I was fortunate enough to travel with a friend and fellow interior designer, Jenny Van Stone, who was a great help to me. We started the trip with our Charlotte chapter of the Interior Design Society at a tour of the Hickory Chair showroom where we met Alexa Hampton, Thomas O'Brien, and Suzanne Kasler in person. I now have a personalized and autographed copy of one of Alexa's design books for bragging rights in my office!
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| Meeting designer Suzanne Kasler with my friend Jenny at Hickory Chair |
We also made the rounds at Hickory White, Lillian August, Drexel Heritage, Stanley Furniture, and many other furniture, lighting, and accessory resources that had great new collections and items to show off the latest trends. Here is a quick rundown of trends that I saw throughout the market from higher priced showrooms to less expensive lines.
NAILHEAD DETAILS
Adding a nailhead trim to upholstered furniture has been a prevalent detail for a few years, but it now seems to have creeped onto casegoods and accessories, too. The feeling out there is the more nailheads, the better. An interesting fact that I learned this trip was that nailhead trim was used in the 18th and 19th centuries to reflect candlelight so that it was easier to see lines of furniture across a room before there was electricity. It just goes to show that most timeless details like these all had more function when they were developed than just looking pretty.
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| Linen upholstered cabinets with nailhead trim at Hickory Chair |
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| Nailhead trimmed mirrors at Hickory Chair |
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| Leather upholstered sideboard with nailhead trim at Hickory White |
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Velvet upholstered bookcases from Thomas O'Brien's collection at Hickory Chair |
VIBRANT COLOR
Based on what I saw at Market, my 2012 Color Forecast was right on the money for what colors were going to be showing up in home decor this year. Turquoise, kelly green, lime green, yellow, and grey were all throughout the showrooms in very unapologetic statements. As much as I loved the yellow velvet with grey welted sofa that I saw in Drexel Heritage, I envy their ability to change it out next season with the latest color trend that awaits. The best and least expensive ways to bring these colors into your home is through accessories and paint. It's easy to freshen up a room by adding new pillows, curtains, brightly colored ceramic jars, or even a boldly painted accent wall that brings in the latest colors for you to enjoy.
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| A great way to update the color taupe is by adding grey and a pop of color as show here at Hickory Chair |
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| More yellow and turquoise at Lillian August |
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| Yellow and teal done farmhouse style at Bramble |
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| It doesn't get much bolder than that bright yellow latern at Hickory Chair |
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| Grey silk drapes on grey walls with chartreuse greek key trim at Hickory Chair |
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| Lime green and turqoise go "cottage chic" at Bramble |
THE COLOR INDIGO
I am writing a separate section on this one color alone based on what I feel is going to be the most prevalent and relavent color going forward. It made it's appearance paired with gold, cobalt blue, and red in the Hickory Chair showroom and is the one and only color featured in Restoration Hardware Spring 2012's catalog. For those of you that were resisting the grey washed furniture and lack of color that Restoration Hardware has been touting for the past couple of years (I was!), the entire marketplace was filled with that look. Indigo is a fresh way to compliment this neutral and "washed-out" trend that will be flooding all home furnishing stores very soon, if not already.
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| Hickory Chair combining indigo, cobalt, gold, and red for a fresh color statement |
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| Ikat in indigo on a custom bench at Hickory Chair |
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| An indigo sofa in a tie-dye, almost python, print at Hickory Chair |
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| Restoration Hardware using indigo as an accent to their very neutral look |
THAT NEUTRAL LOOK
If you haven't gotten on the mailing list for Restoration Hardware's catalog or checked it out online, I suggest doing so. They were the first of the chain retail stores to jump on this neutral, "Parisian flea market" look a few years ago and it has definitely caught on. Every showroom had a collection with white-washed or grey-washed furniture, linen upholstery, and wine barrel or "birdcage" lighting. I will definitely be following their newest additions closely, and am very curious to see if this "Deconstructed Collection" that they just introduced will be showing up in other furniture showrooms in the next year or two.
As much as I disliked this neutral trend when it first came out, I have actually grown to like it and am trying to figure out how to incorporate it without completely changing the look of my entire house. Hence why I am such a fan of incorporating the color indigo (and possibly gold or red as Hickory chair did) with this - it allows you to bring in pieces of this neutral look, versus replacing everything and eliminating color completely from your home.
I didn't take any pictures of this look since it has been around for a few years, but I feel that you can get the best sense of it by perusing Restoration Hardware's website or catalog. The good news is that you will be finding it at a more affordable retailer near you very soon!
