NYNOW Summer 2015 – Design Trends Are Neutralizing!

Posted on by Debbie

For those of you who actually read my blogs, THANK YOU!

Here is my update on the SUMMER 2015 NY NOW show’s design trends that I’ve been teasing in my recent blogs. First, I must tell you that I went with my 12 year old daughter. I honestly was not sure what the result would be – do we ever know when it comes to 12 years olds? – but, unlike the Arch Digest Show, this trade show offers gifts, jewelry and BABY THINGS (and my daughter is obsessed with “all things baby” now that her cousin is PG). Three and a half hours later, we were still smiling and taking fun shots – and yes, collecting brochures on everything baby. Here is what I was able to absorb in between “the softest baby blankets ever”, bib buckets, and handmade wool stuffed animals.

2016 DESIGN TRENDS

1. Metallics

Metallics are still visible although the number of vendors displaying their bling appears to have dropped this Summer. But decorative pillows, skin rugs, bedding, lighting and some accent furnishings still “shine bright like a diamond”.

One of my favorite sources for decorative pillows is Ryan Studio and I am still a big fan after seeing their new collections at this show. Callisto caught my eye for their decorative pillows and throws.

2. Animals

Animals are still a BIG emphasis in Home Decor. Sheepskin, cow hides, alpaca, rabbit, lamb’s wool were in abundance (and there was a booth with faux furs that looked SO real – I will have to make a trip back to Javitz to try on one of the ponchos – so cool). But I digress . . . . bean bags and rugs, pillows and throws. The soft texture mixed with the natural colors – this is a trend that is still very popular.

3. Color, as in NO Color

As for color trends, we did not experience deep, saturated colors as much as I saw in previous shows. I feel we are trending back to neutrals (which makes me VERY happy since I ordered a new sofa and 2 accent chairs for my apartment in neutral beiges and tans). The silk and wool rugs feature subdued patterns and tones – very elegant! This is one of those design trends that combines the organic movement with historical precedent and the blue-gray walls that have become almost classics nowadays.

4. Skulls

Of the more crazy design trends we saw, my daughter said I must mention the skulls – yes, they are STILL huge in decorative objects, art, pillows, wall-mounted sculptures. I am not sure I understand the obsessions but the trend is still alive (ha, no pun intended). As a hard working NYC home stager, I’m unlikely to use these in any of my staging designs… Goth is small market segment and we tend to want to cast a wider net. As for Halloween…

5. Cozying Up

Perhaps it’s just winter coming, and how hard last winter was. But there were a lot of textile vendors offering pillows, throws and furniture specifically for snuggling into. Hunkering down with cable knits, soft cotton and furs were popular suggestions at many booths. And it is here that we saw that formerly familiar pop of orange, the acid green and soft blues for all the girls who have invested heavily in mid-century modern and want to accessorize accordingly.

Notice the metallic background for display! 🙂

Which is your favorite trend?

Pre NYNOW Trends Should Inform Stagers Of First Time Buyers.

Posted on by Debbie

Every summer, I drag myself through the heat and humidity to Javits Convention Center for NYNOW’s summer market. This year is August 16 – 19, 2015. It’s a huge convention center, filled to bursting with fresh, colorful ideas. Trends are laid out for you in glorious 3 dimensional technicolor and it. is. exhausting! I love it. I completely love it, but I have to start working out for it months in advance.

Interesting, this year in the promotional materials they are talking a lot about the changing customer base in terms of lifestyle. My ears pricked immediately. That is one of our signatures at Amazing Spaces NYC – home staging, yes, but more accurately, Lifestyle Marketing. Millenials’ more casual lifestyle (than their BabyBoomer parents) is altering the retail landscape. Which one would expect, it’s just fun when everyone sits up and notices how. How many Boomers do you know who are just now starting to downsize and finally stop acquiring things? As the youngest of that generation sends their last kid off to college, a new era is emerging. And, the more The Gift And Decor industry writes about the Millennials, the more I realize that this is vital intel for home stagers as we prepare homes for sale for younger or first time buyers.

Gifting Trends Derive From Millennials Lifestyle

Millennials are becoming known as the ‘Cut The Cord Generation’. Gone for them are phone wires, audio system cables, TV plugs, TV in general! Since they carry their life and memories around on a phone, they don’t need or photo frames so much anymore. In terms of gift giving, according to a recent study commissioned by Gift and Decorative Accessories magazine Picture Frames are becoming less popular, as are candles.

To do a centerpiece of candles used to be pretty. Not so any longer. Now, an aromatherapy mister in the kitchen would be more on trend.

Toys, games and puzzles are popular again, as is anything handmade. It’s not just Panera excited about “Artisanal” – “Handmade” is huge. In fact, NYNOW will have a whole separate section on handmade items and exhibit hours specifically for that part of the Gift and Decor convention. 632 of the show’s 2,600+ exhibitors come from the Artisan space.

Other items trending are bar-ware. This is not surprising when you consider that the Millennials feel a strong affinity for the 50s, mid-century modern and all things ‘Mad Men’. Cocktails and the stuff to stir, shake and pour are all the rage. Actually, is this particularly new? Apparently it’s THE hot trend in giftware right now, but hasn’t Pottery Barn been selling these items since [their] Day One?

When we think of first time buyers, we need to keep in mind, those folks are Millennials, and they’re a generation that is starting to be well-defined. They are starting to have enough of their own money that they set trends all by themselves. Anything that appeals to them in general is what we should be staging with whenever they’re the target market.

Now, lest you worry whether I’ve incorporated any of these trends yet, let me remind you of a recent staging we had great success with –>

Happy summer! Looking forward to bringing you some sizzling ideas from #NYNOW.

NY NOW 2015 Home Show Recap – Design Trends Continue On Familiar Ground

Posted on by Debbie

Well, let’s start by saying – oops! Little did I know that the NY NOW 2015 show would only be open for 5 hours today. I arrived at 10:30am, ready to tackle the aisles and aisles of textiles, rugs, furnishings, accessories, linens, lighting and art but only managed to cover about 1/3 of the show. Enjoy the recap:

Moroccan and ikat patterns are STILL hot, as was seen in pillows and coverlets from Kevin O’Brien Studio. These ombre, velvet pillows add a luxurious layer to any sofa or bed. While the leopard and dots were my favorite patterns, the moroccan tile was also very eye-catching. These are not inexpensive pillows, my friends. At ABC Home’s flat iron store, Kevin O’Brien’s crushed and burned out velvet creations can cost between $275 and $350 a piece. And it is very hard to stop at just one!

Metallics in textiles are also still in-style (actually Kevin O’Brien introduced a decorative pillow in ivory with gold metallic accents – very tasteful). As for color trends, the range was enormous: we saw pillows in bright Izod-inspired hues to handsome and regal navy blues and deep chocolate browns to creams and beiges. Basically whatever your primary color is for a staging plan can be found in textiles. One of my favorite houses for pillows continues to be V Rugs & Home based out of Miami. I just love how simple and elegant their pillows are, and this year they added some whimsical poof ottomans to the booth.

Stagers who handle terraces and patios are endlessly searching for realistic shrubs and hedges. I found a great resource at NY NOW. New Growth Designs based out of North Carolina displayed an assortment of boxwoods, from hedges to balls to topiaries as well as beautiful orchards, hydrangeas, roses and ferns.

The warm metals are still HOT, and was proudly displayed by vendors such as Emporium Home. Mirrors, furniture and lighting all featured warm gold and brass tones. Check out the sputnik chandelier with rock crystal bulbs – what a statement!

And Mr. London also featured warm brasses in their booth. I am so happy that this trend is still on fire. It gives Stagers so much more flexibility when designing a room!

And another metal was very popular at Shiraleah (based out of Chicago) – COPPER!

Last year my favorite find in accessories were trays and mugs in Pantone color ways. So fun and add a great splash of color when staging a kitchen or dining room. This year, I had a few faves. One of them is the line of linens, trays and high ball glasses from August Morgan. Kate Hersch, originally from the north shore of Long Island (like me) created a line of affordable accessories that will certainly add a bit of whimsical humor to a staging design. Here are some of her napkin designs:

My assistant and I were ready to take a nap when we felt the premium bamboo linens from Cozy Earth. Temperature regulating and hypoallergenic . . . . and as soft as silk. And for backgammon fanatics, you must check out Vive Designs based out of Brooklyn. The boards come in either acrylic, snakeskin or lacquered finishes. Stunning! And Made Goods won my heart with their teak and resign blocks that be used as decorative objects or book ends. They also have accent tables to match. I love how these 2 materials work together. It is a marriage of Organic and Modern. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Don’t THESE nesting tables look familiar?????

2015 Design Trends

Posted on by Debbie

I called it! As reports trickle in from the Las Vegas Market, and MSN casts about for “1- Home Trends That Will Take Off This Year“, I am patting myself on the back for the calling the 2015 Design Trends — the trending brass fittings in bathrooms, particularly, but kitchens, too. What has already become popular in the NYC home Staging is now morphing into a widespread, perhaps nationwide, trend.

Organic Modern gaining strength and identity as a movement. Eggs? “The first trend is a farm-fresh surprise. Though I suppose with hip urbanites harvesting eggs from their backyard chicken coops, it was only a matter of time before eggs caught on as a design trend.” writes Shannon Ggem from Vegas. Urbanites with backyard chicken coops, who are these people?

What kind of backyards do they have and which city has an ordinance that allows for that kind of noise, mess and smell? Mind you, dogs make a lot of noise too – and NYC is FULL of them!

I absolutely LOVE the teak remnant tables that are filled with resin that looks like quartz! The organic trend continues – albeit with EGGS.

Aren’t they gorgeous? I’ve seen Holloway Teak and Cracked Resin; I’ve seen tamarind wood in layers of clear acrylic resin. Here is a set of nesting tables with barely any wood and frankly, I think those are even more remarkable: –

2015 Design Trends - Wood and Resin

The organic source – the color and texture of the wood – preserved in plastic (essentially another word for acrylic) epitomizes the “organic modern” movement for me. Spectacular, exotic woods are made timeless in this kinds of pieces.

Another advantage of these side tables is that they have see-through sections. I use a lot of acrylic pieces in smaller apartments because they don’t fill a space like a solid piece would. By keeping the sight-lines open, buyers can see the functionality of a space and still feel like there is room for more. It has served me well, and I couldn’t be more excited about these items. Anthropologie is already sold out. Hopefully there will be options costing less than $3,000 available to the trade soon.

What are you seeing as far as 2015 Design Trends go where you are?

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Category Archives: Design Trends

NYNOW Summer 2015 – Design Trends Are Neutralizing!

2016 DESIGN TRENDS

1. Metallics

Pre NYNOW Trends Should Inform Stagers Of First Time Buyers.

Gifting Trends Derive From Millennials Lifestyle

NY NOW 2015 Home Show Recap – Design Trends Continue On Familiar Ground

2015 Design Trends