Michelle Lamb: Connecting the Dots

Thomas Pheasant and Baker Did it Right

I have had a busy week. Beginning last Saturday, I spent five days in High Point for the semi-annual furniture market. I love this market and really look forward to being in North Carolina. I always feel excited to see new introductions, I look forward to visiting with old friends I see only at this show, and I enjoy the energy of connecting with talented people who create the collections that keep me coming back year after year.

That was still the cast this spring, even though the mood was up and down. I spoke with some vendors who had a great market (one in particular revealed that they had the best single-day-at-a-trade-show sales in the history of their company on Tuesday. On the other hand were those whose showrooms were quiet.

Furniture development happens so far in advance of the markets that it can be quite difficult to stop it or even slow it down. So there really were a lot of introductions this market in spite of the weak economy some people are experiencing, which might suggest it should have been otherwise.

One of the collections I admired came from Thomas Pheasant, whose designs are already a successful part of Baker Furniture’s line. Pheasant’s approach begins with tradition but he edits the details so pieces look clean, classic and glamorous. His newest designs followed that formula exactly, and the result was a fabulous range that is drop-dead gorgeous.

A particular favorite was a table inspired by a Greek key that looked traditional and modern all at once (see image at left Another was a chair designed like a graceful scoop that cradles your back. Once I sat in that chair I didn’t want to get up. Pheasant explained that he wanted to design a chair that works for women as well as men. In so many chairs, women’s feet do not touch the ground. They will in this one because it is “sculpted down.” At the same time, the design will also feel generous for men. 

Coloring this range in Ivory, Sand, Smoke Gray and Taupe (returning after many years away from the market) created a restful palette of neutrals that allowed each form to quietly stand out, and stand out they did. I think Thomas Pheasant (above with me at the Baker showroom) and Baker have really done it right. I hope they have a hit on their hands with this entire collection of beautiful forms, wonderful style and comfortable pieces.

Tracking The Wallpaper Revival

It seemed like there were fewer wall covering companies exhibiting at this year’s Heimtextil, the huge trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany where I have been trend-spotting for the past two days. If that is the case, there seems to be a bit of a lag between trade-show attendance and the return to wallpaper that The Trend Curve™ has been forecasting for the second half of this decade.

So I set out this morning to ask a few prominent people whether they thought I had been dead wrong. The consensus is NO, my forecast was right. And after a few seasons of limping slowly along, wall coverings are finally beginning to catch on.

At Anna French, for example, designer Jonathan French showed me his fabulous new wallpaper with a flocked texture. The base is a non-woven, not paper, and that makes it easier to put up and take down. He says that big, bold wallpapers like the one he had displayed in the stand (my picture of Mr. French with his new creation is included so you can have a peek) are the best direction. This pattern is part of the Company’s first big wallpaper collection in five years.

Jonathan French’s design was just one of several I fell for in Frankfurt. I loved an optic design at Marburger Tapetenfabrik, for example (look left), and a classic motif done in Brown flock on a Mustard ground at Industrie Emiliana Parati. And I was head over heals for the giant cutout wall stickers from Plage France. They represent a trend that is catching on slowly in the US, but will hold on for some time once it finds its way to the mainstream.

If you are a subscriber to The Trend Curve, Janice is just about to send my Trend Flash™ from the Heimtextil fair so watch for it on your desktop shortly. For lots more detail about the color, texture and design trends from this important event, be sure to order Trend Album™: Heimtextil 2008. It can only be pre-ordered by subscribers to The Trend Curve until the end of this month (one of many subscriber benefits -- especially the discounted pre-order price!). On publication day this trend report will be available to buy through our Trend Store. Just visit our web site, then click the Trend Store link to buy Trend Album™: Heimtextil.

A Celebratory Day

I must admit that I feel quite celebratory today. This is not just because I have the opportunity to welcome another new year, even though I anticipate that 2008 will be filled with amazing potential for newness. And my mood is not completely a result of beginning my fourth year of writing this blog, although I have felt a great sense of satisfaction since crossing over December 26, my first post date in 2004. Nor are my heightened spirits merely a consequence of ending 2007 with a positive increase in business over last year, in spite of this being quite a source of pride, especially in today’s less-than-stellar home furnishings market.

Today I am celebrating because The Trend Curve is ready to release a completely new color forecast to our colleagues. Razzle Dazzle Metallics™ is set to debut tomorrow.

I first forecasted that metallic finishes would eclipse metals themselves a couple of years ago. That is already beginning to take place. Going forward, The Trend Curve sees the popularity of those finishes expanding, and further anticipates that consumers will soon ask for more. Variations on the basic metal colors will be first, but real metallic colors will be next.

Razzle Dazzle Metallics were created to help anyone planning assortments to be ready for these next steps. We developed a collection of 20 metallic options in four distinct values, each with its own luster level. It is a concise range that really hones in on the metallics we believe have the strongest potential through 2010.

Accompanying these metallics is a foundation-laying summary about the run-up to metallics and their potential for the future. There are also Trend Cards that introduce each of the colors in the four palettes, plus a CD-ROM with more than 50 images of metallics in use to get your creative juices going. We have never included a CD-ROM in a color forecast in the past, so I am hoping our subscriber family will provide feedback on this all-new addition.

Razzle Dazzle Metallics are not yet shown in the Trend Stre on our web site as of 1/1/08 at 3pm Central time—the time I am writing this post. This item is still exclusively available to those who subscribe to The Trend Curve. Our subscriber family always hears about new releases first so they can pre-order and receive early shipment. You can look for Razzle Dazzle Metallics to appear on our web site once our subscribers’ pr-orders are on their way.

By the way, subscribers also get discounts on every color forecast, European trend report or other product we create—typically $100 on each. To see all our products, go to our home page and click on the Trend Store link. If you are interested ordering Razzle Dazzle Metallics, you might consider subscribing to The Trend Curve at the same time. If you haven’t seen The Trend Curve yet, just email Janice for a free sample issue.

Back To The Future

Digging deep in archives for inspiration, many tabletop designs re-emerged in better shape updated with distinctive modern flair. This was one of the most obvious directions at the New York Tabletop market, says Renée Bennett, Editorial Correspondent for The Trend Curve™.  Here are her top picks from the past at the November event.

• Royal Doulton celebrated 100 years of Royal Albert with a charming tea series featuring designs from each of the past ten decades.

• A delicate floral in rich Blues with golden flourishes enhanced country-chic Fiori di Doccia porcelain dinnerware from Richard Ginori, a reintroduction of a historical pattern designed in the late 1700s.

• Among the patterns in Villeroy & Boch’s New Wave Café limited-edition series, “Colors of South America,” is “Acapulco,” a vibrant 1960s pattern from the archives. It is pictured above.

• Dynasty, the newest pattern from Wedgewood's Expressive collection, is uniquely designed with an archival Chinese dragon motif and elegant Greek key border.

• The inspiration for Spode’s Shoreline porcelain collection comes from the Spode Museum Trust, with designs dating from the early 1800s. Three floral and shell patterns offer fresh, updated appeal in floral specimens found around coastal areas. There are eighteen new shapes and every piece is unique.  Look left to see the Dune pattern.

•Among the spectacular additions to Spode Blue Italian casual dinnerware—the oldest continuously produced pattern at Spode (since 1816)—is an oversized Dairy Jug that can hold 336 oz. of liquid! 

• Royal Copenhagen’s traditional Blue Lace dinnerware got a color makeover in black for a more modern feeling that you can feel in the picture at left.

• Finally, Lifetime Brands reintroduced the Pedrini brand—first introduced in the early’80s—with two patterns, Marmalade and Heartland.      

For more detail on trends from this market, read the December issue of The Trend Curve™. To subscribe, visit our web site and click on the Trend Store link, email Janice Carlson or call toll-free: 800.531.6614.

Having Fun in DC

I was not at work today. And I was not out shopping.

I am enjoying a fabulous Thanksgiving get-away with my family in Washington, DC. I have done nothing but visit sites and museums, non-stop for two days. Yesterday, we walked to the White House,  the Lincoln  Memorial and Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial (so moving!). Our final stop was to see the Edward Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. 

We had just enough time to get back to the hotel and dress for Thanksgiving dinner. Steve had reserved a table at the 701 restaurant where we listened to a jazz trio while we talked about what we had seen that day and planned for the next one.

We started today by standing in a line at the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  Our next stop was the Air and Space museum, where we sat in a packed theater for a 3-D presentation about the space station that all of us loved.  Here is a picture of our kids clowning around with their 3-D glasses. A quick stop at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and we headed back to our hotel. We will leave for dinner shortly.

In all this excitement, however, I did not forget that today is Black Friday. In honor of this important shopping day and the kick-off to the Holiday season, The Trend Curve™ has created a web-only special that you can see on the front page of our web site.

Through this weekend, anyone who subscribes to The Trend Curve will get a free Color = Emotion™ mini-deck, which has a $75.00 value.  This is a fun product that we sell a lot of, especially at my seminars and talks. It is filled with quick bits about how various colors make you feel, and then provides you with a trend-right example of the color.

You’ll get so much value from a subscription, but when you take advantage of this deal, you get even more. So if you have been waiting to order your subscription, now is the perfect time! Order on-line at www.trendcurve.com.

Forecasting The Future With Plenty of Time to Spare

Today’s Weekend Journal section of The Wall Street Journal had an article on the front page called “Au Revoir, Armoire.” I had to smile when I saw it. I wrote an article for the blog you are reading today in December of 2004 with a similar title. “Goodbye Armoire” was my first post on December 26 after having debuted the Connecting The Dots blog on the 24th.

In that post almost three years ago, I referenced a piece I had written for The Trend Curve™ even further back. It was from December of 1999, when I devoted the majority of that issue to my trend predictions for home décor in the coming decade. If you guessed that the death of the armoire was among those predictions, you are right. That was almost eight years ago.

I want to point out that The Journal writer, Juliet Chung, wrote a very nice piece, and its timing really was perfect for the consumer market. But for those who are planning for the future and preparing assortments, risking inventory dollars and allocating production resources, it is important to have long lead times on change. That’s exactly what we provide in each issue of The Trend Curve, in every seminar we give and in all of the color products we develop. When I saw “Au Revoir, Armoire” in the today’s Wall Street Journal, I felt like we had done our job on the topic of armoires quite well.

If you would like to see the original December 26, 2004 post, “Goodbye Armoire,” just look on the right side of this page at the Archives area and click back to December of 2004—or just click this link. To see Ms. Chung’s piece for The Wall Street Journal, pick up the November 10 – 11 issue and head for page W1., since This link from The WSJ site may not remain live for too long.

Trend Talk in Dublin

I am at the end of an amazing week of work in Ireland. I have been busy,giving trend seminars and workshops to craftspeople and retailers of craft products in Drogheda and Leitrim.

Both places have a delightful craft community. And each has a community shop dedicated to local craft products. A picture of the products at Craftmark, where I visited with the staff in Drogheda, is included. Take a peek at the lovely vases on the left.

I can’t decide which sessions I enjoyed more, the ones where I visited with the shop employees to discuss the role they can play in emphasizing trend in their assortment selection and merchandising, or the longer presentations to makers, providing a forward trend message they can integrate into their product development.

Sometimes the mood can feel a bit awkward when suggestions about colors, shapes or motifs are made to a craftsperson. In many cases, these people consider themselves artists rather than entrepreneurs engaged in commerce. But while they want to be true to their artistic vision they also want to sell their wares so there is some give and take necessary. That’s where my color and design forecasts come into the picture. It all seemed to work quite well this week.

We had a nice-sized group of makers together in each city. Look left for a picture of several members of one Drogheda group working on a group exercise where I challenged everyone to come up with a product based on one of the trends I discussed in my seminar. Our groups really thought outside the box and had a lot of fun.

It was interesting to learn that many of these makers design and make both home décor and apparel products, and they go back and forth between these two categories seamlessly. It was equally interesting that many of them were interested in how those products can relate to the eco trend—not just about what aspects of it were appropriate to focus on, but also whether buying fewer items, but better and more well-designed ones, would be a result of environmental awareness world-wide. These conversations had real depth and texture, as well as concern.

In Leitrim I attended a fashion show on Tuesday night. It featured some amazing work by more than 40 Irish designers.  It confirmed once again that creativity is waiting to be found everywhere, not just in big cities. I have included the only shot from my camera that was not completely blurry. (I have new admiration for runway photographers now!) This was one of two models who walked with a dog. One dog did beautifully. The other saw her "mom" and would not stay with the model. Very cute!

I’ll be back in Ireland in just a couple of months. I am working for the second year with Crafts Council of Ireland to provide trend direction for the lifestyle display at the Showcase trade fair. And I will once again give seminars, this time to retail buyers and exhibitors who attend, and also to students from local design colleges and universities. If you are planning to be in Europe in January, consider stopping in at Showcase to see my selected trends displayed, attend my seminar and enjoy the beauty of Irish craft.

Trends in Products for Outdoor Living

At the Tendence trade fair in Frankfurt I saw some really terrific outdoor furniture forms. A few days later at the Maison & Objet fair in Paris I was totally blown away by the all the innovative products for outdoor living shown in Building 7’s Outdoor_Indoor exhibition.

Even after we released our CD-ROM about Maison & Objet (click this link, then click on Trend Store, or email Janice to order), I couldn’t stop thinking about everything I had seen for outdoor living. There were so many fabulous materials that I had not seen in outside use in the past. And there were both colors and patterns not previously associated with this category that pushed onto the scene. Even form seemed to be undergoing a metamorphosis. I felt certain that The Trend Curve's subscriber family would want to know about all of it.

The result was What’s In Outdoors™, which we released a couple of weeks ago. Like all of our CD-based trend reports, What’s In Outdoors includes bullet-point details plus lots of images to show you the trends in materials, forms, colors, themes and more for Europe’s more interesting and innovative outdoor products. The response to What’s In Outdoors has been good and we are optimistic that this report could turn into an annual project.

If you have already purchased What’s In Outdoors (thank you!), please take a minute to give us your feedback. Just email Janice with your comments. If you would like to order this all-new product, just click this link, then the Trend Store link, and then the link for this product.We have included the table of contents and a few section images from our report to give you a flavor of what we have covered.

And as we are quite willing to consider explore other product categories, you can also let Janice know if you have a wish in mind for future products.

Dinner With Wolfgang Puck

I had a delightful time tonight with friends at 20 • 21, Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant and bar at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. The food was great and the company was fun. These are things I fully expected to enjoy when Editorial Correspondent to The Trend Curve John Currie extended an invitation to dine out. But what I did not expect (although John knew) was that Mr. Puck himself would be there. 

Wolfgang Puck was nothing short of charming. He came by our table twice during the meal to greet us and ask how we liked our food. And he was a good sport about having his picture taken. In fact, he visited every table with a photographer in tow, then smiled just as perfectly for the little digital cameras that seemed to magically appear from so many purses and pockets.

I have no idea what will be done with the professional pictures that were taken of the four people at my table. Here is one the waiter took with my camera (it must be something about my profession – I am rarely without a camera). I am sitting next to Steve Borsch, co-founder of Marketing Directions, Inc.

BTW, I bought his cookbook Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy (signed, of course!) because the food at 20 • 21 was so fabulous. As someone who has more time to heat food than cook meals, I suspect I will end up reading this book more than using it. I am still quite happy to have it!

New Color from Raymond Waites and Toyo Trading

I am a true Raymond Waites fan. I think he is one of the most versatile designers in the home furnishings industry. With a talent for color and design that has been proven over time (I have followed his career for years), Raymond’s is one voice I always listen to.

Today I not only saw his upholstered and case pieces at LaneVenture, I also had a chance to look at decorative accessories he designed at Toyo Trading. That’s where I ran into Raymond himself. He, Toyo president Randy Nakayama and I spoke for a few minutes about the fresh colors Raymond debuted at the market and what's looking right in the way of trend.

I was taken at once by Raymond’s palette and the pieces he chose for it. For example, Coral or Aqua patterns were contrasted against pure White or used as a solid-colored alligator texture (creating a reptile skin texture in a hard material like ceramic, porcelain or glass is on-trend). These saturated, contemporary hues made the traditional shapes they decorated look quite modern which was the intention.

This melding of modern and traditional, Waites says, is at the heart of the MonTra trend that is picking up speed in every category. If you didn’t know what MonTra was before, one look at these vases and covered boxes would fill in all the gaps.

Just behind these saturated hues sits a range of pale and complex colors that seem a logical next step after the many neutral shades that showed up all over at market.

I loved Raymond’s Yellow because it has just a hint of Green in it. Also in this collection: Water Blue, Citron Green and Peach. He told me that he used the same group of colors in a new collection of wall coverings has just debuted. I can't wait to see them!

If you look at the top image in this post you will see Raymond Waites next to his new accessories for Toyo Trading. He is wearing a splash of Orange I thought was just perfect with his new palette. Don’t forget to look at the second picture, too. It shows the new pieces in Coral and Aqua more clearly, and also gives you a peek at the complex pastels that are almost hidden behind Raymond in the first picture.

If you are at market in High Point and want to see these colors in person (and you should!) just stop by the Toyo Trading showroom at IHFC in the Hamilton Wing, space 321. Subscribers to The Trend Curve™ will read much more trend information and forecasting from the market in the next issue. If you are not already a subscriber, you can visit www.trendcurve.com and click on the Trend Store link to subscribe, or just email Janice Carlson or phone toll free: 800.531.6614.