ONE WAY TO KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS EXCITED ABOUT YOUR STORE IS TO DISPLAY PRODUCT REFLECTIVE OF CURRENT TRENDS, ESPECIALLY IN HOME DÉCOR. LET THIS ARTICLE BE YOUR GUIDE.

By Jennifer Howard

Keeping your floral designs relevant to home décor trends keeps customers tuned in. They love to see how and where you incorporate leading-edge designs in their homes and events. As the winter holiday season approaches, trending themes and colors can impact your seasonal displays, photoshoots, and merchandising, too.

For this article, we talked with trends experts at International Market Centers (IMC)—(Atlanta, Las Vegas and High Point markets)—and Accent Décor, in Norcross (Atlanta), Ga., to learn what’s hot on the horizon at home.

Photographs provided by IMC Market Centers and Accént Decor

TREND 1

FAMILY AND WELLNESS

After an emotionally taxing year of separation and uncertainty, people are more in tune than ever with the

importance of human connectivity and staying physically and mentally well. Building

off of one half of Pantone’s “2021 Color [Combination] of the Year”—“Illuminating,” a bright, sunny yellow—uplifting, cheerful colors are in! The trendy upbeat hues are coupled with bright citrus, florals and animal motifs that bring life and levity into the home. Plants and green space continue to provide opportunities for creativity and life. Foliage is important beyond blooms, and we’re seeing surging interest in plant propagation from new “plant parents.” This “Family and Wellness” trend focuses on creating

a home sanctuary of connection and self-reliance. Backyard gardens, wall plantings and integrated green space are essential. Expect to see: lots of lemons, lush foliage, fun tea kettles, family games, planters, houseware-filled tabletops and cheerful wallpaper.

TREND 2

1980S VIBE

Following years of the Mid-century Modern (MCM) design movement, designers began asking “What era is next?” The 1980s throwback combines modern with vintage flair. Curvy upholstery, expressionist art and urban graffiti-esque motifs combine with high-contrast palettes. Rainbows of color (rather than complementary duos) reign, including sweet pastels. This trend doesn’t replicate the packed spaces of

the 1980s; new home-owning millennials are adopting small bits to bring in relevant elements for their décor.

Expect to see: checkerboard patterns, poster photography, Lucite mixed with wood tones, rounded lamps and accessories, brass accents, and light woods.

TREND 3

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Enhancing the 1980s feel is a group of abstract patterns, translucent materials, metallics, neon and iridescent elements. LED lighting and a rainbow palette (in bold or pastel hues) add to the tech-inspired feel.

“We learned from the ’80s mixtapes that everyone’s an artist,” notes Julie Smith Vincenti, curator of IMC’s “First Look” trend reports. Smart-home features extend beyond convenience to become part of our norm. Some home décor elements are futuristic and out of this world. Expect to see: colored glass, cosmic motifs, shiny metals, neon colors and lighting, and urban-chic styles.

TREND 4

VACATION STATE OF MIND

Everyone’s ready to escape. But this trend started three to four years ago with island retreat/boho décor. Escape is more important than ever as people feel freer to travel and now have vacations on their minds, even at home. The recent blending of home and workspace begs for mental time away by using tropical or nautical themes loaded with natural materials. Planters and mixed organic materials of rattan, bamboo and hemp lend an earthy vibe. Bold blues and whites add coastal charm. Dried florals, along with the mixed texture and finish of vessels like glass and sisal twine or glazed and unglazed ceramics, add everlasting natural appeal. Vacation-themed spaces have a collected, curated feel, with an emotional connection to a destination place. Expect to see: backyard “lightscapes,” pressed botanicals, and beach- inspired or geometric patterns with irregular or imprecise lines.