Identifying home decor trends was easier when a handful of influential decor divas would dictate each season which colours, fabrics and furniture were in vogue. In those days, legions of DIY decorators would simply, if slavishly, follow the menu for a stylish home.
But the home decor landscape has changed dramatically — in part because of the rise of amateur design bloggers who extol the joys of individual expression and of increasingly sophisticated consumers. That sparked a shift from “off-the-rack” design to more tailored looks for the home, says Tina Holmes, manager of the Toronto Fall Home Show.
“People always love to see what’s new and fun. But I think there’s a movement away from trendy,” says Holmes. “Homeowners want personalized decor and solutions for the home that are tailored to their particular lifestyle. So the biggest trend now is really to find your own look.”
Here, then, are five design and decor elements that can help define a distinctive style, all of which will be on display at the Fall Home Show which runs from Sept. 20 to 23 at the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place.
• Take it Outside: Because leisure time is so prized in a hyper-connected world, there’s a growing emphasis on relaxed outdoor spaces that combine high-style with low maintenance. Ion Nicolae, owner of Fiber Living, which sells outdoor furniture and accessories, says that homeowners “want to maximize exterior space, and to recreate their personal style out of doors.” One relatively easy way to do that, says Nicolae, is with customized cushions. “In past years, most people would just stick with the standard cushions — usually beige. But this year, lots of people upgraded to bright shades, like orange.”
• Colour Confidence: Consumers are increasingly comfortable using colours that speak to them, even if they’re not “on trend,” says Sharon Grech, a Benjamin Moore colour expert who will appear on the HGTV Main Stage at noon on Sept. 22 to offer tips on living with colour.
“People are less afraid to bring colour into their home and to use combinations that we might not have thought in the past to be harmonious,” says Grech. The emergence of lighter, softer shades and pastels may also be linked to the quest for personalized spaces, she adds. “Pastels offer a cleansing palette that makes a good canvas, and one that could give that heirloom or reclaimed piece you treasure greater presence and focus.”
• Make mine custom: With consumers turning away from cookie-cutter looks, there’s a rise of made-to-order furniture, says Holmes. “Increasingly, the exhibitors that are most successful are those who can offer some level of customization,” she says. So manufacturers and retailers such as Alta Moda, which makes customizable furniture at a family-owned facility just outside of Toronto, should see lots of traffic.
• Style at any size: As the footprints in multi-unit residential building shrunk, “small space design” became a design buzzword. But Robert Whitfield, owner of Casalife — which has reputation for offering great design for apartments and condos — wants to replace “small” with “smart.”
“Good design should be work for any size of space,” he says. “I prefer the term ‘configurability’ because I think that’s what people really want — pieces that work for them and they way they live.” The Casalife booth will be showing pieces than can be endlessly configured, and allow for choice in colour, size, and cushion firmness.
• Reclaimed, rustic, refined: Natural materials, such as wood and stone are being used in unexpected ways to give interior spaces a unique look. Exhibitors such as Authentic Antique Woods, which sells and installs antique hardwood flooring, illustrate how repurposed materials add instant patina to a room.
Rustic meets refined when wood is combined with industrial materials, such as stainless steel, as shown in highly customized outdoor furniture from HP Stainless Fab. Wood, mixed with stone or metal, is also showing up in accessories and housewares, such as the bamboo-topped ceramic Bento box that will be found at Umbra’s pop-up shop.
Cambria, which makes stain-resistant, non-porous quartz surfaces for kitchens, bathrooms and other applications attracted lots of attention at the National Home Show held last spring. They’ll be back for the Fall Show, showing their quartz lines, which they say are harder, stronger and easier to care for than other stone surfaces and has the added benefit that they don’t require sealing.
The emphasis on individuality in design doesn’t mean homeowners don’t need guidance and advice anymore, says Holmes. “With so many options available, they actually need one-on-one advice and to get a hands-on experience of products and services more than ever.”