So what else is going on in home interior design in 2010?...
The state of the economy has fed the trend to blend traditional and modern interior design. Money is tighter so we are trying to conserve dollars and use more sense by simply working with or even repurposing the items already in our homes. We are also focusing more on our homes since we’re spending more time in them; establishing more sound and reasonable budgets for redecorating or updating projects; and deliberating longer over these projects so the end result delivers the best possible outcome.
“Spend Wisely” is the 2010 mantra!
It’s no doubt that we’re all affected by the economy, and it’s stressful. “Staying with what is recognizable and comfortable is what people tend to do in stressful times”, according to color and trend analyst Stephen Bernasconi. In the High Point Fall Fashion Report he said, "When the economy is tough people tend to long for the good ‘ol days . . . and we’re certainly in a period now where people want their ‘comfort’ food.” (High Point Market is one of the world’s most influential home furnishings events that shape future design trends.)
So the comfy ‘mac ‘n cheese’ of design is being updated and elevated by mixing traditional and contemporary furnishings, as well as fusing the styles to create a fresh soup du jour. The recently coined “trad-mo” (TRADitional-MODern) describes this mixing of apparent contradictions.
In Arthur Douglas Thayer’s High Point column he confirms, “The blending of traditional and contemporary styling has accelerated. This blurring of classic and modern design means that a Louis XIV chair may be covered in a bright silk print.” Or, a cushy, cozy bean bag chair can be covered in a high-end, luxury velvet!
Thayer added, “As a counterpoint, a recent survey revealed that a new, more up-to-date permutation of country outstripped both modern and classic as a style of choice for most Americans.” (also called modern-rustic or modern farmhouse.) Could this be something like our Autumn Leaves bean bag chairs, with its updated floral design (not your Grandma’s roses) in a contemporary chenille and rustic colors?
Below you see the Autumn Leaves bean bag chair beside a traditional sofa and contemporary cigar chair. The coffee table is a modern leather version. To complete the trad-mo, eclectic feel, a Japanese antique is repurposed into a bookshelf and an antique trunk is used for storage. Modern touches include the asian-inspired, contemporary floral print and modern landscape painting in bright colors. Accessories include an antique African crocodile sculpture and glass vases in modern shapes.
If you’re worried about blending, Thayer says, “Tonal colorations in fabrics and flooring help bridge whatever styling gap may result from the merging of disparate trends and styles.” So whatever your tastes, trad-mo or rustic-mo, you can make it all cohesive. Choose colors in the same family, like the autumn colors above, for example. Warm, golden wood floors tie all the earthy furniture pieces together.
Speaking of color…“Cooking with neutrals and seasoning with color,” according to designer Barry Dixon of Barry Dixon, Inc. Sprinkle colorful accent pieces among your neutrals, or fun designs among your solids (throw pillows, lamp shades, lap blankets, and a bean bag chair would be easy accents!). Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color said, “People are thinking twice about how they are spending their money, and when they are spending money on big ticket items they are more apt to be thoughtful and opt for a neutral color. In fact Pantone added a palette of neutrals to their eight-palette forecast. We didn’t actually call it a ninth palette, but we felt it was important to reflect the fact that there is that elephant in the room.”. (Pantone is the furniture industry benchmark for color.)
Speaking of elephants…Gray is all the rage in 2010. Softer than black, gray is a cool neutral that works well against the wood and metallic elements that are emerging. According to Eiseman, grays are replacing the warm beiges that have dominated the color scene. They can be warm but are largely cooler which makes them a fresh alternative. The Zen, unobtrusiveness of gray can have a calming effect for people.” One of our elevated versions of gray is the Earth Stripe Chenille bean bag chair. You can place these bean bags in almost any room.
