Trend watch from High Point's 2012 Fall market

Twice a year in the spring and fall, designers, decorators, artists and furniture and fabric manufacturers descend on the small town of High Point, North Carolina to attend "market".  Vendors are there to display their products in the hopes that something will catch the eye of an influential buyer and become next year's must-have.  Many of the products you will see in upcoming collections of fabric, hardware and furniture styles were born during market week.  Let's take a look at what we can all expect to see in the coming year:

• Gold metal is back.  After years of oil-rubbed bronze, nickel and pewter, warm finishes like gold, bronze and copper are making a comeback.  No longer the garish gold and brass of the seventies, today's lustrous finishes can be paired with other metals and will add a warm glow to your hinges, drawer pulls, door hardware and fixtures.   We were a bit ahead of the game when we introduced our new Daisy pull, Ergo key card lever, Willow surface bolt and our popular and charming frog pull all available in varying gold finishes.

• 

• Pantone, the color guru, has announced that next year's color of the year in fashion will be Monaco Blue, a color that falls somewhere between navy and cobalt.  Others are forecasting that the interior design color of the year will be a mellow shade of yellow.  Either way, both colors are quite a departure from last year's vibrant Tangerine Tango.
• Neo-classical architecture has never gone out of style but updated and over-sized versions of the iconic Greek Key design are popping up in hardware and as embellishments on case goods, fabric, rugs and window treatments.  It just shows you that, as the saying goes,"everything old is new again".  FYI, that lyric comes from Australian songwriter Peter Allen.
• Contrast defines many of next year's trends.  For example, shiny surfaces sitting next to matte finishes, old reclaimed wood pieces placed alongside shiny mirrored items, modern paired with antique, rustic with contemporary...you get the idea.
• Geometric patterns remain popular but are seen paired with more organic shapes to update the look.  Does it get any more organic than our Ergo line?

As with most design decisions, next year's forecasted trends support the idea that anything goes.  In other words, if it works for your home or business, then it works.  Do you have a favorite trend?

For more information on these products or to view  our complete line of custom hardware and get the latest news on what is happening at Martin Pierce, please visit us at www.martinpierce.com

Back to school with Martin Pierce Hardware

It's back to school time.  Beginning Tuesday, September 4th, kids all over the country will be returning to class so what better time for a design history lesson. There are design motifs that repeat themselves century after century.  Take for example, the fleur de lis, greek key or rosette designs that have inspired many an artist, architect or designer.  Here is just a brief description and history of these well-known motifs.

• Greek key:  The Greek key is a meandering pattern of both vertical and horizontal lines that repeat themselves as a border.  Our Fiddlehead pulls also feature a meandering design on the stem that was certainly inspired by nature. This very popular pattern is often used as trim on fabric and rugs or as an architectural design on a building. 
• Fleur de lis:  Loosely translated, fleur de lis means flower of the lily in french.  With it's somewhat regal appearance, the fleur de lis has appeared on many royal coats of arms but has also been associated with military status, as a religious symbol and was even used to identify slaves during the 16th and 17th century. This simple design has adorned many buildings throughout the centuries as well as artwork, home accessories, fabric and hardware.
• Rosette:  The rosette is a round, stylized flower design that, as the name implies, was inspired by the natural shape of flowers.  It often appears in architectural designs and is used in metal working and other artistic applications especially where two lines of metal, concrete or other materials intersect.  Other uses include military insignias, jewelry design and sculpture.  Check out our entire collection of Flora design hardware pieces that might have been inspired by the simple rosette design.

If you look closely at an old building, sculptural piece or other type of art you will most likely see one of these motifs used in some form or another.  It just proves that good taste never goes out of style.

For more information on these new products, view our complete line of hardware and get the latest news on what is happening at Martin Pierce, please visit us at www.martinpierce.com