More Trends from the Atlanta Gift and Home Market

The Atlanta Market is winding down,  but I continue to be blown away by this show.

Image from Peking Handicraft

The showrooms I visited at the beginning of the show in the Merchandise Mart were all about Old European Style, wood, metal, flaking paint, burlap and tweed,
unbleached canvas and natural linen.
A fairly masculine feel.

And then...
The last two days, I focused on the flip side - Powee!
Fabulous color - several million square feet of it.  And florals, chevrons, dots, patterns, 
and throbbing style:

Image from All For Color

Image from Peking Handicraft

Image from Thomas Paul

If I had to name a single color that stood out the most in the Atlanta Show, it would have to be Orange.  Followed by Blue.

Image from Kay Dee Designs

Image from Peking Handicraft

Motifs and themes that popped out of this more colorful side were all about the Shore, 
both Lake and Coastal. 
Lots of Octopi, Sea Horses, Conch Shells, Starfish and Sea Turtles. 
And Whales.  I saw whales everywhere.

The Great Outdoors was also a constant theme - 
camping, hiking, and playing outdoor sports.

Canoes, Bears and Moose.
Fly Rods.

Image from Sideshow Press

A huge, beautiful Market! 

Now, think about the millions of dollars spent in developing all these products.
And the thousands and thousands of hours that artists spent 
creating the icons for these products.
It will all wind up on store shelves and then float into your homes.

It all starts with a sketch.

Pretty unbelievable to think about, huh?

Think I'll go put my feet up, pour a glass of wine, and sketch something...

Report from Atlanta Gift and Home Market

Wow!

I've walked the Market for two days, and that just about sums it up in one word.

This show is HUGE.

And the products are gorgeous.

Take a look:

Block and Brayer image

Block Prints on canvas or twill or linen.  
Colors ranged from charcoal to every hue of the 2014 Pantone chart.

So beautiful, so graphic, yet so "mark of the hand".

All made in America.  
The lovely prints above from  Block and Brayer are just one of the collections represented in the Market that are either hand printed or screen printed from the original 
hand-carved blocks.

Image from Low Country Linens

Low Country Linens had a pretty booth, chock full of block printed linens that are made in the Low Country area of South Carolina.

Image from Design Legacy

This image from  

Design Legacy includes many of the themes that the Atlanta show is filled with-

Lots of Blues - Cobalt, Indigo, Delft, and Navy.  Most of the time, the punch combined with these blues is....

Orange, of course!

Wooden spools of every size, most wrapped with cord, ribbon, or jute.

Maps.  Maps.  Maps.

Old World Maps,
 Compass Point Maps.

Printed on a variety of surfaces.

And those vintage style numbers are still everywhere.

Lowcountry Originals (those artisans in South Carolina sure are busy!) pulled me right in to their oyster-shell adorned booth, as always.  Lovely lighting, furniture, and accent pieces, all cleverly incorporating oyster shells.  

Image from Lowcountry Originals.

Sitting on one of their mantels was another icon that permeates the Atlanta show...
Hogs.  Pigs.  Wild Boars.

Like this pig from Eric and Christopher, who take pictures of animals on Eric's farm, and then Christopher turns them into screen prints.  Visit their website and read about their process; it is very inspirational.  Makes me want to Push, Pull, Print!

Animals are huge in this Market, with Pigs leading the way, accompanied by Sheep, Goats, Cows, Chickens, Squirrels and a few Foxes and Hedgehogs.

Mostly, it was all about large farm animals.

Owls, Blackbirds and Crows 
were still around, 
but not as much.  









The overall feel of the Market is still very Old World European, with delightful punches of color.  There is still a lot of burlap, iron, rust, distressed paint and topiary, relieved with natural linen and softened canvas.

The Authentic Movement Showroom was divine...

Fishs Eddy.
Always pleasing to look at and pick up.






Check out this Bow Tie from Forage;
their packaging is perfect.




Lucia Soaps, and more divine packaging:

The fabulous Mara Mi:

 And Lotta Jansdotter...

Tomorrow and Monday will be filled with more scouring, observing, and appreciating...

Appreciating all these thousands of artists who design all this lovely stuff.
Now do you see why Lilla Rogers says "Get Cracking!"??