It’s officially 2011. I realize the world has been knee-deep in 2011 for thirteen days, but I am just now delving into the new year. In my world, the new year isn’t official until my shiny new annual planner is tarnished with my chicken scratch. It’s tarnished. My Litte Otsu soy-based ink on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper processed chlorine free weekly planner is now marred with my over-sized script.
Now that I have admitted 2011 to myself, let’s take a gander at the year to come – dare I use the word trend? Trend is kind of a dirty word. If you don’t subscribe to trends, you’re out. If you do, you’re a follower. Trend signifies a mass movement toward thinking something is nonnegotiable, but with fleeting longevity. I don’t have a crystal ball, so you should know there is nothing metaphysical or divine about these predictions – this is old fashioned research combined with unapologetic opinion.
Here are my thoughts, in a nutshell, about trends for the eleventh year of the new millennium (some are original, others are borrowed). Think of this list as a table of contents, just a tease (actual content and elaboration to follow).
Homes will stay modest and modular – lucky for us, not everything from 2010 stays in 2010.
Honesty. Honest materials and a new era of candid green accountability.
Flamingo Pink. Seriously. (You can blame Pantone.)
Light-emitting diodes and bare filaments take the stage.
Wire structures become an essential framework.
Bamboo, concrete, wood grain, and cardboard are the surfaces of 2011.
Pattern, pattern, pattern. Geometrics are here.
Morocco continues to be a muse and Bohemian is (of course) lingering around.
Urban industrial parks – more of them.
Traditional camping is last year’s glamping.
Connect with nature – inside and out.
ILBI steps up to the world. LEED steps aside? (Gasp.)
Accessories evolve. Objects (books!) are objectified and elephants are in (don’t worry, the horses and ostriches of 2010 will still graze nearby).
Stay tuned for my elaboration on each of the trends above.
(Image from Nubbytwiglet.)