10 hot design trends heading your way in 2017
Style savvy consumers and industry professionals got up-close and personal with directional trends, high-end materials and a cool, contemporary vibe at the WestEdge Design Fair in Santa Monica last weekend.
Attracting more than 11,000 attendees, the fourth event inside Barker Hangar was a showcase of leading major appliance brands, artisanal workmanship and luxury home furnishings.
“It’s been great to watch this show grow,” said Sally Thomas Cooper, co-owner of Thomas Cooper Studio. “It’s very Los Angeles. It really is about people who make things getting together and talking.”
It is also about trend spotting: Here are 11 hot looks coming your way in 2017:
Tweet-worthy
Santa Cruz cabinetmaker Douglas Barnhard debuted Sourgrassbuilt, his new line of Midcentury Modern birdhouses inspired by Eichler, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Bauhaus school.
At your command
Sony presented the Life Space UX collection designed to minimize the visual presence of technology and maximize design. Especially cool: Dimmable, LED lightbulbs that change colors and function as wireless speakers controlled via smartphone or tablet.
Illuminating
Sally Thomas Cooper and Jason Kai Cooper premiered their new Limited Edition Collection of artisanal lighting for Thomas Cooper Studio. Handcrafted, luxury designs are inspired by architectural concepts and push boundaries on creative processes.
Crafty
Designer Clark Ellefson debuted Chargebots, by Lewis+Clark, one-of-a-kind portable chargers with folk art flair.
Futuristic
Los Angeles design duo (and former DJs) Diogo and Juliette Felippelli presented Joogii, interlocking Lucite furniture inspired by French house music of the 1990s. The pieces are coated with a dichroic finish that changes color as light around it shifts.
Stylish retreat
Designed by Rob Zinn, BlankBlank showcased contemporary lighting and home furnishings including the Camp Club Chair and ottoman with saddle leather sling seat and embroidered Otomi upholstery.
Hide-and-seek
Winner of this year’s prestigious WantedDesign Launch Pad competition in New York, Tomnuk debuted the Lune collection featuring a pendant fixture and wall sconces composed of rotating discs that shift to eclipse or expose the light.
Stunning
Awarded 2016 Kitchen Product of the Year by influential industry publication Kitchen & Bath Business, the free-standing Tecnogas Superiore TriFuel Range, featuring four induction zones, an 18,000 British thermal unit gas burner and integrated electric griddle, was a showstopper.
Eco-friendly
Towering slabs of polished wood attracted attendees to Studio E&R’s collection of bespoke home furnishings, walls and countertops made from sustainably harvested trees.
Repeat after me
Designed by Los Angeles architects Nima Abili and Sara Shakib, the debut collection of tile-clad, geometric, Brutile furnishings for Nima Abili was inspired by the raw surfaces and repeated modular elements of Brutalist architecture.
