N.Y. Home Textiles
Textile show loves color, courts younger market
By Carole Sloan -- Home Accents Today, 11/1/2004
It was a something-for-everyone style story at the home textiles market in New York last month.
For the first time in a number of years, no single look or fabrication dominated the marketplace as chenille constructions have done for the past several markets.
It was a market dominated by color — lots of it and the bolder the better. Reds, oranges, yellows and greens were the favorites — often mixed together.
Throughout the market, the influence of tweeners and teens on overall design was evident. Designs, colors and fabrications were looser, lighter and less serious.
And the home textiles marketplace has definitely awakened to the buying force these two groups represent.
Bedding collections in particular, rather than merely individual items, were dedicated to the burgeoning consumer groups.
Window coverings also reflected the youthful march of the marketplace with bright multicolored strings or ribbons attached to a tab-top header among the market winners. Other window hits were appliques or attachments of flora and fauna as embellishments.
Important looks in bedding ranged from the whimsical to retro/mid-century contemporary to graphic geometrics on one hand to sophisticated menswear looks and brights in plaids, stripes and ombre effects on the other.
Dots, exuberant and oversized, were a popular design motif, featured in products from rugs to window coverings to bedding. In many instances, bold colorings went hand in hand with the exaggerated scale. But more sophisticated versions featured a melange of neutrals.
Tropicals continued to be a major design influence but the new versions reflect the spa influence seen across the market. The monkeys in a tree motif is passe.
For the more traditional customer, this market softened the heavy look of chenille and lightened the color palette with the addition of soft blues, cream shades and pale pinks.
An elegant twist on a patchwork motif is featured by Sethi & Sethi in Melange, a silk bedding collection with embellishments including pearls and tassels.
Rainbow Block from Cuddledown mixes a bold plaid bed ensemble with tempering solid colors made from Italian yarn-dyed mercerized combed cotton.
Spice Market from the Royal Sateen bedding collection is inspired by hand-woven rugs in a medallion design in spice tones at DWI Holdings.
Coco, influenced by fashion's penchant for tweed, uses four melange yarn-dyed colors at CHF Industries.
Siesta from the Bright Moves table linens collection at Bardwil mixes tonal brights in a polyester/viscose plaid in shades of pink, yellow and orange.
Creative Bath features Circle Game, a colorful graphic geometric design, in a bath collection using a printed cotton faille shower curtain, ceramic accessories in novelty shapes and a jacquard stripe towel.
