Autumn Color from Columbus, NC offers design inspiration

Autumn foliage from a walk in North Carolina during one of Pamela’s visits. 

Well, normally at this time I would be writing and posting from beautiful North Carolina and The High Point Market. Held in High Point, North Carolina, it is the largest home furnishings industry trade show in the world, with over 10 million square feet attended by roughly 2,000 exhibitors throughout approximately 180 buildings.

Pamela visits Nourison at High Point Market 2019

Pamela checking out Nourison at High Point Market, fall 2019

I go every fall for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that I love this time of year and miss living in an area with four seasons. I love seeing the new designs and releases from the world’s best resources and picking up a few treasures for clients and often for myself as well. I also enjoy seeing my design friends and colleagues from all over the country. Plus, I extend my stay so that I can visit my aunt and her husband in Columbus, N.C., not far from Asheville. It makes for a lovely trip – the perfect mix of business and pleasure!

The market is also held in spring and this year it was cancelled because of COVID. The fall market dates were extended to provide opportunities for a more distanced attendance. However, I decided not to attend because it wasn’t really critical for me this year and I would not be able to visit with family. Luckily, High Point Market does a great job providing information, so instead of giving you a live recap, I will do it using the market guides and highlights shared. So, here’s what the Style Spotters had to say about the 2020 High Point Market designs.

copper wire flower sculpture from the Phillips Collection

Decor by Pamela Hope Designs

 

Ivonne Ronderos mentioned the prevalence of irregular shapes and asymmetry. From table-top vases to benches, natural fluid shapes were seen. She noted a copper wire flower sculpture from the Phillips Collection, which we placed in this client’s bathroom almost two years ago.

abstract art from Paragon

Photo Courtesy of Paragon

Style Spotter Joanna Hawley-McBride noted bold, true blues like this “Sumi-E Abstract II” art from Paragon The piece is described as ribbons of blue that entwine indiscriminately.

We took a similar but bolder approach when curating art for a recent commercial project. As shown below, we used several series of blue and white canvases, framed in clean, black floating frames for the hallways and corridors for a portfolio of office buildings not far from Greenway Plaza.

several series of blue and white canvases, framed in clean, black floating frames for the hallways

Decor by Pamela Hope Designs

 

We also went bold with blue islands in two kitchen remodels last year. Below on the left is a dark blue option from the cabinet selections at Expressions Home Gallery, while we selected Sherwin Williams Naval SW 6244 for the kitchen island in another client’s home (below right). Sherwin-Williams 6244 paint color in Naval
Naval was last year’s Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year. It’s still going strong because we suggested it yet again for a recent kitchen consultation in a Pearland home. By the way, there are a lot of interesting blue and blue-green islands out there but if you want navy, like several of our clients did, we have tested a lot of colors and we end up picking SW 6244 Naval every time! Just a hint in case you will be shopping for navy blue paint this weekend, be sure to put SW 6244 Naval on your list!

naval blue in 2 kitchen islands

Another great place to add some blue is in an area rug. Navy can still look classic while being nearly as graphic as black and white. You can pull from the geometric and stripe trends with area rug designs like these casual styles from Dash and Albert. On the left, Hampshire Stripe Cobalt Woven Cotton Rug gives a tailored preppy element to pull a room together. On the right, the Herringbone Stripe Navy Woven Cotton Rug is inspired by tailored menswear with diagonal movement and stripes.

2 blue area rugs from Dash and Albert

Photos Courtesy of Dash and Albert

For an economical choice, this 9′ x 12′ Jill Zarin Outdoor Rug from Rugs.com has a great design.

Blues in rug design

Photo Courtesy of Rugs.com

Photo Courtesy of HRI Rugs

I believe rugs and art are really the only things you can buy for your house that might actually appreciate in value. Therefore, I tend to suggest high quality rugs that clients can love for a lifetime or trade them in if their style or color palette changes. There are some stunning blue rugs in the higher-end market. We have sold several recently. There is just a touch of navy but I love the mix of grays and white with multiple blue hues. Also, abstract, contemporary rugs like this one can really modernize a room, even if you have more traditional furnishings.

If you are a New Traditionalist like me, you either can go for a classic design like this beauty on the left from HRI Rugs or you can do a mix, where the traditional design has a more modern color scheme and updated style with the mixing of abstract and classic rug patterns all in the same piece (below right)! See how the overall design of this rug from Kalaty is a traditional motif but the edges are blurred out and pixelated? That is a really cool way to combine styles in a rug. Also, note the interesting hues like olive and mustard hidden in the mix. I love rugs like these if I’m not buying a traditional oriental.

2 styles of rugs with blue

 

Masika Drink Table is trending along with other small tables

Photo Courtesy of Uttermost

Other notable trends seen at High Point Market included loads of cute, elegant, brutalist, you name it small tables. Pull up, nesting and drink tables are all the rage. They can work anywhere in the home, are easy to move around as the needs of the room change and, if you buy nesting tables, you get more than one! With more time at home, everyone needs a spot to put their phone, tablet, glass, glasses, etc. Here is one I saw at  The Houstonian Hotel last year after they remodeled the locker rooms. I bought one for my living room the next day!

c-table in blue are all the rage

Photo Courtesy of Lusk Studios

The “c” tables that fit over the arm of a chair or sofa are also handy – now more than ever! I love this one from Lusk Studios and look – it’s blue. It comes in other colors too! Imagine how much use smart tables like this will get when we return to holiday gatherings (even if on a more intimate scale). As we decorate homes and offices year-round, we’re always considering how our clients wish to embrace their living spaces– amongst daily routines as well as holiday celebrations. While the holidays will certainly look different this year, we’re more committed than ever to creating interiors and exteriors to relish.

What is one design trend that you’d like to incorporate into your home? We can’t wait to hear from you!

 

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