Design 2012
By Wanda Jankowski

Ikats and global influences have been popular for several markets and remain so. Here’s Sharae from Revman International, Inc., 212-278-0300, revman.com

Gray is the season’s strongest neutral. Flora (shown) is from Venus Home, 800-421-6599, venusgroup.com

Printed watercolor effects are popular, but this painterly treatment is achieved with traditional embroidery techniques used to render three-dimensional flowers in a fresh, modern style. Camile from Revman International, Inc., 212-278-0300, revman.com

Trends from the New York Home Fashions Market for products hitting retail floors in 2012

Here are highlights of design trends debuting this Fall for 2012:

Colors
Grey is the dominant neutral, often combined with citrus yellow or blended with shades of lavender. Brown remains a popular neutral, mostly combined with purple and blue. Black ensembles rich with textural details, and black paired with white, ivory, gold and yellow or green also feature in offerings from several suppliers.
Mixes of bright colors are not confined to juvenile ensembles, but adorn adult fashion bedding as well.

Patterns & Motifs
Like the long-lasting predominance of stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, the popularity of ikat designs continues, even though it has been in the spotlight for several markets. The ethnic/global influence is strong, with motifs that are more general in feeling and not as tied to any particular culture as they had been in the past.

Animal prints pop up regularly, but most with a twist either combined with other patterns or in non-standard colors palettes, such as zebra prints in brown and ivory.

Paisleys and overscaled florals are rendered in varied colors in many showrooms.

Materials & Surface Treatments
“Faux” is “in.” Fur replica throws go beyond the usual mink and sable to fitch and other patterns. Cost-saving printed designs mimic more expensive linen looks, embroidery and crochet. Cost-effective embossed quilted effects in fashion and basic bedding replicate the more expensive authentic quilting achieved with stitching.
Patterns are printed to look like hand-painted watercolor designs, some with distressing to add to the illusion of handcrafting.

Linen and cotton canvas add texture and a casual feel to some ensembles. Pricing concerns have led to more polyester, cotton/poly blends and microfiber options on display.

Overall, though these trends appear throughout many showrooms, they are not as pronounced or embraced in as widespread a manner as trends had been a couple of markets ago. More suppliers seem to be going their own ways in creating designs that they hope will appeal to their clientele and ultimately to consumers.