Our gift and home décor buying trips always fill us with inspiration, creativity and excitement. And this summer's trip was no different. We just returned from the Atlanta Gift and Home Decor Market – our first, full-attendance show since January 2020 – and our brains are overflowing ideas!
It always takes a few days after returning home to be able to process and organize our thoughts. After sifting through our pages of notes, organizing hundreds of photos and reviewing our orders, the trends start to emerge more clearly. Below are some of our favorite ‘take-aways’ from the trip, some trends were following and a sneak peek into what we’ll be bringing into our retail stores and website this fall:
Rattan, Wicker and Natural Color Themes
The use of natural materials in everything from lighting to gifts to home décor accessories is showing no signs of slowing! We love the light and airy feeling rattan oversized light fixtures, wicker trays and frames and woven rugs bring to interior spaces. Many designers have also incorporated wood detailing on jewelry and fashion accessories. Simple, clean and natural...our favorite style!
Matte Gold with Black and Floral Accents
On the opposite side of the spectrum, a sophisticated design theme with brushed gold, matte black and gray color accents has become very popular. We saw this theme represented in many of the showrooms, often combined with a honey gold accent to provide a pop of color. Many of the more formal serving pieces, décor elements and tabletop products were centered around this color scheme. In kitchen and serving pieces, we noticed a lot of soft, pastel gray being used as an accent color with glossy white ceramic dishes. Another new detail was the use of a pretty, brushed gold finish in many of metal home décor accessories such as candle holders, planters, frames and vases. Another new addition to the design theme was the introduction of rich, sage green colors on walls and accessories.
Throws, Pillows and Kitchen Textiles
Some of our favorite European-style textiles that we first saw at the Paris Home show several years ago have finally made it over to the states. Many showrooms had displays of crisp, French linen tablecloths and napkins in subtle pastel and neutral colors. We’re sure to see more of these on dining tables this fall. Cozy cotton throws, in natural colors and pastels, were popular along with colorful accent pillows – chunky, textured knits, crisp cottons and soft velour patterns were our favorites. One interesting trend was the use of woven, Turkish towels in guest bathrooms and as a replacement for regular cloth napkins for entertaining (we have several styles on order!)
Bamboo and Babies
While soft and breathable bamboo fabrics have been a staple in the nursery and baby product collections for some time, this category is continuing to expand. We saw the introduction of several new companies with bamboo and organic cotton gowns, onesies and blankets -- each featuring beautiful, hand-designed patterns and pastel and earthy color schemes. These will surely be memorable gifts for new little ones this fall. Another fun addition? Silicone teethers with clever (and hilarious) messages.
Stationery and Cards
We have a secret obsession for stationery (ok, not so secret now!), so we’re always on the lookout for new lines in this category. We tend to select card and stationery collections with crisp and clean images; simple, thoughtful messages; and thick, high-quality paper. Thankfully, several of the card creators we visited are going in this direction. Watch for an expanded selection of greeting cards, stationery and paper products in our retail stores, as well as colorful mini-cards that will be included with our GRACEiousliving.com gift-wrapped orders.
Stay tuned!
That wraps up some of our ‘big ideas’ from the recent market. While we have been forced to do a lot of our buying virtually this past year, this show proved that there is certainly no substitute for in-person shopping and sourcing!
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