Home Trend alert! I was just looking at the latest issue of Home Furnishings News and seeing what’s hot in home furnishings right now. I don’t mention all the trends featured since some I considered to be more like fads and some weren’t that new…. just what you’d expect to find at your average mall store. These are some of the more unexpected and interesting trends in home furnishings and accessories and worth mentioning.

1. Murals. Digital photography makes them better quality than those cheesy forest scenes you might remember from a basement den circa 1975. Best used in a room with grand scale, otherwise you’ll have a flashback.
2. White Marble. It’s now trendy, modern and classic at the same time. This is already a classic; so expect this trend to stay.
3. Green Products. Not the color, but the recycled materials-energy saving-low impact on the environment type stuff. It’s definitely here to stay.
4. Modular Flooring. Flor set the pace with their ‘carpet” squares, now you can get wood in squares or puzzle pieces. A trend that makes sense for folks on the go or for those that like frequent change.
5. Retro-inspired Refrigerators. Look old on the outside, new and energy-efficient on the inside. The colors are amazing. Who needs stainless when you can have turquoise?
6. Really cool showerheads. Wall mounted in multiples, soft rain sprays to hard massage; the shower is the hottest new retreat in the bath.
7. 1970’s inspired furniture. And I don’t mean that horrible Herculon _TM plaid sofa and the burnt orange and brown sculpted shag. We are talking the best of the funky-cool Lucite chairs, chrome light fixtures, and graphic textiles.
8. Flatware with colored handles. Looks like ivory, enamel, wood, ebony or onyx but made from modern materials in many cases: acrylic, bone, wood, polyresin.
9. Black and White patterned tableware. Fun and funky graphics, mod circles and squares, or elegant pinstripes and damask patterns. Easy to mix with standard white and brilliant with colored pieces.

Be on the lookout for these trends at cutting edge retailers and enjoy!
Cheers,
~Reb