the trend curve™ - february 2010

It is generally the case that when a color or color family becomes so prevalent at a trade fair there

seems little room left for growth, that hue will be even more ubiquitous the next time around. That was exactly the case for Purple at Maison & Objet in Paris. Still, this color family, which has now reached its peak, was not standing still.

Purples had already begun evolving from Red-cast to Blue-cast hues, and in Paris that shift was well on its way. And they had previously opened the door to very dark values that were easy to see this time. But the real news came from emerging clean pastel values, and from dirty mid-tones with chameleon personalities that allowed them to work as either a Purple or a Brown.

Browns themselves were also on the move. Most important were Yellow-based hues that were often called Camel, even when pushed by many makers to darker values than Camel normally permits.

Additionally, Browns that could answer to the name Cocoa were incoming. They looked especially good with a number of Rose and Mauve types of similar mid-tone value that were coming on strong. Rose or Mauve will be quite salable alone (both will help lay a foundation for a Vintage trend), but looked good combined with Cocoa and a hint of White.

These were not the only Pinks of note, just those with the most forward potential. Yet it would be wrong to overlook a clean, pastel Pink that was quietly gaining (along with all pale values), and the Fuchsias that grabbed the eye for the second show in a row.

While Orange held its mainstream status and lipstick Red backed off, Oxblood kept this family interesting. Sometimes its warmth mediated enough for the hue to turn to Burgundy. When that happened, the deep Berry colors that have been important in the past looked old in comparison.

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Pales with Panache

Purple shifted lighter and Bluer at Compagnie des Etoffes Paris

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thetrendcurve™

one of them. Olive was another. It had picked up a bit since the last Paris show. On the neutral front:

• Grays warmed up to Putty and Taupe to stay fresh

• Blue-Grays and Purple Grays were also on hand

• Black was used as a foundation or accent more than a stand-alone option

• White backed off, except for furniture, where White finishes (not washes) were directional

Cords & Straps

One new ingredient in design stood out from all the rest at Maison & Objet: straps and

cords. Evoking looks that ranged from moving-van chic to countercultural, these new elements proved themselves to be both interesting to look at and capable of holding their own in the realm of décor.

Eno Edition Nouveaux Objets was one of several companies exploring the potential of bungee cords. Short lengths of the stretchy cord became colorful handles when passed through the walls of a clear-glass bowl and knotted on the inside. A small, medium-finished wood cabinet created by 5 Designers relied on a series of Green bungee cords across the front that stood out while standing in for a door.

Maire-Aurore Striker-Metral wove twill-tape straps over and under across three long, upholstered strips, connecting them into a single chair and back. Missoni braided cord of various pastel and mid-tone hues together to create multi-colored seats, backs and tabletops for outdoor furniture. Adding to their panache, the colors were arranged in stripe or plaid patterns.

Leather cords, grouped in two’s or three’s, took a high-end position at Roche Bobois. They were woven into an airy-yet-stable plaid for contemporary, wood-frame chair backs and a headboard. Philippe Hurel’s leather-cord design was a simpler grid for chairs and ottomans.

Désio’s bulkier take on leather cord looked less structured. It was wrapped twice around a sofa slipcover to keep it in place. Objecto’s one vertical and two horizontal Black leather straps crossed into the back of a circular-metal-frame chair. Only the chains were missing for a complete bondage look. Metal mesh can have a similar aesthetic. It, too, was used in strips, crossed with solid metal ones to form a tactile plaid chair seat at Now’s Home.

Notes about other materials in Paris:

Blues generated much excitement. Established warm personalities played a key role as foil to new Red-cast pales and brights. Navy continued a slow progression. Meanwhile, Denim-inspired colors grew more broadly, taking on Red casts in some situations and going warmer in others, evoking a dirty Denim look filled with lots of complexity, sophistication and appeal.

Peacock was one of the fair’s go-to hues, but its impact seemed more consequential for Greens than Blues. That’s because of the emerging presence of Evergreen, which felt like an evolution of Peacock to a darker and Greener personality, and the continued incoming presence of Teal within the palette. (Use Evergreen to keep deep palettes from looking too retro.)

Although Greens were not top trend colors, a few other hues in this section of the color wheel also held promise. Spearmint, with just a hint of Yellow, was

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Rose was new in rugcolors from Stepevi

Tondelli’s Red-cast Navy velvet

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• Pleating, tucks, heat treatments were key fabric textures

• Colored-transparent glass was growing

• Makers added pearl, iridescent or frosted effects to take the trend further

• Tiny plastic beads updated wall coverings

• Ceramic was increasingly scratched, etched, crushed or otherwise textured

• Wood looked great when unfinished, but trend-right painted White

Going Digital

A budding trend from the last Maison & Objet fair revolved around playing with portraiture. Four

months later, the trend was still in the early stages of development, as evidenced by makers like Kuhn Keramic, where Renaissance portraits became the subjects of plates and serving pieces. These images were adapted to line-art style, retextured with finger-painting strokes, modified with the addition of birds/plants/squirrels/crosses or turned into a one-color study.

At the same time, the market was experimenting with photographic representations. In some designs, patterns were made to look pixilated, as though a digital picture had been enlarged far beyond the range of the data in the file, resulting in a blurry mass of colored boxes and rectangles. Chevalier Edition’s area rug in shades of Brown was one of the best examples of this trend. Missoni’s floral fabrics, featuring the same image in sharp focus, as well as blown up and pixilated, offered a new approach to pattern coordination.

In other instances, well-known designs were created with a series of tiny dots or boxes to give

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them a digital look. That was the case in Skorpios, by Bernardaud’s. This dinnerware pattern featured allover pixilated scrollwork in textural relief to update to a classic design. Another take on pixilation came from Gaia & Gino’s optical-glass Gino dog figures and Matrix vases, both made of clear/transparent colored glass blocks and rectangles.

The fabric on Valentina Giovando’s Vintage settee was blown up and blurry, yet not pixilated. Bernardaud’s limited-edition plates are also blurred, but for a different reason. Rather than being blown-up pictures, each of the 6 different plate designs is a unique freeze-frame taken from a video.

Nio-Carlo Rampazzi & Sergio Villa collaborated to bring a work of wall art into a tabletop via digital photography set between a steel slab and Plexiglas. The goal was to create an experience in which users feel as though they have entered the picture when seated at the table.

L: Eno Edition Nouveaux Objets used bungee cords as handles

R: New leather-cord chair back and headboard from Roche Bobois

Bouquet from Missoni Home

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thetrendcurve™

the Blue of note, yet others in this family had to be acknowledged for their fashion-forward status, especially Denim and Navy.

Patterns had panache at Heimtextil. Lace effects led the way in a number of categories. Panels from Christian Fischbacher, for example, featured a Purple-on-White, paisley-inspired print with the aesthetic of classic lace. And a crochet-lace lampshade evoked a traditional response. But bedding opened the door to a modern point of view that made lace feel quite up-to-date.

This was achieved by printing floral lace designs and bold patterns like stripes and plaids in a single pattern. In some cases, patterns alternated. This was the approach in Esprit’s bedding, where printed lace sat side-by-side with plaids in two scales for youthful appeal. In another collection, a lace-flower design

was printed over bold stripes. Some lace blossoms turned from positive to negative as they crossed the boundary from one stripe to another. This made the pattern feel unpredictable and original.

Alone, stripes had much to say. Whether thick and bold or thin and diminutive, stripes created rhythmic designs that were perfect vehicles for a multi-color approach. A few diagonals were fun companions to regimented stripes. Curved lines and zigzags also had modest exposure. But patterns filled with a number of small-scale, allover geometrics felt newest. That’s because widths of gingham, hounds-tooth, dot or semi-circular repeats created their own sea of texture to enhance the stripped landscape.

Floral designs got an update from tropical

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Photography became more realistic when it took on

eco-associations in the Trend Exhibit. Here over-scaled chairs with backs shaped like mountains were covered with fabric printed with a forested mountain photo. At Pomax, a vintage Black-and-White photo of a

young Victorian era girl was framed with a Rose-

and-Amethyst floral print. FS Home Collection’s pillows

came in a Gray-scale print of several bulldogs (incoming), each

featured on its own pillow.

Some of the other pattern trends in Paris:

• Flowers were unrivaled for popularity, with folkloric being newest

• Architectural elements advanced in surface design

• Paisleys were blown up, shown in patchwoks, dabbed-on in pattern and adapted to ikat-style for newness

• Ikat and kilim looks continued to emerge

• Lace was incoming as a surface design

• Plaids picked up

• Thin was still directional for stripes

Heimtextil 2010

Despite snow and economic pressures, Messe Frankfurt was buzzing with excitement during

Heimtextil. This trade fair, which is the world’s largest for home textiles, seemed to answer the market’s need for inspiration with which to heal the burdens of recent economic woes. It did so with color.

Purple continued to lead in personalities ranging from soft to vibrant. Red casts, though still present, began deferring to the influence of Blue for newness. Meanwhile, Orange took center stage, but never alone. Teaming with Greens, soft Purple or Stone-like neutrals took Orange to a fresher, nature-inspired look that made retro combinations like Orange/Pink appear dated. Peacock was

From the Shadows on the Wall collection at BN Wallcoverings

Le Promeneur from Bernardaud is a freeze-frame image from video

Glamour from Esprit mixes lace and plaids

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sensibilities, while Jacobean-inspired motifs continued with hints of Indonesian-batik design. Still in the earliest emerging stages, watch for tribal island looks to build in the next 18 – 24 months. Also of note:

• Realistic nature photography and pixilated imagery enhanced wall coverings and textiles

• Geometric cut-outs joined lace in the embrace of overlay techniques

• Paisleys got more attention; they were mini or oversized

• Pebble motifs connected with eco trends

• Mixed textiles and textures, not bling, gave bedding a sense of luxury

Textural Rugs

Texture on all levels remained critical and became more pervasive at the Atlanta Rug

Market. It was expressed as high/low sculpted effects, pile contrasting with loop, and layers of pile in one piece. Additionally, there was an increased emphasis on mixing not only different fibers, but also various twist levels of yarn with distinct refractive qualities for more complex textures than just matte/luster. Absent or skipped-weave techniques created openness and supple draping to rug construction in Belgian rugs at Momeni.

Texture trumped all in increasingly popular single-color rugs. Most consisted of one line of knotted wool—usually even and plush—followed by a line of linen, nettle, sisal, hemp or even rayon, usually looped or otherwise a counter texture to the wool. This approach was most obvious in contemporary designs, as well as in solid-color plains. Notable introductions came from Safavieh and Tamarian.

Washed, double-washed and even quadruple-washed rugs produced tactile softness, scaled-back hues and patterns bordering on ghostly, with mirage-like shimmering color fields. Visual texture played a part via increasingly important aged, faded and antiqued vintage surfaces.

Meanwhile, hand-manipulated techniques, such as needlepoint, petit point, and gros point, did not back off. Instead, they drifted toward finer constructions in a nod to traditional-textile techniques. But the trajectory of the patterns themselves was not traditional. Designs were modified and modernized to sit on the edge of contemporary, especially when up-to-date colorations were involved.

The movement toward ecologically responsibility was ever stronger in Atlanta, and this too had

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implications for texture. Plant fibers, especially in the bast category (sisal, hemp, linen, even aloe) proved to be popular and growing. To make them more livable, they were loosing their firmer rough hand and, through processing, began to achieve a more supple, pliable and soft hand in pile constructions.

When it came to pattern, stripes took on a new significance, especially when packed with patterns and motifs. Momeni’s Fair Isle, a clever take on Irish cable-knit sweaters, suggested just one way to update stripes. Another approach came from rug scraps pieced together into a rag-rug look. The minor addition of baseball stitching to this centuries-old method of repurposing materials resulted in a counterculture twist with high appeal.

Classic tribal designs, however, were an unstoppable force. Patterns grew larger, more geometric and simpler than in the past—features that are set to remain for several years. Zollanvari’s gabbah-inspired cocoa piece was directional for its natural-colored, simple tribal designs using blocks, squares and simple borders, all woven into a shaggy, almost feathery wool pile.

While kilims renewed themselves as a contemporary vehicle for simplified and over-scaled linear patterns (stripes, checks and plaids, often in a two-color application), graphic interpretations of designs from outside the usual Middle-Eastern sources emerged. Watch for a major increase in 2011-2012:

• Ikats expanded and developed, morphing from classic flat woven to pile

• Pacific Rim patterns like plangi and tie-dye from India and Japan, were inspirational

The shag, which did not let

up as a major retro-style

category, also reinforced

a textural direction for

solids. Some shags took

that mission to an extreme

as huge, felted-wool yarns

were placed next to tiny,

lustrous polyester ones.

Aboriginal design from Amici

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thetrendcurve™

• African design, including very tribal in motifs done in earth colors, was notable in David Easton’s African collection at Safavieh

• Stepping outside the pack, Amici’s aboriginal designs offered a modern take on traditional Australian aboriginal paintings, tweaking designs with true native color palettes

• As a niche item, but indicative of a

move to renewed interest in American Southwest, Tahoe

Rug Studio showed Navajo rugs that were not done in the traditional flat constructions

• Kurdish, Kazak, Russian, Afghan, even African Ashanti tribal designs, all with their slightly masculine and geometric bent, are getting ready to explode.

Showtime

The Showtime textiles market made it abundantly clear that the adjective “plain”

is completely inappropriate for fashion-forward fabrics. That’s because texture was still king. Ways to achieve it were more diverse than ever, and it was

not unusual to see companies call on many types in a single fabric as combining textures continued to be directional.

Tiny basket weaves, diminutive chevrons, combinations of coarse and fine yarns, and infusions of plush and various novelty elements all contributed to a complex approach that is fast becoming the norm. Even luxe was being redefined via texture. Valdese Weavers, for example, said flat and shiny characteristics are too garish, old school and dressy. Hammering and low luster make a more sophisticated point. At Home Fabrics, strié warps took plains up a notch.

Heathered/marled/strié/hombre effects kept color from looking too bold and neutrals from seeming too ordinary. So did the myriad ikat looks that were being applied to lots of patterns and motifs. Worn or antiqued surfaces were also building.

When it came to fabric types, bouclés were the subject of much attention. But rather than fading away, chenille is morphing into a staple with high/low, bulky/fine or novelty-yarn textures that can make it quite dressy.

Credit the extreme texture trend for a new requirement that velvet come with something more to make it special. Cut looks and low luster do the trick for now. Going forward, watch for more dimensional aspects like crushing and slubs. Along with embossing, dull antique looks, embroidery, braid and metallic-thread, these features herald an incoming Vintage trend that some will call Victorian.

Silk and matelassé fit equally well in the Vintage mode. Matelassé is already rising, and will continue to do so for at least 24 more months. Also of note: a return to washed looks driven by a growing interest in slipcovers.

Linen is still driving big sales. That said, the next two years will see fewer glazes and metallics. Now that the

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L: Taji from Victor Group blended tribal and textural elements

R: Velvet and silk with a Vintage flavor: Nipkow & Kobelt

Momeni’s new stripe

Carol Bolton for Kalaty

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figure-eight designs cut with one side smaller than the other. The smaller opening was sliced through, allowing the stem of a wine glass to be inserted so the glass is upside-down. The other side slips over the top of the wine bottle. Four glasses can be carried with this clever solution.

One company took this trend to an extreme by transforming a mid-century molded chair into a table base. Most of the chair sat underneath the flat top, but a few inches of the back passed through it, interrrupting the tabletop to offer an abstract take on dining.

A New Twist meant adding features to an item from the past that made it more compelling. Case in point: the clock. Rojak’s dominant use of clear materials for a hands-only wall clock was a play on the fact that clocks keep disappearing from décor as digital versions are increasingly integrated into electronics. Embedding light into the hour, minute and second hands created a light show with both functional and decorative appeal.

market has discovered bulky, produce-sack weaves, dry and even worn are directional for linen. The pace at which this nubby, countrified fabric has moved from exclusive levels toward the mainstream confirms an interest in a different take on relaxed looks.

100% Design Tokyo

100% Design Tokyo is one of the most interesting shows of the year. Held during

Tokyo Design Week, it is a showcase for cutting-edge Japanese and international designs. This year, three themes stood out.

Green Living was at the forefront of this event. Creating products using eco-friendly materials got lots of attention. So did making environmental statements via design. One of the best messages came from a chair designed by Ken Kimizuka for Tonerico. This linear piece was primarily clear, but had a few inches of wood on the far-left portion of the seat and back. Displayed with this chair were statistics about the maintenance rate of forests throughout the world, suggesting the chair symbolized the disappearance of forests.

Throughout the show, products designed to integrate foliate into décor kept popping up. Living walls, the vertical gardens that emerged just over a year ago, were still very much in evidence (the newest twist: combining types and colors of plants to create pattern). But there were plenty of other ways to artfully position nature within décor without resorting to a basic pot. Standing displays elevated plants within settings—both literally and figuratively—by bringing nature up to seated eye level. Time & Style Factory’s Pole Planter and Ren’s cylinder both stand about 18-inches tall. The Pole Planter is meant to be covered all over with foliage, while Ren’s model can be filled with soil with a plant at the top.

Mundane Mastery used everyday items to create something truly unexpected. Small felt orbs lined up and fit together in concentric rings to make a tripod-base accent table, while ping-pong balls were held in the shape of a chair by a transparent plastic cover. Clear-plastic spoons hung by their handles in tiered circles to create a light fixture and D-shaped handles became both decorative and delightfully functional when they repeated all the way around a pan.

Furnish solved the problem of how to carry a bottle of wine and some glasses with one hand using nothing more than a simple piece of felt: Modified

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Pole Planter from Time & Style Factory

Functional felt shown at Furnish

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Michelle Lamb is the founder and chairman of Marketing Directions, Inc., publishers of The Trend Curve and numerous special reports covering major markets.

Marketing Directions, Inc. informs national and international manufacturers and retailers on industry trends.

The Trend Curve is published byMarketing Directions, Inc. six times yearly with information from major markets and trade shows important to the home furnishings industry. Subscription is available at $199.00 per year when delivered within the U.S., $269.00 for all other countries. Back issues ($30 each) and custom publications are available.

Marketing Directions, Inc. 14850 Scenic Heights Road Suite 155 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 USA

(952) 893-1245 or call toll-free (800) 531-6614 Fax (952) 893-1264

E-mail: [email protected] http://www.trendcurve.com

The Trend Curve - ISSN#1080-1324

Michelle Lamb Editorial Director

Editorial Correspondents:

For HEIMTEXTIL: Jane Stockel

For Atlanta Rugs: Arthur Douglas Thayer

While every effort has been made to provide accurate information, Marketing Directions, Inc. cannot be held accountable for any error or omission and there is no warranty or representation, express or implied, that the information provided in this publication is definitive. Marketing Directions, Inc. is not responsible for any costs, expenses or damages, actual or consequential, resulting from the use of this information.

The Trend Curve has received many subscriber-family requests for an autumn color-and-trend

forecast over the past two years. As the team began to research the potential for creating one, we learned that we had been mistaken in overlooking this important season and its crown jewel: Halloween. This months-long timeframe, which is sometimes called Falloween, generates over $6 billion in sales and is second only to Christmas in its earning potential.

That was enough to get our attention.

We got busy creating a new tool for our customers called Haute Halloween and Fall™ 2011. It includes 9 trends and 30 colors, neutrals and metallics that work from late summer all the way through Thanksgiving (when winter and Christmas become the focus). They can be used for both Halloween and fall, as well as for either of them, separately.

We’re all about trends at The Trend Curve, so each of the themes in Haute Halloween is crafted to blend with everyday décor. And, as we are also all about color, each of the palettes does the same.

I was fortunate to have a member on my team who is a Halloween expert of sorts, having written several novels and articles on the subject for New York publishing houses. She pointed out that this ancient holiday, which originated in Ireland over 2,500 years ago to mark the Celtic New Year, was brought to America during the mid-1800’s with the immigration caused by the Irish potato famine. It was thereby united with the pumpkin-growing turf of New England. This bit of historical trivia reminded

me that Halloween has reached across thousands of years and miles to win the hearts of both North American kids and adults (over 50% of Halloween costumes sold are for adults).

Halloween is just plain fun! In addition to the billions of dollars spent each year on Halloween candy, costumes and greeting cards, the increase in autumn entertaining has carried Falloween décor into almost every room in the house. Once reserved for outdoor displays and party rooms, Halloween-themes can now be seen in living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, baths and even the accessories for our pets.

But Falloween’s growth has clearly not been matched by newness, especially in décor and packaging. While the movie, TV, and political worlds fuel new costume ideas every year, customers seeking more from décor than candy corn, scarecrows, witches or ghosts are usually disappointed at point of purchase. The Trend Curve can help you to change that. We believe that the innovative trends and colors in Haute Halloween & Fall ™ for 2011 will ensure that your collections will catch consumers’ eyes with their forward views and classy new spins for everything from flatware and textiles to decorative accessories and lighting.

the last word

At Yoshifumi Sasamoto Design, plates have a square eating surface, but that square is not quite centered within a body featuring asymmetrically designed outer rim. Pile several of these plates together and the stack begins to twist into an interesting textural form that deserves to live outside a cupboard.

Rojak’s eye-catching clock

Plates get a new twist from Yoshifumi Sasamoto Design

To learn more about Haute Halloween and Fall 2011, visit www.trendcurve.com and go to the Trend Store pull-down menu and choose Color Forecasts.

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the trend curve™ - february 2010

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