Best of Winter Markets: 5 new trends

Some trends seen at the recent winter markets include a revised color palette, new design collaborations and sculptural minimalism.

Five of the trends seen at the recent winter markets in Atlanta, Paris, Dallas, Las Vegas and Frankfurt include:

New looks for commonplace materials

Familiar, reliable materials are being finished, manipulated or mixed with other raw components for an entirely different look or added functionality. There is a renewed interest in straw, for example, whether it is dyed straw teamed with wood or incorporated into an elaborate, marquetry pattern. Concrete is made to look like travertine, melamine is treated to look like antiqued metal and silicone drinkware is, through a unique production process, rendered as clear as cut crystal.

Artisans create the exuberant starbursts on the tops of these Palm Marquetry boxes from Jamie Young Company using thin strips of straw in variegated natural tones. /Atlanta

The palette for 2024

After several seasons of neutrals, the world is ready to embrace a bit of color. The showrooms in Paris as well as in Las Vegas put various green shades on display, but our trend spotters are also seeing a palette that embraces coastal aquas and blues and earthy jewel tones such as amethyst, amber and tiger eye. Woven in as well are high contrasts—black and white, navy and cream — and pops of bright pastels. Don’t fret, neutral lovers, there’s still plenty of off-white and beige tones to go around.

Green and ochre stools from Moe’s Home Collection. /Las Vegas

Design collaborations

Innovative product assortments — and the markets themselves — are always enlivened by new design collaborations and partnerships. This winter, we saw interior designer Breegan Jane team up with Savoy House on a large lighting collection in Dallas. Rifle Paper Company partnered with Ivystone Group on dinnerware and stationery collections, and expanded its existing partnership with Loloi through additions to its rugs and throw pillows and the introduction of woven wall art. And Instagram influencer JoJo Fletcher unveiled upholstered pieces, pillows and rugs with Abbyson in Las Vegas.

Caption: New Rifle Paper Company dinnerware from Ivystone. /Dallas

Green is gold

Sustainable products were hailed in Frankfurt. Some were made from recycled or upcycled raw materials, such as candles whose fragrance was sourced from waste from the food industry, like cardamom pods, others replaced petroleum-based ingredients with environmentally friendly ones like eggshells or ground up oyster shells. Concerns about greenwashing in general were part of a seminar discussion during the Ambiente fair. Meanwhile, the European Commission is proposing new laws on green claims to make them more reliable, comparable and verifiable across the EU.

Swedish rug company Pappelina has incorporated a new material called Biovyn into its woven rugs. It is a PVC material whose oil is derived from trees harvested in Scandinavia. /Ambiente

Sculptural minimalism

HAT trend advisors Tom Mirabile and Michelle Lamb reported from the Maison & Objet fair: “Contemporary style in Paris is focused on pieces that have clean lines, yet are voluptuous, thick and alternately suggest being inflated or tubular. This look was already advancing in seating, now it’s impacting lighting and decorative accents, confirming that it will remain a factor for some time to come.”