What drives the trends? You do! Whether it’s what is happening in our world, a preference for repetition, environmental impacts or other social and commercial factors, the people within such phenomenon drive trends!
In one sense, it is easy to speculate how it all evolves; yet in another sense it seems a mystery! In the Interior design industry, is there a secret panel somewhere in Milan or New York City, scheming the next season’s trend for color, accessories and cultural mimicries? Is there a guru system at work that provides a top down blueprint for the industry to follow?
It certainly can seem so when the industry media and publications splash out the news: Avocado and yellow are back! Every aspect from paint to upholstery snaps to!
But that, apparently, is certainly not the whole story! The power comes from the consumer aspect up! You the people, according to the experts who study such things, are what drive manufacturers and professionals alike to respond to where you want the trends to go.
What is happening in society and in the business sector of society has tremendous impact on how people feel. And, how people feel drives choices that reflect their moods and circumstances! In reviewing a lot that has been written about the power in those patterns, it is fascinating to see what drives the bright and joyful, and what embraces the somber and conservative – for color, textures, light and space use.
Isn’t it so true that in good economic times we tend to be uplifted and more outgoing with our activities, our enthusiasm and our energy? Just as in “hard times,” when we tend to pull in, become more cautious and more careful, introspective and protective?
The experts connect the dots in very specific ways that relate the upside to the brighter and outrageous use of color, for instance; and the downside to the warmth and protective power of the more subdued and comforting – say, softer lighting, and the special embrace that can bring.
Thus, our relevant industries take the clue — for setting trends – from what is happening for and to the people as society and industry fluxuate. An interesting example in one essay on this subject cited how the Art Deco movement came about with almost overly ornate appointments, lavish and show-offy, in response to a Hollywood wannabe mood! Then the 60’s “…era of peace and love…” brought in bright colors and innovative, psychedelic design patterns!
And so, today’s circumstances are also driving trends! Our culture is evolving, yes, and doing so with new and awesome factors that drive our decisions and our choices – including those concerning our Interior environments. Those forces, in turn, translate into our homes and businesses.
Let’s just look at one external force that influences our Interior decisions. We acknowledge that the manufacture of some synthetics, using elements that pollute have become questionable choices, and we tend to turn to natural elements. That’s a circumstance driving a choice that drives trends – iron accents, natural wood floors, and sustainable, renewable resources — like Bamboo, for instance; and, textiles from recycled product!
Trends are you, transitioned into reactive, responsive and innovative resources that move industries! Your Interior design project is part of that creative process.
Robert Boccabella, B.F.A. is principal and founder of Business Design Services and a certified interior designer in private practice for over 30 years. Boccabella provides Designing to Fit the Vision© in collaboration with writingservice@earthlink.net. To contact him call 707-263-7073; email him at rb@BusinessDesignServices.com or visit www.BusinessDesignServices.com or on Face Book at Business Design Services.
