When you’re strolling through the High Point Furniture Market, you never know who you might meet. TheHome.Com’s Ellen Gefen walked through the Market with designer and HGTV host Corey Damen Jenkins. He offered his expert commentary on some of the current trends he’s seeing.
Color is making a comeback — big time. “In interior design, there’s lots of focus on bright, vibrant color,” says Jenkins. He also noted that there’s a focus on texture. “I’m seeing a return to a more modern take on details like trims, and bullion fringe.” He noted that these design details don’t have a 1980s interpretation, but rather a more cleaned up and more streamlined approach.
Fashion is also leaving the runway and hitting the home décor market. “I’m also seeing a big push for fashion inspired interiors,” says Jenkins. “Looking at the Parisian runway, I can see very clearly where they’re trying to take what the fashion designers are doing and bringing that into interior design.”
One example of that is Global Views, a brand that’s using fashion in its design aesthetic. “I think they have some great examples of what I’m talking about for the vibrant fresh color palette,” says Jenkins. He called the company fashion-forward and admires their sexy, clean, and modern design. “Although it still has those traditional aesthetics, it ties together and that’s what gives it that classic edge. It keeps it balanced and it keeps it relevant for today,” he says. “I love this company. They really look at amazing details and bring lots of texture and great artistic views to different pieces,” added Gefen.
Another design highlight for this season is brass. “I’m seeing gold and antique brass in a really big way and you can really see it illustrated here at Global Views,” says Jenkins. “Again, the fashion-forward detail almost has some Egyptian kind of aesthetic influence with it as well. It’s just gorgeous.” Gefen agreed, adding, “That’s what they do such a great job with. It pops when you’re bringing out the brass, even on small accent pieces.”
Which leads to another trend: mixing and matching. “Gone are the days where everything had to match, or it has to be the same shade of antique brass, or everything has to be polished nickel,” says Jenkins. “We’re seeing things being mixed together where it’s burnished brass or bright brass or antique brass mixing it all up.” According to Jenkins, it’s more about the flow versus former design rules. “Rules are being broken. That’s good for design,” he says.
Neutrals and greys are now seeing another big color contender in the market, and that’s black. “Black is back in a really big way,” says Jenkins. “It’s like black is the new black!” Black tends to be a sexy color, and a new trend is to match it with brass and gold touches to create a classic look. Not only is black being used in furniture, but as Jenkins pointed out, it’s also a design focal point in wall coverings and other pieces, too.
Whether it’s black, brass accents, or both, ultimately, it’s about finding a style that fits you. “Don’t be afraid to open something up, look inside to find the texture,” advises Gefen. “Find excitement and have fun as you’re shopping for furniture.”
