Shoptelligence Takes High Point Market (October ’18)
From October 12th-16th, the Shoptelligence team had the pleasure of attending High Point Market in High Point, North Carolina. Shoptelligence works with furniture retailers daily. To better understand the industry, I took note of recurring trends in and around the HP Market Showrooms. I received first-hand trend knowledge from a variety of sources. These sources included speaking to High Point Style Spotters & Design Bloggers, attending presentations such as Kathy Anderson’s “Color, Finishes, & Forecasting” and the “Style Snoops Live”, and simply browsing showrooms to draw my own trend conclusions.
Here are the Trends:
(Disclaimer: All photos were personally taken, all interior designs and products belong to the respective showrooms and designers at HP Market).
1. Extraterrestrial
From outer space influence to alien-looking furniture and decor. I got inspiration from this trend from the Fashion Snoop’s presentation, where one recurring idea they pulled from was “Shapeshifter”. The “Shapeshifter” concept was inspired by intergalactic, iridescence, and spiritualism. There was truly some out of this world space inspiration at High Point!
2. Wanderlust
I was inspired by the Fashion Snoop’s presentation, specifically the “Wanderers” trend. I felt a lot of wanderlust while exploring the showrooms. There was enough wild-animal inspiration, Safari looks, and tribal prints to make you want to book a flight for your next vacation.
3. The Human Form
While exploring dozens of showrooms and displays, I noticed a common and ironically relatable trend: the human form. This to me meant any designs that were influenced by the human body. There was everything from decor influenced by body parts, abstract human statues, and realistic paintings.
4. Lush Fauna
There were rich greens and fauna designs at every corner; from wallpaper, furniture, fabrics, glassware, and live plant settings. Interior designs transformed into plant-filled paradises.
5. Defined Geometric
I noticed a ton of very defined geometric lines and shapes throughout High Point. It was everywhere from small sculptures to lighting to large-scale pieces of furniture.
6. Millennial Pink
After sitting in on Kathy Anderson’s “Color, Finishes, & Forecasting” presentation, I learned about the huge color trend inspired by the millennial generation. Throughout High Point showrooms, it was clear that Millennial Pink was not going away any time soon. (According to HGTV, Millenial Pink can be described as a “dusty rose” hue for further clarification)
7. White on White
I was inspired to look for this trend from a conversation I had with interior designer/Style Spotter Jeffrey Johnson. When I got my chance to roam the showrooms, all I can say is he was spot on! Whites were often being layered on top of each other, sometimes with pops of color, sometimes not. Either way, it often came off as a pure, crisp, and clean vibe.
8. Transparency
You could definitely see-through some of the trends at High Point this year… There was a lot of transparency going on, whether it was acrylic furniture and decor, or gleaming glass surfaces. One of my favorite parts of this trend was when a transparent surface encompassed some sort of object – often nature-related. It made for a cool, modern contrast.
Conclusion:
And that’s a wrap! Did you notice how a lot of these trends seemed to intertwine and overlap with each other? There were plenty of trends at High Point Market this October, these are just the trends that stood out to me the most. Until next time, High Point!
Noelle Haubert, Merchandiser in Residence
