Back from furniture market in Vegas ... 3 days and 42,000 steps, quest for new vendors to add to our ever-growing interior design library and our GCD Provisions resources (next pop up coming soon to Orinda!).
Market was very busy; parking was full; orders were being written in every showroom. Certainly the largest turnout since Covid hit.
Gwen is going through a "Swedish" phase," and Stefanie had to bar her from buying anything more from Sweden, Norway, or Brussels. And if she wasn't lost in the Netherlands, she drifted to Argentina and Africa. We can't wait for our "northern finds" to arrive.
This time we spent even more time in the smaller vendor showrooms. And for furniture and rugs, we found new exciting lines--concentrating on those that feature sustainable fabrics and manufacturing methods. We were pleased to see that at least in some of the showrooms, prices had remained the same and in one case, one of our favorite importers, the prices were reduced by 10% from last year.
For prices, quality costs. Period. There are the originals (expensive), the copies of the originals (less expensive), and the cheaper copies of the copies (likely not to last). That last category is still pricey, so the question is as always and with today's focus on sustainability--is it worth buying now and throwing it away sooner than later? I am proud to have set up with four new upholstery lines, two of which are made in California, and two made in Carolina.
Trend #1 - Texture IN, Grey OUT
Warm naturals shown with white and charcoal, and saturated pastel colors (think 50's kitchen and bathroom tiles) are in. Pink is going strong and available in all kinds of items, from mauve to shocking. Creeping in are earth tones (shades of the 70's) especially with all that texture.
Photos: Mauves mood board by GCD, GCD Provisions textured pillows, BM color of the year: rasberry blush.
Trend #2 - Ca CASUAL
The "so-called California look is moving across country." Our new homeowners don't want their parents' things. They want to live in every square foot of space they possess. The idea of wasted rooms is not prevalent. People want to socialize, play, study, cook, eat, watch TV, and just hang. They don't want to worry about fabric wear and stain. They don't want highly polished furniture that requires frequent waxing and dusting. Designers need to find a way for people to do that, and it can be done elegantly. So let's coin the phrase "elegant casual" as a close description of what we observed.
Trend #3 - COCOON is Cool
A strong trend toward cocooning--a movement toward cozy homes that originated in the 80's during the Cold War. These days, staying home has become right on trend. Our homes are at the center of our lives, so why not make them as soft and comfortable as possible, to find peace in our spaces no matter how big or small?
We are seeing more curved sofas with huge ottomans attached, almost like beds with sofa backs, as seen here in a piece from one of our favorite lines. Gorg!
And dine and play at home with a dining table that doubles as a ping pong table (below ... how cool is that? "ping" me and we'll make it happen!) with a removable wood magnetic "net," fun chairs, and newly woven performance fabrics that surpass the stiff Sunbrellas and coated fabrics, keep their soft hand and a dyeing process that pulls the color throughout the weave.
Thank you for reading!
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