inspiration. information. influence

This year’s trend theme is Montage. Montage is made up of the four themes of Color Riot, Dark Lux, Craft

Industry, and Split Clarity. Restlessness, anxiety, curiosity, desire for design all signal a C change globally and Montage exemplifies that shift.

Colors play a leading role at the Heimtextil 2012 Trend Show: “We use intensive colors to set decisive accents. In the new season, rich, fresh shades will act as channels for emotions”, ex­plains Claudia Herke of bora.herke.palmisano, the design agency respon­sible for the concept of the Trend Show and fabric selection.

We say we love it, but could never sell it; we tip toe around it, because we really don’t understand its power. We fuel the neutral self fulfilling prophecy by showing 50 shades of cream. What is it? It’s daring color in blinds and shades. For a lot of reasons design pros selling hard window coverings haven’t embraced color blocking, P.O C.(Pop of Color) or bold, intense hues like other segments of the home furnishings industry. So I am soo excited to finally see the vibrant hued pleated shades in this month’s House Beautiful. Hopefully, this arbitrator of American taste might move us off the dime. Also spotted – the pleated shades had XL pleats. OMG- color, a Pleated shade AND XL pleats! Is this a harbinger of what might be coming in window coverings?

The Shade Store Via House Beautiful

With Tangerine Tango the Color of the Year-why not try it at the window?

So if we start embracing color; could we , ( O heart be still) start to see bold dynamic pattern at the window? God, I hope so; I could use a little drama….

All shade images from The Shade Store

Julia Roberts does it, so does Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, and  others. We’re talking about knitting or crocheting. All age groups and demographics are getting into crocheting and knitting; joining the 38 million consumers who enjoy doing these crafts according to the Craft Yarn Council. Expressing creativity is the number one motivation to pick up needles and hooks. Once they learn, knitters/crocheters find it to be a great stress reliever and great for making gifts.

So with knitting immersing itself in all manner of new media mash ups, it’s no wonder we are seeing it filtering into interiors. Watch for knits in all shapes and forms to get a stronghold in the home in 2012. We’ve seen its influence on fabrics, furniture, lighting, windows and even walls.

Deryn Relph, a textile designer explored the effet that color has on emotions through the kitted media in these ” Uplifting Lampshades.” Relph specializes in knitted textiles for interiors and  merges this with previous upholstery and furnishing skills to create unique and contemporary solutions to an idea.

Tired of the cold sterility of most modernist furniture — then check out these inviting knitted stools by British textile designer Claire-Anne O’Brien. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, O’Brien’s funky and tactile stools are a refreshingly clever rethinking of what form the ordinary stool may take.

FLOR rethinks  traditional cable sitiches in these Just Plain Folk modular carpet tiles in muted neutral tones of 100% recycled Nylon fiber providing visual warmth for your floors.

The ‘loop chaise lounge’ was born from dutch designer sophie de vocht’s interest in the ‘tufting’ technique, and is characterized by a high number of tufts of yarn inserted through needles on a fabric base. Designed for italian furniture company casamania, the chair features a metal structure in which ‘over-sized yarn’ is woven through to create a softness. The main base and seat are tightly woven, gradually getting looser in their stitching along the length of the chaise lounge, eventually fanning out over the floor.

 Knitted wall panels seen at M&O

Don’t forget knitting cousin, Crochet. Believe me you won’t if you see any of Polish artist ,Olek’s work  who aggressively crochets her life into her work, and  has freely admitted to spending the night in her Knitting Is For Pussies exhibit,recently at the Christopher Henry Gallery.

Award winning designer Chae young Kim creates intricate interior products by combining analogue and digital techniques. Her Knitted Room Wallpaper is created using 2D vector graphics processed through a software to create a knitted 3D effect onto a printed surface.

We first saw this at imm Cologne as part of the Young Talents exhibition and it is now in production and available through Surface View.

Check out Etsy for loads of wonderful knittted and crochets accesories, soft furnishings and one-of-a-kind pieces if you’re looking to jump on the Knit trend bandwagon.

Textile and leather suppliers showcased their newest looks in early December at Showtime in High Point. This show gives us a sneak peek of key looks we’ll see at the April High Point Market, with upholstery manufacturers shopping Showtime for fabrics.

Key looks and color trends at Showtime included:

1. Teal and burnt orange were strong color contenders, closely followed by apple green and bright lemon.

2. The neutral grays are morphing into driftwood or raffia.

 3.Botanicals are back, particularly in silhouetted prints of trees, ferns, or gingko leaves. Figurative florals are also key.

Pierre Frey + Deyrolle

4.Prevalent patterns included paisleys, cabana stripes, suzanis, toiles, lace, and Florentine tiles.

5. Menswear designs inspired leather looks, including a houndstooth pattern on a hair-on-hide.

Kyle Bunting Hair on Hide pillows

6.Crocodile featured strongly on fashion runways this fall, and it’s back in a very big way for leather suppliers.

7.Novelty patterns included folk-art birds, postcards, scientific equations( think Big Bang Theory), china plates, round chickens, and hamsa (a palm-shaped design).

8.In trims, look for tassels to start appearing again, particularly Deco-inspired designs that step away from the traditional shapes.

May I toot my own horn? I am sooo excited to  have just been asked to be a member of the jury for the  Les Découvertes (= your favorite product) Awards at Maison & Objet .  I will sift through the different sectors of the  show, covering every aisle in order to find the best-of-the-best and  pick my favorite product in a specific sector .Les Decouvertes will reward the most impressive new products of the show as discerned by a jury( me!) which is completely composed of bloggers and design columnists.
 Watch for my posts from the show and see what I pick. Don’t forget to check out the more real time coverage of Heimtextil and imm cologne as I work my way through the January design shows.