Fall 2013/Spring 2014 Trends Forecast
A BIG picture concept of Macro Trends 2013 to beyond 2014
The Furniture Show in North Carolina was once again interesting, inspiring and tiring!
There are literally buildings full of suppliers for everything from dining room sets, sofas, loveseats, every style of chair, rugs, lamps & lighting fixtures,
outdoor furniture, innovative pieces for your bathroom, accessories, pictures and styles being everything from classic traditional to ultra-modern.
I attended educational workshops which I enjoy doing each Spring and Fall to give an idea of how the trends are progressing from the last show,
confirming in detail all the colours and styles we are seeing and where trends are headed for 2015.
From one Trends advisor, Greg Dunlop, here are notes starting from fall 2013 presented for Spring/Summer 2014 to give you some background
and afterwards building on those ideas and concepts. He calls the overall concepts for large scale trends
“Macro Trends” to identify creative direction up to 2 years ahead in furniture, bedding, decorative accessories and textiles.
4 Macro Trends are described below including more details (expanded notes) to help better explain them.
A new, manmade era where natural and manmade materials are paired with industrial and up-cycled looks
(the process of converting waste materials into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value.)
Scientists have declared a new geological age, the Anthropocene, which recognizes the extent to which we have changed the Earth.
“Our earth is no longer dirt, rock, and raw materials, but also plastic, cement and other man-made matter”.
Design takes on increased depth, respecting both the natural and the industrial, focusing on craft and responsible methods of production.
Layering, texture and patina are key. Pattern and color features combine the wisdom of the past with the excitement of the future.
Expanded Notes:
We will get a pre-historic feel eg furs & leather.
It’s a man-made era, it’s tactile so lots of texture. We see foams and plastics used creatively in categories like bath, kitchen, kids’ rooms & recreation rooms.
The wow factor in nature will be seen for example in larger than life structures. Raw materials or man-made encourage touch.
A new material that looked very interesting was “newspaper wood”. It’s man made material that has a wood look.
They showed a photo of a coffee maker made out of it! Materials mimicking nature in layers of texture (like life cycles) and reused materials.
Recycled compounds like where artists use one product & mix it with other products like resin or epoxy. “Crafted minimalism to look natural”.
Imagine a contemporary touch on products that are made to look like they have worn down over time. The idea of a new stone age by mixing organic looks with modern materials.
Colours include white, acid green, brights, silver tones, rose gold, metal patinas and blue gold’s to look old and natural terra cotta tones.
In furniture, bedding and accessories these concepts will also show up in products that combine rough and dry looks, stone and wood, surfaces that look like they are textured.
Bedding will include layered, striped or inspirations from nature like things with concentric circles, crystals or oyster shell patterns. Shots of color will warm up the neutrals.
Furniture and accessories will look natural or man-made materials will be made to look natural.
Tables & accessory designs take a striping or wavy pattern like on dishware, and then perhaps trimmed in a contrasting color.
Outdoor furniture and accessories will include rusted metals, cast iron, stones, mixes of materials to give color and texture.
Accessories might have mineral and vegetable colours like on melamine dishes. We will also see pet inspired life styles and egg shaped structures.
Tropical modernism meets larger-than-life florals for fresh and alluring take on flower power.
The boundaries of nature and design overlap as we find patterns growing on surfaces and natural forms winding through design.
The outdoors comes inside to provide a more relaxed and “living” environment, while interior lifestyles are dressing up our gardens and yards with sofas, rugs and accessories.
Synthetic and natural materials and colours create a vibrant mix for a look that is provocative, alluring and fun.
Expanded Notes:
All we need to do is look outside to see the influence right now of dark green, pink, lavender, magenta & bright colours that will be seen with white.
There will be combinations of light turquoise with white, coral or lime green and white, mauve and yellow; mixed brights that are not too florescent and cobalt blue is coming in stronger.
In accessories and in the bath we will see large floral prints, tropical and unexpected patterns designed with tropical looks.
Fluted edges and forms looking organic will show up unexpectedly like maybe on a kitchen kettle.
We’re also seeing more oversized patterns, bright lacquered edges, organic & vegetable patterns also used as decals or laser cut patterns for example on lamp shades.
Watery quality to finishes for example on bowls & vases and fabrics used on bedding or shower curtains.
Greens can be in different materials and especially for kids areas there are many mixes of green.
Carpets are showing more texture, colours like magenta toned down with neutrals, floral patterns and interesting patterns cut into the carpet’s surface particularly for kids’ rooms.
The mixed brights (red, yellow, pink, blues & oranges) may be seen more often on accessory pillows or in the kitchen and bath on knives and cutting boards.
Take indoor living spaces outside will be common and includes bright greens, tropical colours & large leaf or shell patterns.
For example to decorate on dining or accent tables, consider artificial plants mixed with nature & lots of fun looks like bird houses made into fish tanks.
A virtual aesthetic of pixels and facets, bold colours and geometrics expresses our online and offline lifestyles.
The way we see the world is changing. As we spend more time viewing life through the screens of our smartphones,
tablets and computers, we now expect products to look like the world we see online. We start appreciating virtual colours, optical patterns,
and shapes that are faceted and glitched. The infinite pixelization of design has arrived, with singular components that are combined in multiple ways,
for endless variations of patterns and objects.
Expanded Notes:
The world has changed and technology has changed our lives. We are influenced whether we like it or not!
Computers don’t judge; we see things like faces in 2-D and 3-D. Young designers are concerned with industrial design and handcraft, with
3D printing as a bridge between the two. Recycling, upcycling and transforming waste into beautiful and innovative products is part of this picture.
Colours are real and virtual. Shapes that are geometric are popular and look very contemporary in brights.
Technological but oddly organic blurring the lines between real and virtual. This trend looks at what is real and/or genuine.
Items look like robots- we see many household items like that for example small vacuum cleaners. Pixel craft are items that are made by hand
but made to look like they are made by a machine. Chair styles have multiple facets & viewpoints, and often seen with dense brights mixed together with stripes.
Other points in this digital category are industrial functionality, unusual color patterns, water color tones or hazy color blending, multi-coloured patterns with digital quality,
optical illusion prints, 3D shapes. Kitchen dishes often show playfulness and multi-function like stacking glasses and dishes.
Another incoming look is geometric color blocking and bold graphics. Materials used will transmit or distort light and colour for different effects so mirrored
items like candleholders, vases and tables are still popular. Indoor/outdoor we’ll see many wire framed pieces, roof top gardens, laser cutting, faceted designs,
dots and squares, gradient color patterns like tie die effects and a host of computer digital patterns.
Folklore and storytelling from various regions and cultures are celebrated in this trend.
We live in a multi-ethnic world where cultures can be integrated into everything from movies and design to art and architecture.
Mythological figures, rich patterns, and motifs expand our global visual culture where designers develop richer and more locally relevant products.
We want to know the stories behind the designs. Time honoured metalworking is modernized in products with a strongly handcrafted feel while recycled materials are born
again to become new products telling new stories.
Expanded Notes:
Expanded notes: Keeping a special piece of furniture or afghan from Grandma is given special attention and a place in our new décor.
“People travel and bring back treasures from countries that find a place in their heart. Eclectic is a word used by some decorators
while still finding an aesthetic balance in the home”. First nation influences of tourquoises and veggie dye colours are seen and mix
well with other native influences like Inuit. They feel rustic and natural with more integration of various kinds of leathers, woven grasses, metal accenting,
wood details, heavier fabrics and native symbolism. Some of the looks are heavier for example on dressers and sofa fabrics.
Now that you have some of these Macro Concepts in your mind I’d like to present you with more articles from 2014 trending ahead to Spring Summer 2015/16.
Check other appealing articles in the “Decorating Tips” section of Bennett’s website coming soon for example “Macro Trends- Spring 2014 and Beyond”.
Trend on,
Marlaine