Home Design Trends: The Inside Scoop on What You’ll Be Seeing Next In Magazines & Stores
WestWeek is attended by thousands of design professionals each year. Last week, over 70 programs provided vital information about new products and directions for the design industry. We wanted to share some of the highlights.
Besides being informative, it was a lot of fun to meet so many leaders in design. Michael Boodro, Editor-In-Chief of Elle Decor, along with Newell Turner, Editor-In-Chief of House Beautiful, and Ann Omvig Maine, Editor-In-Chief of Traditional Home, and Dara Caponigro, Editor-In-Chief of Veranda participated in a panel discussion about the future of magazines.
The Take-Away: These editors are committed to telling the stories of homes and their owners in whatever format is requested by their subscribers. Everyone wants print magazines to continue but online editorial options are being explored. Traditional Home has entered into a joint venture with online magazine Lonny so we will be seeing new content from them online.
It was wonderful to meet Barbara Barry, a design industry icon. She showcased her new Asian inspired fabrics and area rugs called Indochine which will be available in June at Kravet Showrooms. The collection is magnificent, especially the area rugs.
Barbara also told us that Hartman Luggage will be introducing a new line she designed. Also look for teas by Barbara Barry.
In an inspiring yet down to earth conversation, Barbara talked about how her projects start with a dream — in this case to explore Asia. She takes pictures of all the beauty she sees and then creates small trays filled with curated elements from her inspirations. She draws out designs and colors them in soft, muted shades.
We love Barbara Barry for her inspired designs.
We also love Trina Turk, a fashion industry icon who is focusing her talent on a new line of outdoor fabrics for F. Schumacher. Don’t just think outside — you’ll want to use these hard working fabrics inside too because they won’t fade and they clean up easily.
Trina is known for wild patterns and colors. The outdoor line is a bit more muted due to the fabrication process. You’ll love it.
Suzanne Rheinstein has a new design book in the stores called At Home: A Style for Today with Things from the Past. Her spaces are lived in and comfortable. We think you’ll want to take a look at this book and take a trip to her store, Hollyhock, in L.A.
Did you know that the Bravo Channel has a new show about “Million Dollar Decorators” premiering on Thursday, April 7th? Star designers Kathryn Ireland, Jeffrey Alan Marks, Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Mary McDonald, and Nathan Turner will be showcasing the inside scoop on their businesses. We can’t wait to watch!
Leave a comment on which highlights from WestWeek are most intriguing to you?
Say Goodbye To Ceiling Spots Caused By Moisture With A Ventilation Fan That Turns On Automatically
Ugly looking drip marks can stain your bathroom ceiling when moisture gets trapped. This is especially common in kids’ bathrooms.
Broan has introduced a product that looks like a recessed light but has a fan that turns on automatically based on how much humidity is in the air. It turns off based on a user adjusted timer.
Looking at the picture here, only the white trim kit and light would show. The metal sections would be hidden by your ceiling.
Pretty great to think automation could eliminate all those ceiling problems, not to mention the cost of repainting and repair.
Eco-Friendly Green Products For Your Home
Balanced Design is a small design studio in Providence, Rhode Island with a message: the new modern means to reduce, reuse, or recycle. We agree.
We love this pillow from Balanced Design which is hand printed using water based inks on 100% organic cotton canvas. The insert is made from regenerated fiber from recycled bottles and feather.
Want to see our favorite green product trends for your home?
Wake up your rooms for spring with our picks. Click here to see them.
Selecting Window Coverings: The benefits and drawbacks of Roman Shades
We love flat-fold fabric Roman shades for window treatments. They are a great way to introduce more color or pattern into a room in a clean, tailored way. They stack neatly when pulled all the way up, taking a small amount of space. The picture below from Calico Corners is a good example.
How will you know if a fabric Roman shade is the best thing for your window? Here are some things to consider:
1. If you are planning to use these for light control, you will be putting them up and down quite a bit. They come with a simple control cord and a cord lock mechanism or an anchor is mounted on the window frame that you wind the cord around to hold the shades. This is pretty straightforward but you will need to fuss just a bit to get all the folds lined up perfectly and sometimes, the shade doesn’t pull up evenly so you may have to adjust the cords slightly before you lock them into place. Because of these issues, Roman shades work best on windows that are 42″ or less and where you can reach the top of the window to adjust the folds.
2. There are plastic or wooden sticks that are used in the construction of Roman shades. You can see them as horizontal lines in the picture. These sticks can be sewn so that they are coming into the room or so that they are facing outside. If the sticks are coming into the room, you will not have any interruption in the fabric pattern. So if your pattern has a vine or flower, you will see all of it if you ask to have the sticks sewn facing your room.
3. You can select the lining you want based on how much light you would like to block from the room. Blackout lining is usually selected for bedrooms.
4. Roman shades are usually mounted inside the window so that pretty window casements are not covered up. However, if you need complete light control, you may want to have your Roman shade mounted above the window with enough coverage on either side of the window to completely shade the room. If you are mounting on the wall, we recommend going high on the wall to give the illusion of tall windows.
5. These shades look great in solid fabrics as well as prints. Many people choose a contrasting fabric as a banding on the sides and bottom of these shades.
Do you have this type of shade in your home? Leave a comment below and let us know what you like and don’t like about them.
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