Emptying the contents of my pants pockets on the desk in my hotel room, I looked down at the considerable pile and smiled.  Lots of candy wrappers, two Yuengling bottle caps, and Dan Gasby’s business card.  It had been a good day.  Yes, a very good day…

(Insert dream sequence music here)

It is cliché to say that a place is a study in contrasts, but High Point, North Carolina is just that.  Showrooms full of beauty and creativity, on the cutting edge of fashion for the industry, bursting with energy, surrounded by blocks of low slung brick buildings that are a quiet and sad reminder of a more prosperous industrial time.  As an example, the Huntington House showroom, which features product tailored to perfection with fabrics of textures and colors that make designers swoon, is mere steps away from Grumpy’s Green Oak Tavern, the kind of joint that smells like Bourbon Street the day after Mardi Gras. 

Arriving just after eight in the morning, my intended parking lot, the one where I’m sure all the cool people park, brushed me aside with a LOT FULL sign forcing me to relocate a mere three blocks away in distance but miles away in security and stylishness.  Yes, when you are at market, there’s even style in where you park.  Saying a little prayer for the safety of my car, I uncooly tiptoed through the broken glass and mudholes in the graveled lot and made my way to my first meeting.  Things had not started well and were about to get worse.

Believing more in Providence than karma, I am hesitant to swallow the notion that forgetting my digital camera on a business trip that revolves primarily around things visual would have anything to do with the fact that I stole my son’s laptop the last time I ventured to High Point.  Hopefully my new friends, Scott and Darren, owners of the Luxe store in Victoria, BC, don’t think my good ol’ American friendliness had anything to do with that 7” lens dangling from a strap over Scott’s shoulder.  With my photography problem solved, I could now direct my focus on the important things.

It is rumored that fresh oxygen is pumped throughout the gaming areas of Vegas casinos to keep the players fresh and alert.  High Point is not so sophisticated in their methods.  They use candy.  There are candy bowls everywhere and buyers are drawn to them like little hummingbirds to a feeder, ingesting bursts of sugar to keep the energy up throughout the day.  It must be frustrating to be a showroom rep, eagerly proclaiming all the freshly memorized features and benefits of this year’s product only to have the pre school equivalent attention of the buyers hijacked by the discovery of a heaping bowl of Whoppers mini-packs.  
I have to say, Market was sparkling this year.  A couple of seasons ago the manufacturers appeared to have thrown their hands up in despair.  Market looked like the proverbial clown threw up as it was every man for himself in an attempt to produce something the buyers would like.  Something, anything!  This fall, Market was back.  It was poetry.  It was harmony.  It was a jazz quartet in perfect casual yet elegant rhythm, with grace notes of color, and boy was that nice to see.   Everything looked so natural, literally.  Nothing was forced or contrived.  I saw a lot of weathered wood, farmhouse and driftwood finishes, distressing, and plain linens.  Colors were light and muted.  Things were simple and comfortable.

One of the most innovative initiatives in the history of the furniture industry is the use of……oh look, Hersheys Special Dark!

Blue was the color this fall, every blue under the sun.  The predominant tones were soft and dusty, with touches of navy and peacock here and there.  Blue goes nicely with the French Laundry look that is all the rage right now.  Thank goodness orange is on the way out.  Sorry orange lovers, you had your season.  Step aside.  The warm tones that appeared showroom to showroom were spice colors.  Cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg.  There was one shade of red that looked so familiar to me.  Every time I saw it I would nudge a rep or another buyer to ask just exactly what that color was.  “Well it’s sort of a brick”.  No it wasn’t.  “Tomato”.  Nope.  Finally it hit me.  Tomato paste!  If you have ever made pasta sauce and opened a can of tomato paste, that’s the color.   

While simplicity reigned supreme, there is a movement towards pattern in upholstery bodycloths.  Geometrics, almost a neoclassical look.  It made me jot down the words ‘Greek influence’, whatever that means to you.  Scroll fabrics, lattice, fretwork.  I also noticed large birds in fabrics this year in more than one place, but fewer florals.  Patterns were larger, whether in fabrics or on rugs.  Rugs were large scale pattern, tone on tone.  Contemporary rugs were often used in very traditional settings. 

Now, having said that things looked smashing in their simplicity this year, I have to confess that there were a couple of alarming moments.  I texted Veronique, back at our store, “uh oh.” 

Veronique: “What?”

“Mauve.”

“Noooooooooooooooooooooo!”

A few minutes later, from another showroom:  “Uh oh”.

Veronique: “What now?”

“Fuchsia, I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit.”

Veronique thought I was messing with her, because when I mentioned that there was flat out shamrock lovin’ kelly green in one corner of the Century showroom she texted that she didn’t believe me.  I had to send her a photo from my phone.  To be fair, the rest of Century’s showroom was spectacular, as usual.  It was there that I heard one particularly interesting comment about the continuing popularity of the Tuscan look. It is being fueled by the fact that with the crash of the housing market people are getting sweet deals on large Tuscan style homes which can only be furnished with Tuscan style furniture.

Later in the afternoon I bumped into Jim Calhoun, who is probably one of the most knowledgeable and nicest people in the industry.  I still don’t know exactly what he does, so there’s a mystery about him. He works with Miles Talbott, is a color expert, and puts up with my stupid questions, so I like him.  He should be sainted for that alone.  He pours a mean margarita too, I’ll tell you.  Actually, I will tell you a margarita story after I tell you what Jim told me about color.  In chatting with him about blue being “the” color this year, and that I had seen every shade imaginable, he said that navy and dusty blues are what’s ‘out there now’ and that everything else (all the other shades of blue) is fringe.  Since he’s the color guy, I challenged him.  “Jim, what up with the mauve?”  You should find his answer interesting:  Gray, purple, mauve, and fuchsia are showing up in apparel right now, and home furnishings follow fabrics.  Purple almost never makes the jump, but you still have to give it a shot…or words to that effect.

Text:  “SC OMG!”

Ok, the margarita story.  I sort of spilled one on Rachael Ashwell.  Rachael, the founder of the Shabby Chic brand, was there in the middle of all her wonderfully comfortable furniture that is beautifully perfect in its imperfection.  Sorry, but I was smitten with her accent and rather than taking notes on furniture construction and fabric options, began writing down words that sounded great when she said them.  Laboratory.  Think how Hugh Grant might say it, except with a female voice.  We even had a group discussion on the proper way to say “bottom”.  I don’t care, she could read a phone book and it would sound lovely.  So you know, the Shabby Chic brand has been out there for twenty years or so.  There are three Shabby Chic Couture stores, London, NY, and LA, where the product is highly customized (I’m guessing that might mean pricey?).  Miles Talbott brings her line affordably to people like you and me.  When you think Shabby Chic, you think comfort, beauty, light, airy, soft pastels….flowers…horses…kittens.  You don’t think Ozzy Osbourne, but Ozzy is a big Shabby Chic fan and all of his SC furniture is black.  I didn’t see a speck of black in her showroom, but she made it happen for Ozzy.  I have to confess that it’s a funny thought to imagine him venting colorful language trying to get out of the super soft Comfy Sofa. 

I mustered up the courage to ask Rachael if she would take a picture with me and of course she graciously assented.  We sat on her Grace sofa (because I had ordered one) together, she staged the setting and the picture was taken.  Somehow, when I got up and was clumsily and somewhat nervously thanking her, I dropped my plastic margarita cup, which I’ve gotta tell ya made an awful lot of noise when it smacked the hardwood floor. I stood in horror as the sticky droplets of shame flew high in the air and landed on the sofa.  Being a quick thinker under pressure, I recalled that a big feature of the Shabby Chic line is that it’s slipcovered, so I said “Hey, it’s washable, isn’t it?” to which Rachael Ashwell replied in her wonderful accent, “Yes, and myself as well.” 

Back to market trends…

Window treatments were simple panels, but Veronique and Janice noted that banding was popular along the leading edge or at the base of the draperies, as well as on skirts of chairs and ottomans, and even on drumshade chandeliers.  They liked the combination of the traditional with contemporary-linen panels with grommets, large simple pleats, on a wood or wrought iron pole.  Very casual and relaxed, just like the rest of market.

You know, if you just want my bullet points on trends, go here http://georgiainteriordesign.com/tricks-of-the-trade/high-point-market-notes-fall-2010.

Did I mention that the Paris thing is big?  I saw evidence of it in virtually all of the leading edge showrooms.  From the extraordinarily chic Salon chair and sofa offered by Joe Ruggiero, all the way to a simple script fabric toss pillow on a linen sofa.  One thing struck me funny was that some of the script fabric had been dumbed down.  Last market the script was exclusively French and I had Veronique translate it for me before I published my photos just in case it said something naughty.  This year some of the script was in English, and it wasn’t very interesting with lines like “sunlight is ideal” and “avoid planting near trees and shrubs.”  I prefer the French, even if I can’t read it.

That night I had the pleasure of having dinner with a few friends including George Jordan, President of Miles Talbott, and Dan Gasby, Renaissance Man.  He’s the kind of guy whose accomplishments makes me wish I could get a do over.  Dan is married to B. Smith who I mentioned in my notes last market seems to be the ultimate entrepreneur, with her hands in restaurants, fashion, jewelry, furniture, etc.  This year they are even in the MRE business…you know, Meals Ready to Eat, for the military?  Poblano Corn Chowder is one offering.  I can hear our troops overseas rejoicing now.  Dan is the quintessential New Yorker, rapier wit, a great story teller, and able to sniff BS from a mile away.  Over dinner, and more margaritas, the conversational tone grew serious as George was talking about the effort, sacrifice, and innovative energy his father put into the business to make it successful back in the early days and how the alliances with top name designers has created an uniquely diverse group under one stylish umbrella.  Right as he was building to the climax of the story, Dan yelled out “genius!” which drew an appreciative glance from George, but was actually in reference to Darren who had just arrived with a full pitcher of margaritas.

I love the inside jokes and stories.  One manufacturer has introduced a new arm style as an option for their sofas.  It’s the CAS arm.  That’s because when the owner first saw it he proclaimed that it was “cool as s@#$!”  Yes it was, and so was the rest of market.

THE color this fall:  Blue.  A little navy, a little peacock, and lots of dusty, soft or muted blues.  Spa or mineral blue.   Blue accenting naturals and neutrals was the predominant look if it wasnt all blue.  Warm tones were spice tones; paprika, cinnamon, etc.  Not as much red, but the red I saw was the color of tomato paste. Orange is definitely on its way out except burnt orange.  Saw glimpses of the return of the four horsemen of the apocalypse: purple, mauve, lavender, and fuchsia, but you’ll have to read the long version to get the details.  Very little green.

The overall trend:  French laundry is everywhere.  Script fabrics.  Casual comfort, simplicity.  The word ‘Paris’ used frequently to describe collections.  Lighter tones overall.

Fabric trends: 
Some movement toward pattern in upholstery body cloths which has been very plain lately.  Geometric patterns, Greek influences, neoclassical, lattice, fretwork, scroll.  Saw lots of fabrics with large birds and open space.  Large patterns.  Fewer florals.  Animal prints still popular, cheetah seemed to provide the spots of choice.  Sunbrella fabrics…amazing offerings that can be used for anything (upholstery, bedding, window treatments) all made of solution dyed acrylic that WILL NOT fade and can be cleaned with bleach.  The color is all the way through the thread. Unreal.  Fabulous.

Wood finish:  Driftwood and anything natural is HUGE.  Weathered, distressed, painted and sanded, worn and rustic, silvers and grays.

Window treatments:  Simple panels, casual and sort of intentionally imperfect.  Grommets.  Simple pleats, but longer…6-8”.  Fun blends of traditional and contemporary:  Wooden poles supporting linen panels with large grommets.  No puddling, but sometimes a simple break on the floor.
Paint colors:  Muted, natural.

Bedding:  Solid colors, simple, neutrals with pops of color provided in the pillows.

Interesting style trends: 

-Banding, banding on drapery panels, sofa and ottoman skirts, chandelier drum shades.
-Any mirrored finish was antiqued.
-Upholstered headboards were seen with wood trim.
 
Chairs:  Spool chairs were in just about every showroom.  Lots of tall, sleek, ‘swoopy’ (thanks for that technical term, Veronique) accent chairs.   Details on backs of chairs…good for floating in a room.

Sofas:  Track arms of all different sizes, but we saw a lot more narrow armed sofas.  

Lighting:  Chandeliers were large and simple (again, simple!) and not as traditional.  Less crystal.  Drum shades.

Area rugs:  Contemporary, large pattern, geometric, open.  Traditional rugs had large scale offset patterns, in other words it was not centered.  Not good for symmetrical folks, but interesting!

Let me know if you have any questions.  The long version is coming soon!

Over the past four years we have been trying to educate the neighborhood that to have new custom window treatments in time for the holidays requires some advance planning.  Most workrooms see a significant increase in business during the fall and eventually overload, forcing an early cutoff date for new projects.  Telling a prospective client that they are past the holiday deadline is not a pleasant thing.  As a matter of fact, it prompts a startlingly visceral reaction in some people.  I try to warn the husbands, “remember how upset she got when you forgot about Valentines Day or your anniversary?  Well, hell hath no fury like a woman who doesn’t get her window treatments in time for holiday guests.”

Fortunately there’s still time.  Fully custom treatments typically have a Thanksgiving cutoff date in mid October, but over the years we have found a few loopholes that can accommodate the procrastinators.  Some panels and toppers can be turned around in 2-3 weeks and we even have one source that has promised a 48 hour turnaround on drapery panels, including choice of pleat, length, and lining, as long as we use one of their top five selling fabrics.  Wow!

So, what’s hot right now you ask?  If you have been reading my blog this past year you will have noticed a trend towards simplicity.  Whether it’s the economy, not wanting to be ostentatious, the green movement, or just that contemporary casual is cool, we have clearly noticed our clients less frequently asking for voluminous bejeweled kitty tempting treatments that puddle all over the floor.

Since simple is chic, the challenge is to keep the look sophisticated or elegant rather than, um, cheap.   Unlined panels are like an unlined suit jacket in that they will not hold their shape, therefore looking and feeling flimsy.  Make sure drapery width is proportional to the space.  Single width panels can look like giant pencils if used in the wrong setting, and may not achieve the goal of softening the room. 

Fabrics and colors are trending towards the naturals.  Linens, cottons, and solids are becoming more common.  Having said that, most of our clients call themselves ‘transitional’ and the traditional side of transitional calls for a little pattern in the fabric but it will be more muted and subtle.   

Drapery hardware is to a set of panels as earrings are to a beautiful outfit, my designers would say.  We are installing a lot more metal finishes (wrought iron, brushed bronze, dark pewter) these days, which in many cases nicely coordinate with nearby light fixtures.  Metal finials allow for a little more flair or whimsy than wood, and there are some cool things being done with cast resin and glass.

Wooden drapery hardware is still popular, however, and the good news is that there have been some downward pricing trends.  Finally!  The good stuff has always been so expensive!  Given the height of the average suburban Atlanta great room ceiling, consider using 3” wooden rods for your tall panels.  The standard pole size has been 2” which can get lost way up there.  Manufacturers have been slow to recognize this, and only in the last year or so has the more substantial sized wooden hardware been readily available.

Years ago I invested in some software which allows us to take a photo of your window and use the computer to design your treatment.  This accomplishes a few things that you will appreciate.  First, it’s great to have a strong visual to help decision making.  Importantly, the computer program will not allow us to defy physics in our design, which can happen with a hand rendering.  Darn gravity.  Lastly, men seem to respect and value computer drawings and are less inclined to try to veto the project.

Speaking of men, please resist the temptation to have your husband install a nice window treatment just to save a few bucks.  A professional knows all the tricks, especially when working around extensive moulding, and will properly dress the treatment.  Besides, whatever you save will most likely be spent on therapy, hospital bills, or with your attorney by the time he’s done.  Just sayin’.

One of our favorite clients had this mostly empty sunroom that was adjacent to the breakfast area and kitchen.  She wanted to furnish it in a way that allowed the room to be used on its own but also be able to accommodate an overflow crowd when entertaining.  She found a magazine photo that she liked which we used as a reference.  The photo had antique style occasional pieces surrounded by fresh and bright upholstery that kept the room from looking dated.  The client likes greens and golds with pops of red and these colors flow throughout the house.  Given the open nature of the floor plan, we had to select fabrics that would blend nicely with the nearby living spaces.

Suzanne, our design consultant on the project, suggested the bench seat in order to accomplish the goal of seating in the room that also allowed seating facing the kitchen during parties.  The paprika bench with barley twist legs is fun, functional, and does not block the view of the open room.  You can’t see the doors on either side, but the bench can be moved against the wall on the right, between the drapery and the door, if the client wants to open up the room.  Click here for a full size photo.

The rug is a banded grass cloth, which keeps the room casual and is consistent with a sunroom theme.  The lamps on the rich walnut console table are shabby chic, with distressed bases and contemporary brown shades.  The side tables are available for drinks or books and complete the desired eclectic look.  The client didn’t want the room to look “matchy matchy” (a designer term!).  The nonfunctional drapery panels are intended to add color and frame the windows without heaviness or blocking the view of the outdoors.  They are hung on wrought iron poles that bring in a touch of black but do not draw the eye up or conflict with the molding.  The chairs are covered with a large scale apple green contemporary botanical which also reinforces the sunroom theme.  Notice the little leaves?

The client is thrilled with the fun and casual yet elegant results, and come to think of it, the room really reflects her personality.

To learn more about Suzanne, click here.