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!

Some companies came to the fall version of Maision & Objet in Paris without any new products. What a bad idea! People who had innovative and different things to show had lots of buzz in their stands. A typical refrain from companies who did not invest in innovation this time was that they are now able to ship everything they showed at the January event. This is somehow meant to make everyone overlook the fact of no new product. How interesting that this is taking place in Europe while those of us in the U.S. keep hearing that the recession is over for Germany and France, two big economies. I can’t help but suspect big missed opportunities and soon-to-be-felt regret for the companies who came to this show empty handed.

Of course, there are still plenty of products debuting here and I saw lots of them on my first day at the show. One of my favorite items today was designed by Michael C.K. Chan for a company that is simply called The Chair.

Michael says the curve was the inspiration behind a line of leather and fiberglass chairs (with metal legs). He also says that from initial idea to prototypes took just three-and-a-half months. And for my favorite chair, there were zero total revisions to the original concept along the way. Wouldn't it be great if every idea each of us had was right from the get-go like Michael's was for this chair?

Take a look below and you’ll know why I fell for this chair. Designer Michael C.K. Chan is sitting in my chair of the day.

I know I have been away from blogging for too many weeks. I have not been away from social media, however. I have been on Twitter off and on over all that time. I really like Twitter because it is so quick. But here I am back at blogging, too.

I am lucky to have been so busy over the past couple of months. In addition to writing and editing The Trend Curve™, I have also released out "Tis The Season™ 2010 - 2011 trend and color forecast for the Holidays. Thank you to everyone who has sent back positive comments on this product! I have also created a new kids color and trend forecast.

This new kids' product was a collaborative effort with my friend and colleague Carole D'Arconte. Carole is an internationally known color and trend forecaster for apparel. She has been a Contributing Editor to The Trend Curve for years. She and I developed Keeping Up With Kids™ Fall/Winter 2010 to highlight the overlapping trends in what kids will wear and how they want to decorate their personal spaces. It's a fun product that includes a CD with 250 images, plus 30 color standards taken from The Trend Curve Colors™. We have already gotten some nice feedback on the product.

If you want to know more about Keeping Up With Kids, you can visit the Trend Store or email Janice for information. Here is a preview of the product:



I have two other trend-forecasting projects in mind and hope to start both in late September. Between now and then I am involved in a huge trend-forecasting project for a client. That will take most of my attention. But I will also be in New York for the International Gift Fair, and then in Paris for Maison & Objet. Watch for blog posts from both and/or follow me on Twitter. Then you can also watch for trend reports about Maison & Objet interiors products, and outdoor products, too (the update to What's In Outdoors).

Something fascinating is happening with deep, rich color in London. It is visible in the early emerging stages in both apparel and home décor shops. This feels like more than the typical run-up to fall—and it’s way too early for that, anyway.

The Trend Curve has already forecasted a boost for deep hues that refuse to be dull. After trend spotting in London for four days, I feel even more strongly about that forecast than I did when I first made it in the spring of 2009.

The images below provide clues to the colors to come. I snapped them at Habitat (velvet chairs), John Lewis (towels), Liberty (chair with feathers), Monsoon (embroidered skirt) and Zara (cardigan sweaters).

I head back to the States tomorrow morning. I'll have more images of apparel, home, stationery and outdoor products from London retail available in a Special Report called Once Around London 2009. It will be available in about two weeks. If you are interested in pre-ordering, just email Janice Carlson and she will reserve your product for first shipment.

Conrans in London has played up the staycation theme in an attention-getting display at the entrance to their Fulham Road store called Holiday at Home. Cotton patchworks have been made into canopies over picnic tables or worked into tents that go from tee-pee tribal to backyard-overnight types to show how staying home can be big fun, rather than a big drag. Of course, the display also showcases their outdoor furniture, lanterns, candles, tableware and textiles. What a clever and uplifting concept! And did I mention colorful and impossible to miss? Have a look below.

Some days every picture I take is a winner, while other days they are all bad, bad, bad. Today was a mix—probably because I was trying very hard not to be invited to leave all the retail stores I visited while trend-spotting on Regent Street in London, and adjacent streets that looked interesting. Only one store employee saw me snapping away today. That's not bad considering how many stores and shops I went in and out of today!

There are a few important trend messages at retail here. Tribal is one of the leaders. It has already appeared in US home décor products, but in London icons like circular Suzani motifs are being used in new ways. And Tribal looks for apparel and jewelry are just getting going. Here are two pictures to help you get the story. The chair can be found at Liberty of London, while the jewelry is for sale at Oasis.

I probably should have slept when I got to London today, but I was so excited to see something of the retail landscape that I unpacked my suitcase and walked to Oxford Street, one of my favorite stretches in London.

Retail has seen increases in the UK while in the US, sales are down. One of the categories experiencing growth here is apparel. Even with only three hours of sleep on my overnight flight, I it was easy for me to see why.

Color is a huge driver. An important story revolves around emerging neon personalities. What was most interesting to me about neons was how they were creeping into menswear as well as clothing for women. They were also hinting at a role for home décor. Here are a few shots I took of neons today. Taken together, they suggest that neon hues should go on the watch list.

Men’s belts at Topshop; women’s clothing at Mango; picture frames at Selfriges.