High Point Market Recap

What a whirlwind four days we had at High Point Furniture and Design Market April 15-18th! Bethany and I drove 5 hours then hit the floor running day and night.  It is something we look forward to all year long.  The cocktail parties, the showrooms, the people and the products are all amazing.  There is absolutely no way one can see it all.  It definitely is stimulation overload. The experiences we had were highlighted with:

networking with our design friends and industry peers,

the latest in product introductions

 and dazzling showrooms!

Kerry Steele's art at CR Laine

Kelly Wearstler for EJ Victor

Studio A

Vanguard Furniture

Universal

  It was exhausting and wonderful.  I loved meeting some of you that I've only known online.  The sharing of this community of creative designers, makers and entrepreneurs is so rewarding.  We listened to a seminar on maverick marketing techniques by Polly LaBarre, of Fast Company,  that struck a cord about how we need to market ourselves today.

Our takeaway included:

Inquiry beats certainty
Invite someone out of your normal circles for coffee to share ideas
See things differently- ask more questions
What would your fiercest critics say?
'Walk in stupid' as if you're starting over every day.
have "fresh eyes" (love this)

As designers we work in our own businesses independently of other peers most of the time, and it's so refreshing to hear the stories of those who are experts in the field! 

       Look for our next post about what's hot at market and the trends we are seeing!
                                               Happy Spring decorating!

On Trend : Blue and Grey

One Kings Lane did an awesome makeover with Honestly WTF blogger, Erica Chan Coffman and they used... da da dah... blue and grey.  I am seeing this scheme pop up all over the place:  

Uber IT girl Lauren Liess also talks about using this schema in her upcoming Lake Gaston reno.

Meanwhile, the other IT girl on the block, Erin Gates, talks about loving this bruisey-palette.

Kinda gives my stomach a turn, but I do like being pushed out of my comfort zone.

Tell us, are you down with the grey and blue?  Marsala, beware. Is this the newest color trend for 2015?

Spring design trends

Looking through my pictures from High Point Market, in an effort to not post a hundred + pictures of things I loved, I want to focus on the trends, in my humble opinion.  I have enjoyed seeing what others earmarked as highlights of their trips, dying that I couldn't see it all in four days!

One noticeable trend, that I have seen for the last two years, is  nailheads.  Nailheads in obvious and not so obvious places, like lamps, doors, dresser fronts, wallpaper - in all finishes, but the majority are antique bronze.

Hickory Chair

Gallery walls are still hugely popular as well as large scale art, but I saw alot of plexiglass frameless art treatments, no longer reserved for commercial applications.

at Wesley Hall

Chairs with gorgeous sexy lines, beautiful leathers and woods, but many more swivel chairs than I ever imagined. Now I'm thinking every home needs swivel chairs!

CR Laine with a new Traci Zellar pillow!

Hickory Chair

Neutrals are king and in every shade: blush, peaches, aquas, taupe, gray, but HOT pops of color and bold color-filled rooms were abundant.

Alexa Hampton for Hickory Chair

Thibaut walls, fabrics, furniture (note swivel chairs)

Thibauts furniture line is gorgeous. (note nailheads)

The lighting was over the top gorgeous, everywhere.  Statement lighting is paramount! But huge table lamps are really making headlines lately! (think vintage 70's-80's also)

Tracy Hiner of Black Crow Studios at CR Laine

The Tomlinson showroom had an impressive display of oversized lighting, with the creator on site, a wonderful older gentleman who is truly passionate about creating unique lighting for Tomlinson. 

These are just a few of the trends I noticed at market.  I feel rugs are moving away from bold, graphic designs, back to classic orientals, turkish, vintage and timeless designs.  Draperies are coming back in a big way, and of course the key points are

details and layers!!!

Hope you all have a great week! We are off to tape a radio show! We'll keep you posted.

in / out

I have loved reading your posts on the trends that washed away with 2013. I was happy to see things like chevron pillows and monogrammed-everything fade. 

I started thinking about the trends I'm done with. 

1. Brass for the sake of brass.  I covet an aged brass faucet just like the rest of yous so I hate to make such a broad statement, but enough of the adding more brass and MCM furniture just because. 

via

2.  All white minimalist nurseries.

via

3.  Industrial things - lightbulbs, pipes or both.

via

4.  Cutesy typography. Word-art on walls, gallery walls full of word-art and cutesy little wreath-thingies included. Sorry Glitter Guide.

via

5.  Black and white abstracts. Sure, I'll see one I like here and there.  But for the most part, let's redirect the talent elsewhere, shall we?

via

6.  White subway tile, halfway up, with no uppers in a kitchen.  I'm bored.

via

7. I wish I could say this last one in a teensy tiny voice so my mother doesn't club me to death when I go over to her house tonight, but .... Blue and White collections.  I'm done seeing it.  Mom has over 100 pieces of it in her home. I grew to love it. I bought it. I subscribed to it.  But I've seen too much. Since it's one of those timeless things (oxymoron?) I'll just mentally shelf it for a few years and then I'm sure I'll like it again.

via

Trends I could take or leave:

Benis and wedding blankets

Flatweave kilims and indigo/neon pink pillows

Gatsby-esque Deco

Painted furniture

Black and white with pops of saddle leather (nope, nevermind, still love it)

Kelly green and gray

poufs...

Hopefully we'll see a tad less of this shiz in 2014 but what would blogging be without all the lofty ideas, DIYs and bloggy decor?  While some of it is mind numbing (and over-saturation truly is the killer of all buzzes) it's the truly good ones that make up for all the rest.  I'm very thankful to be part of this creative world and all there is in it. And if you are still rocking the chevron pillows, then keep doing you. I'm just speaking my own truth, it doesn't have to be yours.

Good-Natured Ribbing

I was recently hating on trends, as you well know, and a friend reminded me of the wonderful trend-hating outlet that is:  

FUCK YOUR NOGUCHI COFFEE TABLE

(sorry for the momentary crudeness of the title. go on though, you'll definitely have a laugh.  Mom's shaking her head in shame right now).

Put a Feather In Your Cap

Drooling.

You can too

Feather Art Print | Feather Wreath | Feather Pendant | Feather Plates

Turning the Station

I used to love this look.  Loved.

But then blogland killed it for me.  Now I've seen it way too many times. I've seen it redone by bloggers, and redone quite well I might add. But now I cringe when I see a Moroccan rug (or grey and white chevron).

Does that ever happen to you? An over saturation of a trend or style that starts to have the adverse effect? I hate when this happens, its similar to when you start to hate your favorite song because you've listened to it on repeat (Luke Bryan, anyone?). 

Which ones have you felt this way about?