Trendy or Timeless?

  1. Personal tastes. What is timeless for you may be trendy for others. To know what is timeless for you, you need to know your tastes. What is a decor element that you have always loved or used?
  2. Look to history. Have we seen this before? We have seen nature fibre rugs, rattan furniture, brass hardware, bouclé, so are they trendy? I don't think so, but it will depend on number 3 below. Some things we have not seen before that I would argue ARE trendy include resin furniture and matte black hardware. These are not bad things and I expect there are some examples somewhere throughout history, but they just have not yet held the test of time to be called "timeless".

  3. How it is put together. This is really important. The way furniture, finishing, colours and textures are balanced and combined is crucial in interior design. I could argue that that is interior design, but without getting too philosophical, let me give an example. While doing a little reading for writing this I read an article that highlighted the living room in the early 90s sitcom Fraser, which included a Coco Chanel chocolate brown sofa. Not really recalling that I loved the space, I had to look up an image. There it was a beautifully classic roll arm chocolate brown sofa. Sexy and lounge-y as ever. It would be as great now as it was then. But did I love Fraser's apartment? No, it was totally '90s in how it was put the together in a wash of light honey coloured pine-like wood tones. There was, however, a great Eames lounge chair. In short, two knock-out timeless pieces of furniture in a sea of '90s decorating.

  4. Know that most things have and will have their highs and lows within the general consensus of "what's in". Some things will inevitably not be chic some day. Own your style and be proud or swap out with more updated accessories to help it feel fresh.

  5. Some things that never go out of style, as proven by the great interior designers of the 20th Century like Albert Hadley, Sister Parish, Billy Baldwin and Dorothy Draper, include high-quality, natural fibres, artisan-made, and mixing antiques and modern.

While Marc and I were away last week at the furniture mecca of North America High Point, North Carolina, we got to see current trends and the timeless. Scroll below for our "trend" observations and how we do them at Gild & Co.

 

Boucle
 
 
Bouclé furniture for days, on any style of furniture imaginable. Not ready to commit but love the look - try a throw blanket in a great boucle texture like the Kusama throw in cream. $988. Online here

Of course if you want to fully embrace, we're happy to oblige and put boucle on a piece of furniture for you.
 
 
Rattan
 
 
We love rattan so never get tired of seeing it. Sustainable, natural, hardwearing, does it get much better? Seeing new and revived rattan classics is always exciting for us basket heads as we continue to sell a variety of high-quality rattan furniture and decor, like a personal favourite boat basket with metal hands. Excellent as a centre piece on a dining or console table, use to display a collection of beautiful yarns or books, firewood storage or to fill a high shelf. $498. Online here.
 
 
Green
 
 
Green has been hard to find over the last decade so I had to snap a selfie but more and more is becoming available, like this beautiful handwoven wool rug by Jaipur Living in. Online here.
 
Terracotta
 
 
Yummy rich terracotta colours. Add wee bit, a little or a lot, no rules with decorating your home. Cushions below: Cross-Stitch in Mamey, online here. Rivoli Velvet by Manuel Canovas in Camel, online here.
 
 
Curves
 
 
Curvy sofas and furniture is very "on-trend" but it can be timeless since we've seen throughout history. Is it trendy or timeless for you? Curvy settee sofa - as seen below - coming soon to Gild & Co. 
 
Statement Antique Case Pieces
I couldn't get enough of this beauty, a stunning and substaintial French antique cabinet. High Point furniture market has a permanent antiques market, because antiques are definitely classic. How they are put together in a home is what changes.

Below is a statement antique French cabinet available at Gild & Co. now and ready to design a room around. Gild & Co. has been bringing these special pieces to Vancouver for over a decade. Online here.
 
Soft Textures
 
Fine fibres and soft textures are a big deal right now, and who doesn't want to live with something irresistibly soft? Fine fibres were presented at Jaipur Living, like these cashmere rug I can't stop dreaming about. Others of note were made of alpaca and New Zealand wool. Swatches of these luxurious carpets will be coming soon to Gild & Co. 
 
Fashion Inspired
 
Lastly but not least, there were a few new entrepreneurs we met who had made the jump from the fashion industry to home decor, giving their products a great edge and interest for interior spaces. Exciting and inspiring to see.
 
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