What's out, what's in?
Susan Dickenson, Retail Editor -- Home Accents Today, 1/1/2008
This month, home accent retailers share some insight about their merchandise — what's selling in stores and what's not. The retailers who contributed to this list are as diverse as their picks and pans, representing a variety of different styles, price points, geographic areas and operational practices. Many of them are shopping the winter markets where they'll see this issue's Sketchbook trends and styles presented by our product editors, Tracy Bulla and Lindsey Strader. As they shop, these retailers might also find evidence of the emerging trends predicted by our designer panel on the magazine's back page. But when it comes to restocking their stores, here's a glimpse at what's moving and where the dust is collecting…
OUTUseless luxury
Cheap imports
Nonrenewable resources
Made in China
Mass-produced for millions
Heavy metal
Elephants & donkeys
Fairies
Clichés
Real animal skins
Real horn or ivory
Amber glass
Anything be-jeweled
Large country floral prints
Pattern
Sacrificing comfort for looks
Skirts
Navy blue, hunter green & burgundy
Black, white & red
Coral in any shade
Soot, lead wicks, drips
Extravagant dog products
DIY software
Flimsy glass and pottery
Incandescent light bulbs
Pot-racks above the kitchen island
Rugs not certified as child labor-free
Holiday decor, post-season
Big purchases of original art
High-priced clocks
TV/entertainment cabinets
Candleholders that go unnoticed
Mirror frames that go unnoticed
Mirrors only for viewing
Vintage furniture
Illegal in-store background music
Palms
Dried flowers
Plastic ceramic look-alikes
Potpourri
In-home design consultations
Small, expensive pick-up items
“Stack it high and let it fly”
Big furniture and expensive art
INUse-able luxury
Sophisticated ethnic
Green everything
Made in U.S.A.
Handmade, authentic, artisanal
Nature
Birds, bees and pigs
Anything Buddha
Whimsical decor
Animal prints, especially Zebra
Bone made to look like horn, ivory
Mercury glass
Silver finishes
Large scale accessories
Texture
Aged, comfortable upholstery
Exposed wood legs
Brown plus any color for accent
Spice reds and gold
Silver and gray tones
Candles and reed diffusers
Handmade boiled wool dog toys
“Books, books, books”
Good glass and pottery
Table and floor lamps
Chandeliers for every room
Area rugs — any style, any pattern
Holiday ornaments and decor
Picture frames
Low-priced clocks
Case good pieces for flat panel TVs
Floor-sized candleholders
Mirrors made with architectural finds
Oversized mirrors to add drama
Antique furniture
Music CDs as an exclusive product
Orchids
Live and permanent plants, topiaries
Decorative garden pots
Pomanders
Home staging
Security cameras
Stocking fewer items; better quality
Small, inexpensive pickup items
To comment on this story, please write to me at susan.dickenson@reedbusiness.com or share your thoughts on my blog at HomeAccentsToday.com.
Images: mirror, Artdreams Home; Buddha, Artasad; bone votives; Lunares; wingback chair, Barclay Butera Home; rug, Feizy; Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook, Clarkson Potter; Home By Design, Taunton; chandelier, Waterford; planter, Napa Home
























