I don't really remember when I became aware of the housewares company Joseph Joseph, but from that moment on I was a fan. I love this company's sense of style and color, and I love the clever functionality they incorporate into every product.

At the Maison & Objet trade fair in Paris, France Joseph Joseph has a stand in Hall 3. A few new items shown there confirm that this company is nowhere near maxing out their product development savvy. A dual salt-and-pepper grinder fills each well through the head -- so easy! The Quick Snap ice cube tray makes popping your ice cubes out a breeze. And a salad bowl with integrated servers allows color blocking to fool the eye. Here is the salad bowl I hope I can buy once I get back to the States.

I love all the products we develop at The Trend Curve, but every now and then we create something that really makes me smile. A product I sent to production today elicits just such a reaction from not only me, but also our Office Manager, Janice Carlson.

Haute Halloween & Fall™ 2011 is a color and trend forecast all about the longest selling season of the year, Fall-o-ween. Some people don’t yet know that Halloween is the fastest growing holiday in the U.S., and that it is second in popularity only to Christmas.

Members of The Trend Curve’s subscriber family first asked for colors and trends for this season at the end of last year. This year, we heard from even more people. We always welcome requests and feedback that help us do more—and do it better—for our customers. And this time, it resulted in a product that we think will help those who are ready to go beyond pumpkins and candy corn with additional business.

Haute Halloween & Fall 2011 comes with 20 colors, 5 neutrals and 5 metallics. It includes 9 trends that have been written so our customers can take the looks in a Halloween direction, or use each one just for Fall. We had fun with trends that offered some new options for Halloween, while taking cues from everyday décor trends so Autumn-centric looks can set up their design sensibility.

Each Trend Card has bullet-point details about the look, materials, textures, patterns, forms, embellishments—whatever is key to that trend. A palette on the reverse side shows you the volume, accent and fashion-forward hues for each trend:

-       Creature Quest

-       Avant-Autumn

-       Gypsy Charms

-       Absinthe & Old Lace

-       Hoedown

-       Tricks to Treats

-       Mayan Magic

-       Punkins

-       Ghoulish Goth

Subscribers to The Trend Curve can reserve their copy of Haute Halloween & Fall 2011 at the pre-release price of $195.00 by emailing Janice Carlson (Janice LOVES Halloween and Autumn, and was lots of help as we architected this project). Subscribers always pay about $100 less than non-subscribers for each of our products, but this price is another $100 less than the normal discount. Preorders will ship before 12/28/09. The subscriber price goes back up to $295.00 after 1/1/10.

Non-subscribers can order at the regular price of $395.00 for shipment after the first of the year. Just email Janice with your request. If you would like to purchase this product at the subscriber-family price, just add a 1-year or 2-year subscription to The Trend Curve at the same time. If you do so during the pre-order period when you can save $200 off the non-subscriber price, it’s like getting a $199.00/1-year subscription free!

You rarely find a child that prefers neutrals over color. Kids love color, and the more of it, the better.

Recently, The Trend Curve collaborated with one of the country’s top apparel color-and-trend experts to create a forecast for Fall/Winter 2010 that covers both home and apparel for the younger set. Here are a few highlights from Keeping Up With Kids™ Fall 2010:

• Red and Coral stand out for both boys and girls. Use them alone or as key accents to the season’s darker counterparts.

• Yellow is taking up with neutrals, as Gray and Black become Yellow’s top companions.

• Metallic influences continue to play a role.

• Piecing, patchwork and tiers will be right for girls.

• Cartoon graphics have appeal for both genders.

• Basic stripes and plaids won’t look so basic anymore. Think Preppy—and new combinations.

To order Keeping Up With Kids™ Fall 2010, go to www.trendcurve.com, go to the Trend Store and select Keeping Up With Kids from the pull-down menu. You can also call toll-free: 800.531.6614. Or just email Janice Carlson.

Subscribers to The Trend Curve™ know that we have just released The Trend Curve Colors™ 2011. This is an all-new version of our annual color and trend forecast.

We are particularly excited about this collection. That's because we think it fits perfectly with the mood of the market. Things are getting moving again, so there is a need for colors and trends that are different from before so consumers will have a reason to buy. At the same time, it is important that new hues also work with those from the past, so consumers will be able to add newness selectively, without feeling like they have to do more than they are ready for at one time. The Trend Curve Colors 2011 satisfies both needs.

This forecast includes 37 hues in six different values. We provide them in two sizes of paint-on-paper swatches. One is about 5" x 5", and has a grid printed on the back to guide you when cutting them up to share. We also provide a portable mini-deck on a ring, so you will always have a ready reference when you need it.

The Trend Curve is all about trends for home décor. That expertise has been translated not only to color, but also to style directions. Packed in with the color are Trend Cards for 9 new trends that we believe in for 2011. Each card gives you bullet-point details about the trend. For example, form, fabric and motifs may be what you need to know about most for one trend, but finishes, embellishments and wood type may be what drives the next. It is different for every trend. But we always tell you which colors we recommend for that style, including the volume-selling, accent and fashion-forward hues. Here are our trends for 2011:

- Classic Romanticism
- Swing Shift
- Future Perfect
- Dream State
- Stone Age
- Tribal Wisdom
- Renaissance
- Tough Enough
- Spice Islands

If you subscribe to The Trend Curve, your pricing on The Trend Curve Colors™ 2011 is $595.00. Non-subscribers pay $695.00. But if you subscribe to The Trend Curve when you order your color, you can purchase at the subscriber price. Just email Janice to get things going, or head back to the Trend Store and use the pull-down menu to select Color Forecasts.

If you have any questions about the forecast, feel free to email me directly. Below is a quick pic of The Trend Curve Colors 2011.


 

One of my favorite pieces at the Maison & Objet trade fair earlier this month was the Bloom Lounge Chair, designed by Kenneth Corbonpue.

This chair is made of soft microfiber stitched over a resin top. It sits on a steel base. The cover is sculpted by hundreds of fine running stitches that radiate from the center of the seat, creating a subtle, textural feel and mimicking the organic appearance of a blossom. In fact, it's easy to see how inspiration from the graceful blossom of a flower was translated into the entire design.

Below is a picture of the Bloom Lounge Chair. If you would like to see more of the brilliant design of Kenneth Corbonpue, just click here.

I learned years ago that some of the most creative textile products at Maison & Objet came from Taj, Wood & Scherer. Today, I planned my visit to this company for the end of the day, intentionally keeping the best for last.

I walked into the stand in Hall 6, Row A late this afternoon to find Managing Director Roger Wood even more cheerful than usual. That’s because Taj, Wood & Scherer is celebrating its 10th anniversary. What a milestone! I have been visiting Roger for most of those years and I have loved each of his specialty-store collections in succession. The business began with embroidered/appliquéd/pieced cushions as the primary focus. Now the company also carries kids’ products, lampshades, wallets and more.

I have a picture below of Roger, who looks both pleased and proud (which he should be!). He is standing in front of selections from his new kids’ collection. These pieces demonstrate the kind of design and handwork in each creation.

VG Newtrend is always one of my favorite stops at the Maison & Objet trade fair in Paris, France. Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Vincenzo Antonuccio, the company’s art director and the genius behind both the product development and the visual display for VG’s stand in Hall 5A.

He took a few minutes to tell me about the concept behind the new collection. Since this was the first time VG has shown only designs created by Vincenzo and his partner over the 20 months they have been at VG, the color story was carefully selected to represent the rebirth of the line. The showroom was all about White and Chrome.

Look below for a picture of Vincenzo Antonuccio sitting on an over-sized velvet sofa that made a dramatic statement—in White, of course.

I cannot remember the last time I spent Labor Day weekend at home. The Maison & Objet trade fair seems to fall on this weekend year after year. So while my husband is enjoying perfect weather and taking our college-age daughter to buy a bicycle (to get around the U of MN campus this fall), I'm in the hotel lobby posting on Twitter, blogging, working with images (I took hundreds of them today) and wishing my feet didn't hurt so badly.

But if you have to work on a holiday weekend, Maison & Objet is the fair to attend! I spent yesterday in Hall 5B, which I consider the best launching pad for a trend update that this trend-forward fair has to offer. Today I walk Hall 7, which contains outdoor furniture and accessories, for most of the day, and then shifted to Hall1, Ethnic Chic, for about an hour. I finished my day by walking through the three trend exhibits.

The trend themes included Body House, Delight and Sense Fiction. The last one meant the most to me, beginning with the soft and fluid-feeling outside structure. As you can imaging from seeing the "walls," held product that was nearly all White. I have a couple of images for you to see below.

I will have two huge trend reports from Maison & Objet, both of which will be available in a couple of weeks. Trend Album™ Maison & Objet, September 2009 will be an overview of the colors and trends impacting home décor. Trend Album™ What's In Outdoors 2009 focuses on furniture and accessories for outdoor living. Subscribers to The Trend Curve™ can preorder either or both of these products. Just email Janice. She always has special pre-order pricing for our subscriber family. Others can order when the product is released. Check the Trend Store in about 2 weeks.

My top pick from day 2 of the Maison & Objet fair in Paris today was Casador, a 17 year-old company that makes fabulous decorative accessories. I was more than tired when I walked past their Hall 1 stand this afternoon, but when I saw what was inside I just had to stop.

Rope icons like leaves and medallions on a felt rug combined for a look I have not seen before. That’s what got my attention in the first place. Then I noticed a laser-cut hair-on-hide skin for the floor. The cuts formed animal silhouettes—so whimsical! Finally, a Black rabbit pillow used set itself apart with scalloped tiers and crystals.

If you are in Paris, stop to see Casador at C 94 in Hall 1. Below are two images I snapped in their stand. Note: my photography doesn't do either item justice!