MARCH, 2021 ISSUE 13
Wanderlust BY BRAD CATES, CEO
Inside this Issue COMPANY NEWS DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT WANDERLUST
How do you predict the future? Well, according to Shakespeare, what’s past is prologue. These days, that turn of phrase from The Tempest stands for the idea that history sets the context for the present. And that may be why now, one year into the pandemic with the end of COVID blessedly in sight, news stories from CBS Sunday Morning to Bloomberg are reminding us that, historically at least, parties follow plagues. In other words, just like the twenties roared in after the Spanish Flu in 1918 and 1919, we may all be heading for many celebratory times ahead. Back when the ‘20s roared with prosperity, the most important consumer product of the decade was the car, and people took to the roads in record numbers in search of pleasure and adventure. In fact, history tells us that sunning on the beach was so popular back then, that being “pale” began to fade from fashion, spurred on by pictures of Coco Chanel with a healthy “glow.” If our orders for coastal décor are any indication, the beach is beckoning to many once again. We’ve been seeing an extraordinary amount of new, coastally inspired product heading for homes on the coastlines, but just as many orders destined for lake houses and entirely landlocked homes and hotels. Along with all the orders from our interior design and hospitality customers, we’re seeing increased demand for light and white finishes from many of our retail partners too, all of whom continue to report blue skies ahead and their customers’ penchant for airy looks that let the sunshine in. Will Americans crowd the beaches in the summer of 2021? Probably. But I suspect our longing for laid-back lifestyles will also continue to translate to our everyday surroundings. As we all prepare to head back out into the big, wide world again, we are doing so holding close to what home has meant and will mean in our lives, and likely cherishing every moment spent there with family and friends. Here’s to catching the wave!