COTE DE TEXAS: Trends

Trends


Seeing this picture of a NEW item from the 2007 spring accessories market makes me smile. Sculpted coral (faux, no doubt) holds up a bottle of wine. Gee, why hadn't I thought of that? Is there no end to this coral madness?! No? In this month's Domino Magazine, L.A. interior designer extraordinaire Suzanne Rheinstein admitted she can't stop decorating with branches of coral and Miles Redd volunteered he can't stop his shell addiction. I, too, admit to a love of coral, sadly.

Trendy decorative items seem to be overtaking the world. Due to the proliferation of do-it-yourself decorating stores like Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, there is a constant need to fill their shelves with items to sell. And, coral, seems to fit that bill this year. But, honestly, does anyone really need a coral mirror as hideous as this?


Or, these totally over done coral pillows, in red:

Or brown?

Or blue?

Or how about red, spiky coral pillows?


Here's another trend this year, damask. But tell me, does anyone really need damask freezer bags?

Or how about a damask tool kit?


This beautiful bedroom by Jackie Lanham featured antique intaglios, a key element of the room:

Now, to pick up the trend, who doesn't need fake intaglios, in a green shadowbox? What, no takers?

And don't forget the must-have suzani. Most people want an original one on their bed, but for those who don't, how about a faux suzani pattern painted on a faux antique Chinese rice box?


Here, is a medley of three trends all in one: birds, birdcage, and mirror! Beautiful??



Using trends in interior design can be very tricky. If you glance through the book on Frances Elkins, you can how timeless classic design is. Some of Elkins' rooms look like they were designed recently, not 80 years ago. They are a testament to what good design is all about.

If you can't resist trendy decorating, try to limit the trend accessory to just accents here and there, as opposed to wallpaper or upholstery. This way, you can easily change it out without a huge expense. Like this room:

Here are some beautiful living rooms that are so obviously of the 2000s, yet, you won't find any trendy coral or other tacky accessories, just timeless, classic design.











7 comments :

  1. Oh, what a magnificent post!!!!! Thank you for brightening up my morning!

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  2. Loved this post! I am with Miles Redd. I can't resist coral, but you've got to have the real thing. When Poverty Barn introduced resin coral (again) this summer, I just groaned. Have the real thing if you want it... a piece here and there can be moved around your house over time and it's fine. I loved the mirror with birdcage thing... what a laugh! It's so Frankentrend.

    The room you show with zebra has two trends, right? The zebra run and the antlers on the table. But it isn't campy. It's not like those coral pillows that look like someone's craft project. So, that room, I agree, is great. And while a little trendy, it's not overly so.

    I was thinking that the die-hard readership of Domino plus bloggers (like us) are really speeding up the pace at which trends explode and the pace at which people are totally over them. Home decor is speeding up to the pace of fashion, I think, and it's a little worrisome, this overexposure, because it's much easier to ditch your See by Chloe dress when the Chloe moment has passed than it is to ditch your couch/zebra rug/blanc de chine dog collection when you realize your home has become a cartoon of decorno features. :)

    Love your blog! Thanks for a great post today.

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  3. Afternoon:

    A wonderful thoughtful post -- trends can be tricky indeed. The odd piece here-and-there can update a room but too much can be -- well -- simply too much. I personally have to wait until trends reach an affordable level but truly love timeless, charming and warm accents. Especially ones with a sense of appropriateness of place (coral in the mountains? no -- BUT coral in Miami or Rosemary Beach -- yes!), size (a single pillow! some cocktail napkins etc.) and time (mid-winter for coral? no -- but hot humid summer -- yes!)

    Thanks for the thought-provoking post!

    Jan at Rosemary Cottage

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  4. Thanks Jan, Decorno and Sarah for such great comments. Unfortunatley, for some reason the wrong version posted. If you see this, go check by my blog again, the right post is just a little bit different than the one that ended up posted this morning. Thanks again for great, thoughtful comments. I agree!!!

    Joni

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  5. Very true! It's the same thing with trendy clothing- looks great today, but will you be tired of it tomorrow?

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  6. Hi Cote
    I do agree that trendy gets tiring,
    but too much of something often does. I have a single piece of real coral on my desk and I don't think I will ever tire of it. So maybe it is a matter of authencity and degree? Good thought provoking post.

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