Last weekend, we had the pleasure of checking out all of the 2024 design trends and items at High Point Spring market. As always, it is inspiring to see all of the new styles . We make predictions on what will last and what will never make it in our corner of the world. It is fashion week for your home!

 

A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER IN A SHORT TIME BUT IT WORTH IT TO SEE ALL OF THE 2024 Design Trends!

It’s a lot to take in in only a few days, but we always set out with a plan and come away with so much inspiration from all we see. 2000 vendors, 11 MILLION sq ft of showrooms and 180 buildings add up to a lot of opportunity to create one of a kind spaces.

 

 

Adding to Our Expertise

It can be design overload for sure, but worth it to see the latest design trends and vendor offerings in the home furnishings industry up close and personal. In an era that everything is online, we love to see products in person. We want to ensure that if we specify something for a client,  it is to the quality and as beautiful as portrayed online. We can request samples of fabric or finishings but we want to know how the chair sits, are the tables solid wood or hollow and if that chandelier is as stunning in person as it is online.  Time has shown us that just because something has a bigger price tag does not always mean it is a better quality product and this is a great way to get a closer look.

MORE THAN JUST LOOKING AT 2024 DESIGN TRENDS

Being up to date not only on styles but also talking to vendors about any changes in manufacturing or logistics is also incredibly important.  Seeing an item set up in a staging that we had not thought of before pushes the boundaries for our creativity. All of this adds up to Sutton Place gaining additional experience and expertise to bring back to you.

 A RICH HISTORY

High Point, NC is the mecca of the furniture industry in our country, seasonally bringing out cutting edge designs and innovations in home furnishings. It’s been a hub of furniture manufacturing for at least a century and it’s nice to have that here in the south, only about an hour away from Sutton Place. . I have to be careful because I love a good story and I can go on about the history and how this town became so important to our furniture industry but most don’t come here to read about that.

 

WHERE 2024 DESIGN TRENDS AND TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP MEET

I often think of the marketplaces or bazaars that you envision in old countries – Istanbul, Malta or Tangiers when we head into HPMKT. There are vendors and merchandise from around the globe – one of a kind rugs, hand carved wooden tables, lights that are hand beaded. You can touch the fabrics and the handmade rugs,  look up at the way light shines through the crystals and admire the decorative objects that rest on every table, shelf and available surface as you walk through these buildings. To know there are still human hands crafting these items much of the time is still amazing to me since we live in a world where everything seems to be pushed off of an assembly line and you can place your orders right then and there. It is a much different feeling than the one you experience walking into your local furniture store.

A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE

In some show rooms, you know you are about to see what is coming to the main stream audiences. They are brands that general shoppers would be familiar with – where companies such as Wayfair or Restoration Hardware shop for their catalogs, ordering hundreds of items and swaying what trends will actually “make it” in the big world. Somewhere in the middle of all of this, is us. And, those like us. The custom design firms. We are not buying 1,000,000 of any one thing. We are looking for one in a million type things. Something that we know you will want to come home and sit on or walk in the front door and look at in awe because it is just so gorgeous, not just because they make the list of ” Hottest 2024 Design Trends ” and we have to sell out the shelves.

OLD FRIENDS, NEW FACES

There are vendors that we have worked with since the beginning of Sutton Place and there are companies that we are still discovering. It is a big place and we are a small company so it always feels like we have exciting days ahead . Our plans for what to see and when (I do love my spreadsheets and maps) end up becoming guidelines.  We find ourseld up spending more time in a showroom because the line is spot in to what we are looking for this year.We may end up chatting with someone in the industry and compare notes or get updates from our vendor rep. We talk upcoming product launches and problem such as logistics. The insight is invaluable and a big part of why we attend.  It is not impossible to take a wrong hallway and end up in the wing of a building we have never visited before.  We do not know where we are or what we will find but we are here so let’s do this and now we find new vendors, new reps and new items that make the cut to have in lineup for your home.

2024 DESIGN TRENDS SPOTTED FOR SPRING

As promised,  these are the top styles our Sutton Place team saw at HPMKT for 2024 . These are from vendors all over the world and I think there will be some elements that you will notice as a common theme showing up through out many.

1.) Woven, Wicker, Rattan.  Anything: chandelier, lamps, furniture..

2.) Tall, shapely shelves are still part of the 2024 design trends list.

3.) Texture. …. texture, texture. And, it will be layered with a lot of pattern. 

 

4.) 2024 Design Trends show things starting to warm up again . 

People are ready for color, for florals and lively prints and the cold gray interiors were no where to be seen. Although some of the chosen items gave us some  granny/golden girls vibes. It’s called the “Granny” trend.  Related to the maximalist style, 

5.) A lot of light wood. – one of our favorite 2024 Design Trends

6.) Enough Curves 

to make Marilyn proud. We saw curved sofas, curved chairs, curved consolces, the shelves were curves, the tables were curvy… I bet you have caught on… Definitely one of the top  2024 design trends this spring. 

 

7.) As mentioned, gray is pretty. much gone, replaced with white, black and brown.

 

 

8.) Fluting is a top must have for the 2024 design trends list 

and is still going strong. I remember a few years ago I was surprised to see that pop up because it had me thinking 70’s disco and what in the studio 54 were they thinking? I have officially hopped on the soul train and love it now, though. We may not want it on all of our cabinets but a table or bar is looking pretty groovy.

 

9.) Boucle 

was still showing up regularly which makes sense with the era we seem to be hovering in.

10.) COLOR was predicted to show up as one of the top 2024 Design Trends

So, I mentioned color earlier. It was there, in some show rooms more than others. We have been debating is it that vendors are playing it a little safe after the rollercoaster that has been the years before and may be the near future ahead, thus not hopping into bright vivid everything in full force? Or maybe it is just a learned lesson of who is the target market of late – anyone remember the hot mess of “Tangerine Tango”? That seemed to miss the take off. Colors such as lavendar, multiple shades of blue, a little yellow and some mauve were seen throughout. Not a lot of turquoise, red or orange. Almost pastel but not quite muted enough. 

 

11.) Green

Yes, I get that this is a color and could fall under 10. But, there was a lot of green and it was the stand out color in our opinion so it gets it’s own place on the list. Many shades of it. A lot were headed toward the yellow umdertones of avocado greens which is spot on with the vibe of the market this year. That was a huge color of the era influencing this Spring’s design trends.

 

12.) Casual and Luxury Combined.

 Usually we see showrooms that are straight casual and you know it’s for the client with 12 kids, 3 dogs, a few cats, they play football in the house and eat leftover spaghetti on the couch while wearing their baseball cleats and watching Goonies.  Others are clearly for the upper east side, where no one sits on thefurniture, cooks in the kitchen or looks at the art. I am not sure they even use the bathroom.

This year, many were a blend of relaxed luxury. You might hear the phrase “stealth wealthy,” “Sleepy luxury” or “quiet luxury.” Sure, the kids still sat on the sofa but they washed their hands first.  We noticed the bridging of the styles all over. I actually liked it because there are some vendors that are amazing quality and history that deserve to recognized at all levels of project but look too casual . There are others that create beautiful lines but we know they wouldn’t last a day in an active family’s world. It gives us a bigger brush to paint with and we are thrilled.

 

YOU ASKED, WE ANSWERED.

We were asked a few questions as we shared market videoa and images this spring. As a way to wrap up this edition, here is that quick Q&A for you:

Q: Why do we not share all of our own pictures from market?

A: There are some pretty simple reasons, actually. We don’t always take pictures at market that make it to you. Often, they are for us so we can remember who had what or something we want to come back to. Our easons are pretty simple. First of all, there is something called intellectual copywrite. That means the designer or creator owns the images or designs of something. It is an intangible, or unseeable, thing to own but if someone were to sit and take pictures and movies and such and share them, it devalues that property so some vendors are careful about what you are allowed to take pictures of or what you can share. Remember, this is a business even though we treat it like an art show.

Secondarily, the wifi is terrible for me personally and the more video and pictures I take, the faster I lose my phone. I have learned the hard way to think it through and limit the data I use. Lastly, this is my picture in a showroom :  (#1)  and the second are shots from the vendor of the same lighting line but in a controlled enviornment without dark showrooms, crowds and rushed angles. I am doing no one any favors but sharing that image. So yes, we take the shots. But, we know you want to see better ones, the vendors want us to represent their lines to the best of our abilities and we can relax and focus on finding the best items for our clients.

 

 

The left is our picture. The middle and right is the same vendor, same lighting company but photographed correctly.

 

DESIGN IS OFTEN INFLUENCED BY WHAT MATTERS TO US

Q.)  After 40 years of design, some of this is repeating itself. How do you feel about already seeing a lot of the 2024 Design Trends before?

A.) You know, I thought about that. Would I feel bored? The answer to that is no. I was concerned before the year got started. And you are right, after designing for so long, we have seen things become cyclical. However, there is a lot of underestimation in that school of thought. We are not working with the same people, the vendors are not churning out old products just because they copying off someone that did it before.

Designers usually taking some of the best from past generations and use that inspiration to create new versions. It may even be coming from a place with a bit more soul than before.  Most likely there is now a connection to a style for them. I really liked a lot of what I am seeing this year.  It has been done quite well, in my opinion, and there is an entire generation of clients that have not ever lived in this era that are purchasing now. This is new for them and that should be enjoyed, not scoffed at.

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I would point out the farmhouse trend that has been part of the design landscape for the last decade. That came from an era where your grandma made everything by hand and there was zero technology. Just hard work and long days. And, it took the world by storm . I believe the same can be said for any style or era. It is about the who and the why, not the what.   It can be fun to see a glimmer of something “retro.”  Think about how much everyone loved when the old muscle cars were brought out but with new technology. It is much the same.

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Do I love everything from the era we are seeing take the lead right now ? Absolutely not . But, I did not love everything from the 50s or the 90’s , or 2010 for that matter. I think when we say  “I remember when that color was hot ” or  “that type of chair leg or sofa style was big in the 70’s ,”  it is heard as if I am saying “been there, done that.” and that is really underestimating my skills as a creative person. I love the challenge of making these styles fit today and I love that Sutton Place has  so many years of experience. I believe it allows us  to add something that younger designers don’t bring to the table- yet.  Experience.

The creativity does not fade with the days, but the ability to evolve and adapt to changing style adds up. We continue to grow our expertise, much like this will evolve into the next design trend.   Styles, colors and ways that people live in their homes gives us versatility as designers.  Our years allow us to enjoy so many types of projects- contemporary, traditional, coastal, modern or because you learn over time it is not about that chandelier or table, it is about the people that sit around it.

 

         An original farmhouse bathroom complete with clawfoot tub and shiplap walls, hardwood floors.

100 years later.

 

As promised , below are a lot of pictures and stay tuned because we have so much more to launch in the coming days. We can’t wait to show you!

 

Creatively Yours,

 

Andrea and Kimberly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colors that were almost pastels but not quite popped up all over the copnferene this year, making it a must have for our 2024 design trends list.

People are definitely starting to want more than cool gray