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That’s how I feel after a few days at the signature market event highlighting trends and top product picks for the first major total home furnishings market of the year. As an interior designer the most exciting trend is that color is finally back! It was one of the distinguishing factors of this Market with color dancing throughout the home furnishings complex. Splashes of color in decorative accessories are a quick and simple way to communicate and a way a way to add an accent and make a statement in your home.

Purple will register high on the popularity scale this year, as will denim-like blues. Neutrals will also figure prominently in 2011. My favorite color palette is finally taking center stage for 2011:  Honeysuckle, an energetic reddish pink that can be seen all across the Market floor in textiles, pillows, bedding and rugs. It’s even showing up sofas, chairs and chaises. Black accents and animal prints were also showing strong in accents.

Accessories are key - something as small as a bright ceramic vase or an exotic candleholder has the power to change the entire narrative of a room. A contemporary palette of green, orange and white, was another example that was fresh with color.

Gift + Home categories also featured an array of new product lines, and spring fever was a consistent theme. Look for birds, bunnies, buds and tempting fragrances. Other featured creatures were farm animal figurines. Wall plaques, wreaths, votive and pillar candleholders and more accessories filled with fun and color! 

When it comes to home furnishings, both style and scale will lead the way in the 2011. Vintage and French industrial looks are in, as are exotic and white-washed woods. Expect to see a warming of finishes. Gone are the deep mahoganies of the past. Instead, it’s a causal comfort story with distressed finishes. In addition, intricate detailing, refined finishes, classic upholstery silhouettes and casual dining solutions will set the stage this year.

The value of area rugs is one of the most exciting areas in design right now. Even a small investment can result in adding a depth of luxury and elegance to a room. Layering rugs is one warmest trends showing. It’s much like layering your clothing. You’re building on a style and - when done right - adding colors, materials, or textures can give a room depth and warmth. Throwing a patterned rug over a sisal, seagrass, or jute rug is a foolproof approach for those a bit hesitant to combine intricate patterned rugs. A simple earth-tone texture for the base layer can help anchor the room, while the patterned rug can help define an area.

Now back to reality – spent four hours on I-695 after landing at Baltimore airport on my way home – then a night at my friend Howard Johnson’s in Pikesville, Maryland. Finally, arriving home nearly twenty-four hours after landing to a drive-way with two feet of snow! 

I am so ready for SPRING!

Be inspired,

Sharon Hanby-Robie, ASID