hardware trends

New trends for the commercial design industry from NEOCON

Our Ergo door pull in a warmer oil rubbed bronze certainly fits the bill for sleek hardware in a warm finish.  Photo by Martin Pierce Custom Hardware There is certainly no shortage of conferences, conventions and other informative gatherings available to those in the interior design industry.  Some are general and others are very specific and made for those involved in specialized areas of design.  NEOCON is perhaps the premiere industry event designed for professionals who specialize in contract design for hospitality, government, retail and healthcare clients.

A NEOCON event provides an opportunity for designers to view the latest products and resources available including fabrics, wall coverings, hardware, furniture, appliances, lighting and fixtures.  At this year's event there were several stand out trends that we can expect to see in the upcoming year:

  • While ultra bright colors were everywhere, one color stood out as color of the year and that was an eye-popping shade of fuchsia.  This mix of red and purple is a high energy color that would be appropriate for many creative venues.
  • The very acoustically sound material, felt, is emerging as a popular upholstery and wall cover choice in the expected soft gray, but is also available in other colors as well; making it possible to use this unique fabric in many different applications.
  • Can you spell Eames?  Molded plastic is back in vogue.  Conversely, there were many designs that included high backed upholstered sofas and chairs in the office environment.  Perhaps this is a response to the need for more private spaces in open concept areas or simply a design trend.  If it can help reduce the amount of private cell phone conversation overheard then I am all for it!
  • Architectural hardware trends are combining the desire for a sleek and minimalist look with warm finishes like bronze and brass as well as celebrating the outdoors with nature inspired fixtures.  We meet both of those needs with our Flora and Animal collections as well as our newest Morphic collection cast in bronze as well as stainless steel.

It is always interesting to follow these trends and see which ones take off, so to speak, and which ones die on the vine.  To view the entire collection of Martin Pierce Custom Hardware visit us at www.martinpierce.com

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