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Subdued Optimism is a Hot Home Design Product Trend

irwin weiner

February 11, 2009 4:31 PM

The economic downturn predictably has had implications across the board for consumer choices this year.

I got many inside scoops when I spoke with NY designer/educator Susan Slotkis about her trip to the latest New York International Gift Fair -- known to the world as the Gift Show. Says Susan, "This is not a show for the faint-hearted nor is it the beat for stiletto types. Aren’t you lucky to save your soles by having me sourcing and schlepping the NY Gift Show for you?"

Susan reports that the economic downturn predictably has had implications across the board for consumer choices this year. “I found that to be true especially in color,” she said. “The stark contrast of black and white is waning (thankfully) and not unexpectedly given its starkness. Gray offers so many more livable choices and mixed with the optimism of yellow, it gives us hope. Neutral gray, neither warm nor cool, shows up in glorious shades from driftwood to charcoal. Once almost impossible to find in home fashion, we are now seeing gray in garden seats, ceramics, bed linens, stationary, and bath products."

Susan noted Ankasa's En Francaise line to show how wonderful gray can look in your home this year (see photo). My advice is to check out the entire Ankasa line of amazing home textiles and accessories. They are pure heaven.

Susan continues to describe the subdued optimism trend she found in this year's Gift Show: "Extravagance is more subtle this year. Bling is less brassy. Bright gold is being replaced by copper, bronze, platinum, mercury glass, crystals, rhinestones, and sequins."

The lovely Warbler Salt & Pepper set in the top photo shows the more subdued bling in this year's tabletop, and Grant Dawson Collections manufactures its home accessories in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner. And check out these lovely mercury glass candlesticks from Two's Company as an example of bling without all the brass we've had in recent years.

Susan Slotkis is an Interior Design faculty member at NYU's School of Continuing & Professional Studies, and she also teaches at FIT and MIID. She is the author of Foundations of Interior Design, a basic text in the design field.

Inspired by the popularity of YouTube and videos on the internet, Irwin Weiner and Jay Johnson created Design2Share in November 2006, an online podcast of advice and inspiration on homes, gardens, and architecture.