yesterday; here are some of the trends that made it to market:

Bursting Roses
As seen at Maison & Objet the rose theme is in full bloom.

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Sofa by Hable Construction
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Bowl by Alessi

Horn
Chalet Chic was also a huge running trend at Maison. Furs, knits, and animal motifs malled the Parisian convention center but at the Gift Fair it seemed that only the horns remained.

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Decorative Horns by Napa Home and Garden
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Lamps by Barbara Cosgrove

Clawed Feet
And as the fashion-forward Met Home observed with their July/August piece on “Zoocentric Design,” classic animal motifs have gone from the traditional claw and ball foot to straight chicken feet. It’s a fine balance of cheeky, chic, and creepy.

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Egg holders by Global Views
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Claw Candleholders by Vagabond Vintage

Pixel
We started to see this at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair and now this concept is a whole line for the mainstream design-powerhouse, Umbra.

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Blockade Shelf and Table by Umbra

The 2009 previews begin this Fall; we’ll see what makes it to the next NYIGF in January.

Etc

design trends tradeshows

Published June 4, 2008 by

Man Design

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The Light Plumbing candelabra by Chris Bjerre for Danish Crafts is made of pipes complete with accent knobs and valves.

In honor of Fathers Day, I have found some great man design. Dad may not mind be an outright fan of home design but I bet if he was presented with silverware cast from screwdrivers or a candelabra made of pipes, he may just change his mind.

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The handles of this silverware by Hi Five are cast from screwdrivers, providing excellent grip and a look that any handy man can appreciate.

Etc Finds

design trends

Published May 21, 2008 by

Techy Trend

Planko_PixelVanity.jpg

Technology is seeping into design. And I am not talking about the advances in materials and processes, but the look, the amorphous perception of digital that’s being translated into home decor. Take the Planko vanity that I saw last weekend at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair for example. When I saw this stylized jagged outline, I thought–what a cool spin on the Baroque trend! It took the daintiness out of the ever-romantic style and gave it a literal edge. I loved it. I looked closer for any printed info I could find and the tag simply read, Pixel Vanity.

Pixel. This threw my entire perception of this piece on its head. Every picture you’ve ever blown up, every distorted image you’ve seen on the web– you could suddenly see in this vanity’s outline. This piece went from an abstract design to something so relevant to everyday encounters. The Planko’s vanity was truly unique to anything I saw at the show, but I think the interpretation of digital in design is something we are going to see more and more of.

Finds

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