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.

For the Birds

At Indulge, in Houston, I bought these beautiful faux bois candlesticks featuring birds perched on the limbs. I lusted for them for a few months and finally couldn't resist any longer. They're at home on my dining table now, for a while at least. Have you noticed the trend this year is birds? They are everywhere: on designer file folders, on fabrics, on notecards, on prints with cheesy frames. It reminds me of coral. Yes, they've exploited coral to death. And I hate that because I do love it so. As you can see:



The funniest and truest article ever written about the over use of le trendy coral is by David Feld, a columnist for D Home Magazine (Dallas, Texas). Here's a small taste to whet your appetite:


Enough Already
Coral is a prime example of when decorating trends go bad.


In one form or another, real or fake, coral is replicating itself in every house in America. There's the real stuff, which has ossified in its naturally beautiful state of white, pink, or blackish red. Then there are the plaster fakes, which have been turned into sconces, and the cast-bronze copies, which have transmogrified into vases. The Alberto Pinto-designed china we see everywhere was interesting for about three minutes. There's not a textile house in the country that isn't producing a coral wallpaper print (why stop at red when 22 designer colors will do?), even Pottery Barn's coral sequin-embroidered pillows are flying out of the pages of its everyman catalogs.
Read the rest of the article here.

So, birds, fly around really fast. Your death knell is ringing already. Such a shame!