September 2005 / Ethereal Delights


Trendease will be participating at the House to Home Market. Jennifer Castoldi will be a panelist on TV Time and will be presenting Global Trends.

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Global Trends… The Future is Now!
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Fresh Products, Colors and What's to Come
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Hot Products & New Opportunities
(Five trend groups including Pantone colors)
Trendease Extracts and Tidbits
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Features and Articles

Hors d'Oeuvres platter by Beji Kedo

Jennifer's September Scribbles '05

Multiple European Cities — Ahh September, the time of “rentrée,” when the masses change their frame of mind from ‘vacation’ to ‘work’ and ‘school.’ In this edition we look at designs well before they reach the masses or in some cases, high-end retailers. As design for the masses and mass customization sweep our nations Trendease has still managed to find products that are far ahead in the horizon. Hidden boutiques and new talent breathe new life into the following “pages.” Explore this gallery of server's delights and key tidbits.

Nostalgia at Tendence

Frankfurt — A rich, baroque, and eclectic atmosphere sums up the “Nostalgia” trends show organized by German designer Helga Janzon at the latest edition of Tendence Lifestyle in Frankfurt. The displays were a showcase for some of the finest products on offer at the tradeshow, selected from a broad range of international suppliers focused on high-end furnishings.

Small metal flowers form an open structure in Louise Chessire's work

Meticulous Metals

Multiple European Cities — This selection of jewelry and metalwork, spotted at the most recent edition of the New Designers event in London, hints at some of the emerging trends in accessory design. The work overall is light and airy with delicate forms drawn by strands of manipulated and connected precious metals. Refreshingly light and ethereal, the work in this gallery is all about featherweight luxury.

Detail of a glass lava lamp creation by Hannah Tickle

Molten Magic

Multiple European Cities — This gallery highlights some of the latest glasswork from new talents. These young creators revive the lava lamp, create intriguing vessels from recycled and recuperated materials, and light up the night with glowing geometries. This sampler of contemporary work ties together the elemental rawness of organic and molten forms.

A Sweet Tooth with Style

Amsterdam — Wandering through an off-the-beaten-path part of Amsterdam one morning, Trendease spotted the brand new Papabubble shop which opened on August 9th. A friendly, participatory atmosphere, creative and well-executed shop design, and an innovative and intelligent marketing concept make Papabubble a real trendsetter.

A woolen rollneck embraces Liisa Dudgeon's bowl in the “Clothing for Crockery” collection

Teatime & Tabletop

Multiple European Cities — Designers should never cease to explore, invent, and amaze. This gallery focuses on ceramic tableware collections whose smart graphics, stylish aesthetics, and innovative spirit breathe new life into the most traditional area of the tabletop universe. Take a tea or coffee break and come relax while viewing the newest tabletop designs here.

Me, Myself, and Ikea

London — After completing a survey and analyzing the results, the consumers' relationship with furniture has come into light, revealing what they really think about interior design. Learn about the findings of the report, and while Ikea is cited as being a key interior trendsetter in this report, Trendease has found some other trendsetting designs and posted them here. This feature is a follow up to Newsletter #82.

The design products that decorate the rooms have been selected with care

An Inspirational Stay

Amsterdam — The Lloyd Hotel is rewriting the book to the hotel business and acting as a platform for creative people to network and collaborate. If Trendease were a hotel, it might be something like the Lloyd. Aside form its unique model, it is also particular in its interior—each one of its rooms is decorated differently using Dutch design.

Going on an Urban Picnic

Amsterdam — Amsterdam has got to be one of the best places for strolling down quiet streets filled to the brim with interesting shops where you can find the latest in design. Shopping and walking are tiring even in the most relaxed of cities, and we all need a break to recuperate, so why not have an urban picnic? In this relaxed and friendly environment based on the idea of picnicking with friends, retail, fooding, and lifestyle come together in a successful mix.

French Country Rustic Sophistication

Bormes les Mismosas — Simple elegance never goes out of style. This quaint boutique in the south of France is an excellent place to immerse oneself in French country charm. Here one discovers a universe composed of a harmonious neutrals and pastels among charming implements of French country life. The kind of place where one could take refuge... after a tiring day of picking lavender in the fields!

Raw and linen fabrics create a very clean color palette

The French Prince of Belle Air

Provence — The clean elegance of a French country summer can be achieved with a harmonious palette of pastels and crisp neutral tones. A bright white recalls fresh linen sheets in a softly lit bedroom in Provence, with rustic bleached wooden furniture in light beige tones. The bright sun washes the strong colors of local stone, lavender fields, and olive trees into light, tranquil pastels.

Satisfied Appetites & Full Shopping Bags

Bormes les Mismosas — Through a graceful forged gate and down a flight of old stone stairs is a tranquil courtyard where you can sample the cuisine of Provence and shop for interesting decorative items simultaneously. While waiting for your soupe au pistou and ratatouille wander over to this boutique and check out the same wares you admired during the apéritif. Here find an underground gallery filled with home fashion accessories, tableware and glassware, decorative lighting, and bath & beauty products.

beaded brass metal textile

New Talent: Metal to the Petal

Bromsgrove — Combining the delicacy of textile design with the primal fire of metal work, these designer metal fabrics are simply unlike anything we’ve seen. We at Trendease see metal fabrics as an exciting new possibility in home fashion accessories. Three cheers for this contemporary innovator!

This "angel gown" combines "Qoperfina" cotton with silk noil

EcoChic: Exquisite Woven Textiles

Wiltshire — Denise graduated from the Chelsea College of Art’s textile design program in 1998. For the last several years she has been designing stunning and environmentally conscious woven textiles from a fascinating palette of traditional and newly developed materials. This month’s EcoChic takes a close look at her creations which combine the rawness and purity of natural materials with a spirit of highly refined aesthetics.

NEWSLETTER #86

Frankfurt — The Trendease Team just returned from the Tendence Lifestyle show in Frankfurt where we were exploring home lifestyle products, cooking and tableware, decorations, gifts, jewelry and accessories. This gallery of images is all about Christmas; however, Christmas is not what it used to be—cross cultural designs and new colorways were sweeping through the exhibition halls.

The Samsonite "Cruisair" suitcase gets a makeover from 16 exhibitors at the exhibition

NEWSLETTER #87

Paris — This week’s gallery is fun. The Samsonite suitcase “Cruisair” received a makeover from 16 exhibitors at Premiere Classe. Only the interior of the case could be modified and it had to retain its function of shutting and traveling. The suitcases were displayed at the trade show and beginning today through October 8th they will be exhibited at the Parisian department store Printemps. After that they will be sold at a charity auction.

NEWSLETTER #88

Brussels — The Trendease Team has been to Decosit, Deco Contact, and Indigo. While we will bring you in depth looks at the trends we observed shortly, this week’s gallery takes a look at the best product highlights from the show. From innovative displays, sparkling curtain tie backs, gorgeous printed silks, embroideries, and shocking upholstery geared at bringing visitors into the booth—they are all here.

British style munchies

NEWSLETTER #89

London — This week we bring you a special newsletter with a report from Trendease London correspondent Mirach Duncan. Financial and retail news have been reporting extremely sub par sales figures for London retailers. Less than three months after the attacks on London, it is a difficult feat to face; the consumer psyche is hurt more than the ability to spend. Rather than let it get them down, retailers are fighting back with pride—pride in British design.

Interactive dining beyond your tablemate

NEWSLETTER #90

London — Over the past 10 days the Trendease Team has thoroughly covered over a dozen trade shows and events including TexWorld, Premiere Vision, Expofil, 100% Design, [re]design, Designersblock, and Decorex, just to name a few. This week’s gallery spotlights one of the most innovative and marketable products we found—the interactive dining table.