Emerging Design Trends, According to Boston Interiors' Executive Vice President

Emerging Design Trends, According to Boston Interiors' Executive Vice President

High Point Market is the largest home furnishing industry trade show in the world, showcasing showroom after showroom of the latest styles, trends, and products. We had a unique opportunity to speak with Boston Interiors’ Executive Vice President, Erica Diaz, about her experience attending and her insights on emerging design trends. Read on for our interview.

First, I’d like to thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me and share your insights on High Point Market. You have such a unique perspective as Executive Vice President, and I’d love to hear a little bit about High Point Market itself. Could you discuss the significance of attending?

For anyone in this industry, whether you're in retail stores, or if you're in a boutique, it's a must. You have to go to market to know what's going on and what's “hot”. Trends or not, you still need to buy product for your stores. It’s a lot easier being in person, touching, feeling, and sitting in product as opposed to seeing it on screen or in a catalog.

It's a great opportunity to partner and collaborate with your reps and management. It's long days, but well worth it. The best part is seeing new styles, trends, and learning about the designer's vision behind their new products.

On a personal side, I love design. I got into this business because I wanted to be a designer, whether it was in fashion apparel, or home decor. I've been designing since I was a kid.

Would you mind delving a little deeper into the process, the layout, and the typical day at Highpoint Market?

We have a core set of vendors that we work with during these days. We set up our schedule by day, where we have anywhere from 10 appointments to 20 appointments. The appointments vary based on who we're seeing and how extensive their lineup is.

On a typical day, we walk vendors showrooms to see what's new and we revisit products that we might not carry.

We're unique, therefore it's easy for me to walk in and identify what would be best for our business. From there, conversations lead to pricing and obviously quality. I want to point that out because highest quality products are a must for Boston Interiors.

We typically don’t buy products as shown. Some merchants don't sit down and pick out fabrics, finishes, cushions, legs, and arms, but we do.

After market, we have a meeting where I go through pictures and pricing with my team where we decide what we want to add to our assortment. The process of market is seeing what's new in fabrics, wood finishes, styles and pricing, products, then making business decisions on what is best to add to our assortment for our customer base.

So, working off of that, would you mind telling us about some of the trends you noticed?

In textiles, soft neutral colors. Earth tones such as clay, rust, and lots of green tones. Almost like an Arizona vibe. Not only in color palette but in an organic, casual feel. Beautiful textured and woven fabrics now have a secret, they are durable, cleanable, and feel amazing! Organic shapes such as curves in every category from upholstery to wood products. Wood stained in soft warm tones that highlight the graining and beauty of real wood. Textured fabrics and textured woven materials such as rattan and cane which adds a lot of visual interest and depth to a space. This market was all about character and natural beauty which I find comfortable and inviting.

I was excited to see classic styles coming back. Our bread and butter! Timeless pieces done with plush and luxurious seating. Pieces that you can keep as many years as you wish. Let’s face it, furniture is not inexpensive and it’s an investment for most of us. I don’t focus too much on bold trends that will come and go.

You touched on a focus on comfort and lux, soft fabrics earlier, do you see that as a continuation of that limitless Lux trend that arose during COVID?

Yes, I do. I don't see that trending out. I think that now that textile companies are doing this, they are incorporating fashion and getting those beautiful woven fabrics. You can tell a difference between where we were with microfibers back in the day, and where we are now, which I don't see that trending out. I think they'll only evolve and improve.

If you would use just one word to describe the overall aesthetic of this year's market, what would you use and why?

Eclectic, because of the mixing of styles and materials. I’m really loving this mixed material look.

What kind of materials in particular?

Some metals or woven materials, like rattan or banana leaf. Personally, I find that adding in some metal materials to your room is like adding jewelry to your outfit. It completes the look and accentuates the overall design.

Before I let you go, I’d love to hear your advice on how people can work trends into their home. What’s the best way to do that for someone who doesn't want to switch up their style entirely, but who still wants to integrate a little bit of trendiness?

I love to mix classic larger pieces like sofas, or beds with smaller on-trend items that are easy and less expensive to change in a year or so. For example, I recommend bringing in some on-trend colors with pillows or a throw that gives you that current look that you want to incorporate. Invest in the important pieces that you want to last for many years. .

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and time! We're looking forward to hearing your insights on the next market.