Report from High Point 2017: hottest trends

From April 22 to 26, the International Home Furnishings Market 2017 (High Point Market) took place in the USA - an interior event that has no equal in size and importance. The exhibition area of about 1 million square meters sets fashion trends for the next six months for designers and decorators from all over the world.

With Inna Usubyana, find out more about what new things the leading American furniture factories and interior designers presented at the exhibition.

Inna UsubyanaDESIGNER, DECORATORHead of Decolabs studio. Graduated from the "Details" school and courses at the British Royal College of Art.
1. Powder and candy shades

Interiors this year will definitely be very soft and feminine, as the most fashionable colors of this season became all shades of powder and candy. Factories and designers used pastel tones of pink, peach, blue, green, yellow in their collections.

Use these colors in your home in contrast with pure white or black - such combinations suit classic or American style interiors. If you prefer more minimalist or Scandinavian interiors, pay attention to the combination of gray with any of the pastel shades.

2. 100 shades of the sea

Intense green color remains a favorite among American decorators for already a year. But now more and more of them use its shades, especially wave color, which they combine with deep blue. Interiors in this color palette look vibrant, rich but at the same time create a sense of calm and serenity in space.

Tips from designer Inna Usubyana3. Furniture made of natural materials

The continuation of the sea color palette became colonial style furniture, as well as rattan and natural materials furniture, which we usually imagine somewhere in a tropical paradise in the middle of the ocean. American designers created interior items that will give you the feeling of summer and vacation right at home.

4. Bright colors in wall and ceiling finishes

For those who want bright colors, leading American factories and designers offer to go beyond accessories and paint walls, floors, and even ceilings in purple, violet, and salad shades.

If you like bright colors but are afraid to even imagine walls in such bold shades, then try experimenting. Start, for example, with the hallway, office, or living room walls, and keep a calm color palette in the bedroom.

Recommendations from Inna Usubyana5. Brass, leather and eggshell in furniture and accessories finishing

These materials became the most popular for furniture and lighting finishing at the High Point Market 2017 exhibition. Many manufacturers used not only sued, but also distressed leather for cabinet finishing.

The furniture factory Jonathan Charles introduced an interesting innovation - furniture with eggshell finishing. The shells are crushed for this unusual technique, laid on the surface and then baked in ovens with varnish. Depending on temperature and time, the surface acquires various shades - from white to violet. A table or box with such finishing can become an original element in any interior.

6. Feathers, taxidermy and animal images

Those who love hunting will appreciate a new trend in design - decorating interiors with taxidermied animals, feathers, animal and bird images, as well as hats, boots, and various hunting accessories. But if you're not a fan of such radical decor methods, then decorate the room with a Cameroonian feather hat Ju-Ju and your interior will also become a bit "wild".

7. Details of furniture and decor made of glass and acrylic

Acrylic continues to be one of the most popular materials. It is used for manufacturing side tables and coffee tables, sofa and dining chair legs. An interesting new development at the exhibition was a novel way of using glass in finishing. Designers not only created items made from glass but also placed wallpaper and bright prints underneath it, creating an effect of volumetric and deep images.

The Baker factory presented a limited collection by designer Thomas Pheasant, which includes a sideboard with red wood finishing and glass doors behind which is an image of a coffered ceiling in deep blue-violet color.

8. Opening of the year and new collection by Thom Filicia

A bright event at the exhibition was the opening of a new showroom by Christopher Guy. The 20,000 sq ft building made of black glass and mirrors with 9-meter windows surrounded by decorative pools became a reflection and modern interpretation of Christopher Guy's refined style.

The well-known American designer Thom Filicia presented his new collection created by Vanguard Furniture. The collection includes not only furniture, but also lighting, art objects and decor, as well as bedding. This collection stands out not only for the modern elegant style of Tom but also for its calm color palette, luxurious finishes, very carefully worked details and pleasant textures.

Tips from designer Inna Usubyana