Trendspotting: Housing Works' 6th-Annual Design on a Dime

Filed under: Color, Fun Stuff, Design, etc, News & Trends

There's no better place to spot design trends than this annual charity event that gathers together some of today's leading interior designers.

Design on a Dime is an annual fundraising event for Housing Works, one of the country's largest grassroots HIV/AIDS service organizations. Each year a group of designers creates room vignettes in which every item is for sale with the proceeds going directly to Housing Works. This year's event raised $700,000 and provided endless hours of inspiration for design lovers.

During this year's Design on a Dime event, we couldn't help but notice a few congruities among the 50-odd room vignettes. Although some of the old chestnuts (deer antlers, animal skins) still made cameos, it's still nice to see some fresher things coming our way. Could they be mini-trends in the making? We think so!

SPOTTED: Strong Geometrics
Triangles, rectangles, polygons and zigzags abounded at this year's show, making cameos on walls (Juniper Tedhams' blown-up tribal patchwork), chairs (bargello patterns on several hundred vintage occasionals) and floors (from checkerboard linoleum to cubist carpets).

Kristen McGinnis deftly displays a pleasing cube-on-cube dichotomy. Photo: Allegra Muzzillo

Kristen McGinnis's expert juxtaposition of a sculptural gray cube on that graphic rug made for a vignette-within-a-vignette.


We particularly enjoyed how Buzz Kelly spiked sharp, EKG-esque lines across his three walls.



Another standout? The Boffo booth: The Brooklyn-based design team's handmade reclaimed-wood furniture (also gaining in popularity) was a gorgeous pastiche of rough-hewn diamonds and chevrons.


SPOTTED: Pattern on Pattern (on Pattern)
Though the act of pairing patterns is hardly a new design concept, a good mixed prints scheme always pushes the envelope a bit. This year, every risk seemed to pay off -- in spades.

From the wall coverings down to the bedding, Kim Hull's pattern layering made her little girl's room apropos, yet not too cutesy. Photo: Allegra Muzzillo

Kim Hull's charming little girl's room struck near-perfect harmony in which her mod fabrics set an appropriately playful tone without heading into cloying territory.



And Laura Kirar's Traditional Home booth was a daring blend of bold colors and, ironically, a shining example of eclecticism at its best. The scheme's sassiness and unpredictability was a welcome surprise.


SPOTTED: Whimsical, with a Surreal Twist
Old is certainly new - and vice versa. We saw a strong, anything-goes sentiment at this year's event, which we totally loved. And it got us thinking about how we've been seeing a refreshing shift toward the tongue-in-cheeky lately.

True to form, Derek Warburton glams it up in his La Vie En Rose-inspired room. Photo: Allegra Muzzillo

While daredevils like Derek Warburton (above) and Nathan Thomas (below) went for an enjoyable over-the-top approach, other designers, too, worked in whimsical -- even surreal -- elements. (Ty Pennington's huge saddle horse, anyone?)

Maybe it's because everyone's "gone thrifting," or there's just a newly found affinity for quirky, slightly off-kilter things? Or perhaps it's all a sign of renewed optimism?

Whatever the catalyst, a new sense of adventurousness seems to be taking hold. And we like it. A lot.

Did you attend this year's Design on a Dime event? What trends did you spot? We'd love to know!

 

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