Spring 2016 Highpoint Market Trends & Highlights – Part #1

So Don, Fiona & Mindie made it back safe & sound from their trip to North Carolina and the Spring 2016 High Point Market. They gleaned quite a bit of inspiration from this year’s offerings and selected an abundance of new items to feature in-store as well as incorporate in upcoming design projects.  We have so much we want to show & tell you about, that we’re breaking the blog into two parts!  One this week, and the next in a couple days.  Without further ado, here are our observations and what got us most excited at market.

 

Textiles

Much spontaneity and fluidity in the new patterns & motifs, including themes of “watercolor” (as-in the painting method)– whether it be expressed if the form of abstractions, or as specific earthly elements like coral and garden greenery. As usual, nature continues to be a strong, if not the strongest, influence when it comes to new designs. In addition, we picked-up on a complimentary “bleeding ink” expressive style that translated very well to home décor items such as draperies, pillows and place settings.

We insist on having a great variety of flavors to choose from in the realm of fabrics, so we also fell in love with simple, colorful symmetrical designs and anything with “pop-art” influence, because fun is a critical ingredient in our endeavors, and life in general!

 

Lighting

Attention! Florals have made their way to the lighting department in a big way this year. Instead of your typical bulbs above the bathroom sink, how about plugging-in something a little out-of-the-ordinary with these beautifully-designed elements, providing some artistic whimsy to an otherwise predictable situation? You are sure to receive plenty of “I want those!” compliments from your guests when they step aside to freshen themselves up and take a gander at these fantastic bathroom components.

Also, think outside-of-the-box, or perhaps hasten back to Old World times with very attractive passageway lighting for either indoor or outdoor scenarios. See picture below.

 

Furniture

Skirts… sexy patterns and contrasting-colored skirts! What a fun way to dress-up your upholstered furniture. This can actually be bold or subtle, providing a delicate compliment of color or a unique pop of personality to the pieces themselves, which then carries over and assists with the color scheme for the rest of the room. We like denim blue paired with navy patterns and also think it’s pretty smart to take neutral in a different direction, like khaki w/ hot pink or lime green!

 

Some interesting Rustic-contemporary designs were unveiled, often coalescing in an “industrial middle ground”, and other times bypassing it completely. With these latter pieces, it appears the designers are consciously utilizing older, rough-hewn materials in applications that have typically been regarded as clashing or faux-pas in more modern or contemporary installations. Perhaps it’s this generation’s way of recognizing and paying respects to artisans of the pre-electric past and reimagining or repurposing these elements as they see fit. Depending on the success of this brave and unusual collaboration, they could certainly prove that old dogs can learn new tricks.

Check out more pictures of the Spring Show on our Pinterest page:

http://www.pinterest.com/dwellingeaston

And look for Part #2 of our blog in the coming days!  Thanks for “following us around”… we hope you are enjoying our designers’ inside glimpse thus far!

Cheers,

D&D