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Mixed Messages

Industry experts project style and color trends for 2007…and how to sell them

By Bessie Nestoras -- Gifts and Dec, 9/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Retailers beware: If you're not mixing your Queen Anne with your Asian, you should be. Matching looks are out, says color, material and finish consultant Laura Guido Clark. “Mixing disparate pieces instead of matching everything is popular right now.”

And with the wide assortment of decorative accessories to choose from, including many new offerings from this year's summer markets, retailers will have no problem mixing it up on their shelves, offering almost infinite choices for shoppers.

The looks

Luxurious looks and baroque-inspired products are everywhere right now. First spotted during winter markets, luxurious looks updated to fit with today's modern aesthetic are becoming one of the most popular accessory styles.

Luxe by Lolly Lu offers a collection of baroque-inspired accessories in black, white and mirrored accents. “Opulence is trending up,” says Clark. “We went through a time when things were simplistic, a time when we were devoid of ornamentation. Now I think we need it. The pendulum always swings back.”

“Old Hollywood is it,” says Joseph Santoro, owner of Santoro & Company Gifts, Antiques, Home Accents in Bridgeton, NJ. “I have this mirrored console table with different finishes, and people with both modern and traditional homes are buying it.”

Michelle Lamb, senior editor of The Trend Curve, a newsletter from Marketing Directions Inc., says that silhouetted patterns (damasks, birds) are very trendy this year. “Patterns are going to get lighter and thinner, more lyrical, even lacey,” she notes. “We've been caught up with organic forms. Now we see creases and sharper edges, and a mix of the two. Geometrics are coming on strong…spirals and triangles,” she adds.

Clark also sees florals and floral motifs popping up this season. “They're being explored in depth in textiles and tabletop,” she says. “[Flowers] are incredibly happy. When things get shaky we look for objects that bring us joy,” she explains.

Paul Thompson, vice president of visual merchandising and trends at One Coast, says that sculptural elements are also very important. “Whether they're small sculptures or sculptural elements incorporated into various accessories and small furniture pieces, [sculptural elements] have added elegance and a 'gallery quality' perception to products,” he says.

Another take on “gallery quality” is incorporating art in decorative accessories. Painterly elements, as well as abstract art and still life, are on the rise, according to Clark. “Expect to see [more artwork], especially on plates. It's a way of bringing art into everyday life, things that have a sense of composition and placement,” she explains.

Consumers aren't interested in mass-produced items. “For us, what's always worked is hand-formed, not machine-made products. Our customers are looking for things that are not mass-produced, not sleek. They want things they've never seen before,” says Thompson Lange, owner of Homescapes Carmel in Carmel, CA.

The Delight Light by Mixko, through 2Jane, is made of hand-pressed felt and features hand-cut butterflies. The product fits perfectly with customers' expectations, as well as illustrating Paul Thompson's view that lighting continues to play a big role in decorative accessories. “The category just keeps growing,” he says.

Color & texture

Home fashions are constantly inspired by the fashion industry, and according to Leatrice Eiseman, color consultant and director of the Pantone Color Institute, turnover from fashion to the home is very short right now. Green and blue hues have been popular for some time, but experts now see orange, purple, gray and brown as the up-and-coming colors. Pantone issued eight color palettes for 2007–2008 (see sidebar). “Each addresses different lifestyle directions,” Eiseman explains.

The colors that gift industry insiders can't stop talking about are gray and brown. “It makes sense that brown and grays are coming together. Black and white were popular for so long that the middle ground was bound to come up,” says Laura Guido Clark.

And the colors are being seen together. Brown is also being used with black and white. “Now mineral yellow is also being used,” notes Eiseman. “It's a little bit more on the gold side. Also brown.”

Michelle Lamb agrees that browns and grays will be the colors of 2007. “There will be an introduction of desert neutrals into the palette: Grays, browns and golden yellows — hues that sit on the edge, somewhere between brown and yellow, and extend to the range of metallics,” she tells G&DA. Metallics (like the new metallic faux-leather pillows from Zodax) are another tone to keep your eyes on. “Pearlized metallic finishes will be important,” says Eiseman. “When technology brings new finishes, you're always going to have interest.”

One Coast's Thompson says he sees blue, periwinkle and purple tones coming on strong, as well as reds. “Not true reds, more like wine colors — spicy, rich colors.” Thompson also sees surface treatments as something to look for. “In Europe there's interest in hides or replicas of hides that may be color-treated or stenciled.”

Brighter colors such as yellow and orange are also on the horizon for the upcoming season. “Orange is back. And I see people responding to yellow. Yellow is a sunshine color, a dose of Vitamin C, as is orange. Each adds a bit of life and an energy,” Clark points out.

The educated consumer

Throughout the industry, retailers agree that educating customers is key to selling them on the latest trends. “I have to educate people,” explains Santoro. “I buy what I think is upcoming, different and pleasing to the eye, and educate the customer.”

“We want people to think we're right on top of the trends, but we also carefully choose what we're going to bring in. You don't want to put all your eggs in one basket.” adds Thompson Lange.

So how can retailers work trends into their shops — an especially difficult challenge if customers aren't interested? “I'm influenced by trends, but can't buy into any one trend wholeheartedly. I subtly bring a trend in by mixing it with our product and not creating a big shock for our customer,” says Lange.

“When I've tried something contemporary, my client will say, 'Oh, I saw that in a magazine,' and walk away,” explains Lange. “I look for trends and try to make them fit in my store. I'll bring in an artifact and work it in. For example, I brought a giant temple sign from Asia and made it into a table here in California. The table is relatively contemporary, but I've added this artifact, and now customers know they have the only one,” he continues.

Trends come and go, but shoppers are here to stay; savvy retailers need to keep their clients ahead of the curve when it comes to style. Well-educated customers will keep coming back to retailers who keep them on trend with the latest looks, as well as advice on how they can incorporate those looks into their own homes.

An educated the consumer: that's a trend worth striving for.

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