European Trade Fairs
All Tied Up in Paris
Who would have guessed two years ago that knots would have such a prominent place in décor? But as a swing back toward 1970s style took hold for home interiors in 2015, macramé swept back into trend. It appeared in chairs, wall hangings, pot hangers and more, confirming The Trend Curve‘s forecast from nearly three years ago. Consumers…
Read MoreThe Practical Side of Paper
Paper is today’s on-trend material, and The Trend Curve forecasts that it will remain so for at least the next two years. Products ranging from book-paper birds and papier maché rabbits to tissue-paper blossoms and cardboard signs have been cropping up at trade shows for more than a year. Andbros, showing at the September Maison &…
Read MorePetite Friture’s Immersive Product Launch in Paris
Petite Friture is among our favorite design-driven companies because their products are so innovative. So, when The Trend Curve was invited to an intimate dinner at their Paris showroom to celebrate the launch of their first tableware collection, Succession, I jumped at the chance. I’m glad I did. It was the most immersive product debut…
Read MoreEarthy Hues at Guimarães Home Fashion Week
The first-ever Guimarães Home Fashion Week took place in Guimarães, Portugal in late June. It featured home-textiles products from 29 manufacturers that call this region home. Every company exhibiting at this event exuded a passion for textiles. They talked about the high quality towels, bathmats, robes, throws, curtails, kitchen towels, table linens, aprons quilts, sheets and…
Read MoreI’ve Got a Thing for Lambs
OK, I’ll admit it. With a last name like Lamb I’ve had a predisposition to loving these soft, wooly creatures all of my life—I’ve got a thing for lambs. But you don’t have to be one of my siblings or cousins to recognize that there are more lamb and sheep in the market now than there…
Read MoreStone-Washed Textures at Guimarães Home Fashion Week
Guimarães Home Fashion Week took place in Guimarães, Portugal in late June. It provided opportunities to see some of the newest and the best products from some 29 home-textiles manufacturers, who participated in this first-ever event and exposition. One Trend revealed in Guimarães was a stone-washed look. It came in colors like dark navy and…
Read MoreBath Towel Update: Border Treatments at Guimarães Home Fashion Week
Pousada Santa Marinha, a restored 12th century Augustinian monastery, transformed into a luxury hotel, served as the trade-show venue for Guimarães Home Fashion Week. A group of 29 Portuguese manufacturing companies based near Guimarães showed their newest and best textiles there for more than 50 international buyers from around the globe. No matter the category—whether…
Read MoreHow Do You Say Blue?
How many ways are there to say BLUE? At the Ambiente 2016 trade fair, held in Frankfurt, Germany earlier this year, an exact number was difficult to pin down. That’s because there were so many types and personalities. They were found in products from dinnerware and decorative accessories to textiles and food-storage products. Almost every…
Read MoreOn The Wire
In markets around the world, wire-frame geometry is on-trend. It updated in mirrors at the Hong Kong Houseware fair and made vases look modern at Maison & Objet in Paris. Picture frames at Ambiente in Frankfurt made use of it, as did tables at the High Point furniture market and glassware at the New York Tabletop market.…
Read MoreAmbiente 2016 Trend Exhibit
In keeping with its overall 2016 theme of Dining, Living and Giving, this year’s Ambiente Consumer Goods Show featured four key directions in its Trend Exhibit. The first was Artisanal Gardening, which showcased deep late-summer hues. This palette spoke of the carefully chosen contents of a garden gradually being brought indoors as the time for…
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