What did I see in Atlanta?
Lots of birds. In fabrics for bed and table, in ceramics, wall art and decorative accessories. Pretty blue birds on soft patchwork backgrounds; bird outlines tossed on paper; laser cut bird shapes as wall art.
Flowers. Watercolor and very pretty! Are we headed back to a more traditional look and gradually leaving the hard edge retro behind?
Animal prints. These seem to go on and on, re-emerging once again on dessert plate sets, wall art, fun fashion accessories, giftwrap and as background to bright pink dots.
Bling. It’s become more subdued, not so in-your-face. Subtle glitter added to textiles, small bead work on wooden frames, a molded silver seahorse attached to the side of a serving platter.
The farm. Yes, down on the ‘ole farm. Bucolic scenics, reminders of a simpler past perhaps? Maybe an intro to locavore (see below).
Red. Lots of red on lacquered wood, on shiny metal, as part of surface design in textiles, in paper products.
Brights. Fun, colorful and splashed all over the place.
Black and white. Again, this “trend” seems to know no end. It was especially evident with monogrammed or personalized items: think pillows and paper products.
Trellis and ogee shapes as surface design. Seen in black and white, as well as pink or green and white. Seen on lots of different products from paper to tablecloths to rubber boots to purse/wallet accessories to dessert plates.
Small add ons that will have a great sell through. Yes, these are apparent everywhere: small notebooks retailing for under $3. Very easy for any retailer to show at checkout. Sets of coasters tied with ribbons: an easy, inexpensive gift. Sets of four small “dipping” bowls: anyone can use these. And more…
Buy local!. This was perhaps the most pervasive of all “trends”. Some companies are making a really concerted effort to source and manufacture in the United States. They have been able to meet, or undercut, the price points of importing from China. This is very good news! Not only is it keeping the vertical structure of a business in the U.S., it also means shorter lead and delivery times, reorders are easier, and new designs can be taken to market faster. Another aspect of going local is to really go LOCAL, as in retailers only buying from vendors within, for instance, a 100 mile radius. This takes some work….but can pay off for everyone, not to mention the advertising and selling points. This can have the added benefit of aiding the smaller, artisinal vendors.
Are we becoming, ever so slightly, locavores (“Those who prefer to eat locally grown/produced food sometimes call themselves locavores”) for more than just food?
Here are various products, in no particular order, that I either saw in a showroom or trade magazine, and feel are relevant and timely. Photographs are strictly forbidden so it’s tricky to show you live images…I was able to take a few, but some of these are from publications.
Lots of the new turquoise blue: 
Not always bright and quite varied in intensity.
From ThreeHands:
From Archival Image:
From Anna Griffin:
Birds from Creative Co-Op:
Brights from ThreeHands:
For high end luxury:
Kim Seybert shows a gorgeous deep turquoise blue and adds just a touch of bling:
From Vagabond House comes brushed pewter embellishments.
