ON A COOL SUNDAY MORNING, in the last days of April, six Interior Concepts designers gathered together to begin their three-day journey through one of the world’s largest furnishing industry trade shows in the world. Ecstatic and overwhelmed, as I was gliding through a whirlwind of inspiration overload, I found myself captivated by the High Point Market atmosphere. The uniqueness of furnishings, application of textures, and exceptional use of our basic design principles has triggered creative inspiration that I cannot wait to share.
Based on my own design styles & preferences, here are a few common themes I noted from this year’s Spring High Point Market.
HAIR ON HIDE, VARIOUS HIDE APPLICATIONS
The use of leather as applied to furniture and hides as area rugs is no strange concept to any designer today – but at Spring Market, we saw furniture with a fresher application of these materials; the use of both elements on one piece. As shown in the Bernhardt showroom (in the photo to the left), hides were wrapped entirely around transitional drawer chests, wood framed chairs, and large round drum-base cocktail tables. The simplistic lines & shape of the furniture with the natural movement of raw hides provided beautiful texture for a multifaceted application.
STRUCTURED ORGANICS, BALANCE BETWEEN THE NATURAL AND MAN MADE
Organic three dimensional floral motifs, petrified wood elements, and seashell embellishments were heavily prevalent at Market. The use of layered movement and pattern through organic forms has always been present in current day design, but is now seen with more advance mediums for display and furniture fabrication. Two exceptional artists whose showrooms at Market displayed these types of applications were Tommy Mitchel (first photo to the left) & E.M. Soberon (showroom image second photo to the left). Soberon specializes in marrying organic wood species ‘cut hearts’ with structured cast two-inch thick acrylic. His talent in combining these two elements with detail and precision offers museum-worthy quality to his furniture pieces.
ART IN UNEXPECTED PLACES, NOTRE MONDE, A FAVORITE MARKET FIND
One noteworthy find at Spring Market was the revival of the tray table, but this time with a new and beautiful twist. Artist and founder Dawn Sweitzer creates one-of-a-kind functional objects (like her diverse and beautiful tables) by drawing inspiration from nature and travel in her self-described ‘bohemian luxe’ style. Her line of customizable sized and pattern tray tables can be used in diverse ways. The tables can be staggered to create art in an unexpected place, and also be used simply for their tops to create a layering of organic pattern and geometric prints as wall hangings (as seen in photo to the left).
Blog written by Megan Ligday | Residential Staff Designer