4 | Smart Shopper Magazine | Howard
IN THE
Forefront
by Merrill Witty
I enjoyed talking to lots of our local interior design specialists about their ideas for the fall season. Here’s what they said.
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he trend [in flooring] has been toward hard surfaces as opposed to carpeting. Manufacturers have been coming out with a lot of gray stains in their products: hardwood, laminate, luxury vinyl tiles and ceramic tile. When they introduced their new products in the spring we saw a big onslaught of gray! - Bode Floors, Columbia and Ellicott City
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Flooring: Preverco Wirescraped Zebra
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big trend we are seeing is the explosion of the orchid inside the home—mainly for color but also for ease of care. Indoor gardening is mainly focused on tropical houseplants, like palms, hibiscus, oleander and gardenia. Gloxinia and cyclamen are easy to care for and give color for 4-6 weeks. If you are bringing these plants indoors from the outside patio put them near a south- or west-facing window or sliding glass door. - Watson’s Garden Center, Lutherville
his area has been pretty traditional, but we’re moving toward transitional styles now, with eclectic décor. Drum shades are big, chandeliers are big, but now with drum shades. Crystal is still big but with a transitional flair. Iron with crystal is big in bathrooms and in dining rooms. We’re now pairing two big pendants over a kitchen island rather than three small ones. Metals have warmer finishes—silvers now are a more “golden” silver. They are lightening and warming in caramel tones.
Orchids and tropicals add color and life to your home
- Dorman’s Lighting and Design, Lutherville
Three-light copper drum Shade Chandelier found at Dorman’s
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fter several years of a sea of merlot, wood tones are getting lighter and sheen is more satin than gloss. Casual is the buzzword for upholstery, with natural fibers and leathers gaining more popularity. Neutral upholstery is still popular, but brighter accent pillows and accessories add pop to a dull room. Bright orange, teal, navy and lime green are gaining in popularity.
- Gardiners Furniture & Mattress, Towson and four additional locations Neutral and natural bold prints
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n 2012 there are two major trends in home design going on. The first is color blocking…right off the fashion runways and on-trend in home décor. Paint choices are bold (we always recommend Benjamin Moore Aura paint). Drapery is great in blocks of color, too. Example: panels where the top or bottom quarter is in a complimentary fabric. The second big trend is gray! Gray is the new beige, and any color with a gray undertone is redhot…or should we say gray-hot! Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter is a favorite greige (gray + beige) of ours.
- Budeke’s Paints and Decorating, Columbia and Timonium
Revere Pewter color as shown
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oordinating fabric for custom upholstered headboards, duvets and drapes is very big. Drapes are mounted higher than the top of the window with decorative hardware. Graphic patterned linens and embroidered silks are on-trend fabrics for everything, with fringe or fancy trims. And we’re doing lots of nailhead trim on upholstered pieces…with contrasting pillows. Velvets and ultrasuede are having a fall resurgence.
- Mill End Shops, Annapolis and Lutherville
Howard | shoppingheights.com | 5
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he color green in every shade, from yellowgreen to hunter, is popular. Neutrals are still huge—but in gray tones; it’s easier to sell a house done in an all neutral palette, by the way. For fabrics, people want neutrals, blacks and whites, and also big, bold graphics, like chevron prints and trellis prints.
Trends, Tips & Temptations provided by these
- Maryland Paint & Decorating, Annapolis
Contributing Advertisers
Chevron print Oxford Grey Trellis prints, fabric by F. Schumacher Accents are bright and bold
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olor is back! The new furniture displays that we will be featuring this fall include a sofa with a pewter ground print with accents of bright yellow, turquoise, coral and purple. All the colors are very vibrant and crisp. We offer accent furniture pieces that allow you to pop these colors in any room. Linen and textured fabrics are prevalent and our onsite workroom is busy fabricating simpler treatments including English-pleated panels and Roman shades. We have seen a trend in carefully selected drapery hardware in slick metal finishes and are stocking a wide variety of flat braid tapes and trims. - Alexander Blank Fabric & Design, Timonium
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itchen cabinets are going darker, www.alexblankfabrics.com for a richer look. The room can Bode Floors still look bright if you have excellent www.bodefloors.com artificial lighting. Traditional cabinet looks are on the Budeke’s Paints & Decorating wane; a cleaner-lined www.budekes.com transitional (enroute to Budget Blinds contemporary) look is in. www.budgetblinds.com Countertops are granite or engineered stone. Dorman’s Lighting & Design Appliances—always www.dormanslighting.com in stainless—are more Gardiners Furniture energy efficient and & Mattress quieter. Fridges with www.gardiners.com French doors, in-door dispensers and even TVs Maryland Paint & are very big now. Wall colors Decorating are gray or a grayed blue, not www.mdpaint.com yesterday’s bright and bold hues. - SD Kitchens, Pikesville
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eople are loving the casual, coastal look. In the last few months, there’s been a big run on plantation shutters. Ninety percent of those were in white. People who don’t have the budget for the shutters are doing wood or faux wood blinds with 2 ½" slats, rather than the standard 2". These are popular in both wood tones and white. Roman shades are also popular, as are the honeycomb blinds.
- Budget Blinds, Annapolis and Columbia
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- Sofas Etc., Columbia and Towson
Mill End Shops
www.millendshops.com
SD Kitchens
www.sdkitchens.com
Sofas Etc.
www.sofasetcmd.com
Watson’s Garden Center www.watsonsgarden.com
Coming next issue:
fall fashion
Kathy Ireland wood blinds
ontemporary is the “it” style in furniture, as it has been for a while, and it’s gaining in strength. You don’t see many skirted sofas anymore. Most people are choosing the solid body fabric of a couch in a neutral like cream or gray and adding toss pillows and accent chairs in purple, red, orange or green. Prints are Ikats and other modern graphics; you are not seeing florals anymore.
Alexander Blank Fabric & Design
Go to ShoppingHeights.com for fresh offers, incentives, events and more! Be sure to join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and the new ShoppingHeights.com blog! Solid bright tones trend in fall upholstery