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TRENDS TRACKING

They're Percolating...
Clues to tomorrow's interiors are rising to the surface.

by Kathleen Stoehr

Many trends simmer away for years before coming to a bubble, while fads burst on the scene for a short time, comet-like, before dissipating quickly. Here’s a look at some solid, percolating trends that will affect the window coverings industry in years to come.

FIVE STAR LIVING, ÜBER LUXURY
The Five Star Living trend is a movement among wealthy consumers, who are “trading up” per se, to try to look and live like the true upper crust. This is driving the super rich to higher ground in order to isolate themselves from these plutocratic wannabes—thus, enabling the rise of Über Luxury.

The Five Star Living Trend, more likely applicable to your clientele, can be seen, for example, in the movement toward a hotel lifestyle, such as what is transpiring with The Westin hotel chain. What Westin is doing is partnering with shopping venues (such as in my hometown of Edina, MN, the high-end Galleria or downtown Minneapolis’ Gaviidae Plaza) by attaching a hotel/condominium development onto a high-end shopping experience. Twenty-four hour concierge, dog walking services, valet parking, plus accessibility to time-honored jewelers such as Tiffany & Co., hometown decorating powerhouses such as Gabbert’s, and established eateries all within an elevator ride down to the main floor—as well as luxe hotel options for visiting relatives.

Whatever the affluent can do to separate themselves from the middle class is important. Indeed, the middle class, as skewered by David Brooks in The New York Times, has emerged as a “Wal-Mart leisure class—devil-may-care middle-age slackers who live off home equity loans and disability payments so they can surf the History Channel and enjoy fantasy football leagues.” If the middle class is headed for heady leisure, then the upper class needs something to lord over them, thus Five Star Living.

An offshoot of this Five Star Living trend is Fifth Avenue, which focuses on ornamentation and embellishment, represented in a discerning, urbane manner.

Note that Five Star Living luxuries don’t necessarily mean a higher price, but most definitely mean superior quality, rare materials and limited production. Watch for workrooms to step up production of handmade and detailed draperies and other products that can’t be found in regular showrooms, rare fabrics and even unusual wood grains in hard treatment products to move to the forefront.

Recurring themes in Five Star Living and Fifth Avenue include:
• Colors: Rose, Turkish coffee, plum, taupe, silvery gray
• Textiles: Velvet, silk, damask
• Materials: polished glass, marble, metallic surfaces
• Jewelry: Pearls, yellow gold, colored gemstones
• Clothing: Clean, simple, elegant—think Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan
• Interiors: Modern and clean with unusual but tasteful embellishments

As for Über Luxury, which mirrors the rise of the super rich’s effect on the economic growth of a country, one could look at consumer choices such as shopping in Dubai instead of New York or Paris; pop stars hired for private parties; vintage wines with exorbitant price tags; limited edition $500,000 timepieces; draperies hand-embellished with ultra-expensive crystals and one-of-a-kind vintage furnishings to lead the charge.

• Colors: Sable, cream, black and Rubino (a raspberry hue) with high polishes and burnished finishes
• Jewelry: Rare colored diamonds, such as the 1.73 carat red diamond shown at Leviev in London
• Purchases: Property, hedge funds and art
• Interiors: Plenty of open space punctuated with extraordinary furnishings and art

Interestingly, it was recently reported that rock group U2’s Bono (see next paragraph below) just snatched “a badge of distinction from the super wealthy” (credit: CBS News) by buying a minority stake in Forbes Media, thus securing a picture of himself on the cover of its flagship publication. Hopefully, in the accompanying feature article inside, he will be discussing our next trend (also attributed, in part, to him), which is . . .

ETHICAL CONSUMERISM
Says U2’s Bono, “It’s sexy to want to change the world. I’m calling it conscious consumerism for people who are awake, people who think about their spending power.” So what is it, then, that Bono hopes to accomplish by buying into one of the most powerful media outlets in the world today? Time will tell.

In diamonds, ethical consumerism means purchasing a stone with a provenance report. In clothing, it’s buying garments with alternative fibers. In household products, it means selecting products that don’t leech chemicals into the ground water and are manufactured with “green” practices in place. In gardening, it’s the usage of “green” pesticides, as well as planting gardens that benefit insects and animals. In food, it means choosing organic. It’s buying a hybrid vehicle instead of a Hummer.

Talk to your clients about how they wish to incorporate ethical manufacturing practices and products into their interiors. Do they want reclaimed wood floors, employing boards from ages past or perhaps cork—a renewable resource that is not only environmentally sensitive but also durable and beautiful? Does it mean constructing draperies from organic cotton, jute or hemp?

Ethical consumerism’s recurring themes include:
• Colors: Dusty shades of blue and lavender, as well as rosy browns and night sky indigo, colors that draw inspiration from lush forest landscapes
• Jewelry: Yellow gold, coral, jade, animal motifs, multi-strand beaded necklaces of citrine and amethyst
• Materials: Cork or bamboo flooring, handmade tiles, woven grass shades, matte finishes
• Textiles: Natural fibers such as cotton or bamboo, coarsely woven fabrics, rough slub silk
• Fashion: Layered combinations and oversize knits bring a more disheveled, natural look; slouchy trousers
• Interiors: Clean, earthy tones; a celebration of the Earth through the use of natural elements such as plants, fire, fountains, skylights

For the ethical consumer, buying is more than personal gratification and fulfilling need within one’s own personal orb, it is also about using money wisely to, in a small way, impact the world in a positive manner.

EMERGING FASHION STYLES
It may also help to look at emerging fashion styles to chart the course of tomorrow’s interior. On the forefront is a Heritage revival. The styles of the 18th and 19th centuries will emerge as a strong cultural megatrend in 2007, referencing the French Revolution. Note Sofia Coppola’s newly released movie Marie Antoinette as a harbinger with top couture designers such as John Galliano and Christian Lacroix lighting the way, with fashion copycats following. This is much in the way that Moulin Rouge affected moviegoers a few years back.

Fashion will be cued by French army uniforms, monograms and other royal stylings (for both men’s and women’s clothing). This trend will also influence home interiors in the form of chandeliers, decorative wallpapers, embroidery and more ornate looks. Note that brocade and lace will be popular not only on the runway but also in the home.

Restraint, another huge trend in fashion, is all about tailoring and sobriety; a fast U-turn away from the modern grunge or shabby chic interiors so recently popular. Look for clean lines and architectural tailoring not only in clothing, but also in interiors. No overstuffed sofas or droopy draperies—box pleated top treatments and wood blinds will be more likely.

A fad, but nonetheless a strong fad, is the movement toward morbid glam—jewelry with skulls and razor blades, tote bags with images of guns and spiders, T-shirts with iconic references to suicide. In interiors, it is pairing black and white with red. Think also of the lair of Vampirella—sexy, spooky and lacy as all get out.

Finally, as we all have probably seen, the 1980s are an important fashion influence right now (it pains me to see my 15 year old daughter dressing as I did in my youth, but I’m heartened by the fact that she seems to wear everything better than I did, from the leggings to the skinny jeans). The revival of the ’80s power suit is approaching, too. How will this influence your window designs? It might not hurt to pick up a DVD of Dallas, Dynasty or The Colby’s—take a look at those interiors and then consider how you might wield your new millennium interpretation on this old saw. Swags and pinch pleats will resurge, as well as multiple treatment layers.
Kathleen Stoehr is the author of Dream Windows, Historical Perspectives, Classic Designs, Contemporary Creations and Dream Floors, Hundreds of Ideas for Every Kind of Floor, [both from Randall International, 2005]. She is also owner of Chemistry Creative, an editorial and graphic design company in Minneapolis, MN. She can be reached at kstoehr@chemistrycreative.com.