6 Hot Design Trends from Market 2016

Natural elements were everywhere. I LOVE the play of oyster shells, vintage furnishings, and this fabulous indigo (another trend) deer wall paper!

Hides are HOT! They were everywhere at market. Love this pretty stool from Oly. The limed wood, with curvy french-inspired legs contrasts perfectly with the hide upholstery.

This subtle hide was the perfect choice to pair with the sleek, black metal of this arm chair from Oly. Great lines. Comfortable, too.

Gold is the color of choice now. The proportions of this stylish shelf make it a standout. Notice the stylized sea creature sculptures; another strong trend at market this year.

The French aesthetic is always hot. Whatever else is trending, the beautiful lines of french antiques will always complement it. In this case, it’s the indigo trend this french chair is sporting.

After falling out of favor for a while, gourd lamps are back in a big way. Soft blues were particularly hot. Oranges, too.

I particularly liked this periwinkle example. Notice how the lamp’s clean, modern curves foil the intricate carvings of the antique wood pieces.

Again, European style is always trending. This darling antique bench has been updated with soft grey velvet (my current fave in upholstery) and nailhead trim. Perfect.

Perfectly aged sculpture still inspires me. This piece stopped me in my tracks.

Ombre is another great trend. We saw it in textiles and ceramics. A fun play on color. Notice the skirt on this chair. This is my go-to trick for updating a fully upholstered chair (especially one with ugly legs!): begin the skirt’s pleat right at the deck of the chair. This gives you a much sleeker line.

Huge trend: mixing styles and textures. We saw more vintage and antique pieces being used in the showrooms than ever before. The use of natural wood was a major trend, too. I’m so glad to see an appreciation for the sculptural beauty of natural elements.

Continuing trend: mid-century modern’s influence of clean lines and paired down decor. This sofa by Oly was stunning AND comfortable. Note the contrast of the sheen of the cylindrical table and tweedy linen fabric of the sofa.

The shiplap walls and wooden accents of this bedroom created an enticing scene. The shams and knit blanket are of Peruvian alpaca (alpaca was everywhere at market – such a pleasure!). The soft grey palette of this bed was super appealing.

Hot trend: Indigo. Though the colors of the year are Rose Quartz (pale pink) and Serenity (pale blue), indigo and navy were looking so good at market! This beachy living room was a standout.

Hot trend: coloring. Admit it: you want to pick up those colored pencils and just go at it, don’t you? I’m totally doing this for my Easter table this year. Irresistible fun.

While I’m not a fan of these placemats, I LOVE the paper table runner on this table. It’s somewhere between birch bark and hide, in muted gold and cream. Love it! And look how pretty it is with the simple white table settings and spring flowers.

Americana – always popular. So fresh and fun in these fabulous papers. Notice the place setting on the tarnished silver tray, de-formalized by the playful star placemat. Again – contrasts.

This one made me think of some of the pieces I’ve seen on Ellen’s Design Challenge on HGTV. Contrasts everywhere in this display: angular brass base, stunningly selected and finished wood surface, sparkling, crystal chandelier. And then those amazing live-edge pieces of wood as wall art.

Katherine & I had a blast! This is our attempt at a selfie on a Hollywood-glam, hot-pink, velvet sofa . . .