To prepare for the rush of Summer, we spend our Spring at market, sourcing fresh finds from our favorite brands at places like High Point. Before saturation set in, we sketched our thoughts on the throughlines we had observed—currents and concepts that felt new and noteworthy, less trendy, more timeless. We believe these design themes will outlast seasonal flux, setting the tone for further innovations in collections to come. As ever, we look for ways to spark epiphanies of beauty amid the everyday. By introducing one of these pieces—or concepts—into a room, you’ll find your space transformed.
Sculptural Silhouettes
Sensuous curves, corners that seem formed by hand, forms with graceful gravitas. No one does sculptural case goods and accent pieces better than Verellen, a brand based in the furniture mecca of High Point, NC and informed by the founders’ Belgian roots. Highlights from the current collection include the Gaston Bed, a richly curved headboard and bedframe that gently arcs back as if exhaling in relaxation; the Bobbio Table Lamp in ash, a study in circular elegance; and two accent stools—the Lou Barstool (also available at counter height) and the Oakley Dining Stool, forms that feel almost figurative in their graceful lines.
Natural Textures
Rope, rattan, woven leather; botanicals as imprint and pattern; hair-on-hide as upholstery. The tacticity of nature, expressed anew in silhouettes as modern as they are meditative. Italian institution Flexform reinvents woven rope as both rustic and delicate in their Echoes, Lee and Tessa armchairs. Drawing on traditional weaving techniques from rural Italy, the seats are made from woven paper rush chord; the effect sits somewhere between a Mediterranean veranda and a Scandinavian living room. Abstract artist Sabine Maes of Belgium lends her immaculate eye for monochromatic texture to a custom collection of collaged sheepskin rugs. The tropical texture of rattan has been reinvented for all climes by exquisite artisans like Alfonso Marina of Mexico City, who makes rattan seem as sublime as it does sensible, a dichotomy best expressed in the Aarhus sofa and chair. Ever attuned to organic texture, Henry Wilshire explores the somatic effect of hand-scraping the sides of the Scraped Cocktail and Console tables, grooves left to invite imaginative pairings in situ. To add a touch of wild, accent pillows made of natural materials, like the Lance Woven leather and Suri Alpaca pillows, introduce a touch of wild amid tamed surroundings.
Budding Neutral
Green is the new black. Everywhere we turned, we spotted a green accent in lieu of a neutral. All shades and all textures of green seemed on the proverbial table, from avocado to British racing green and everything in between, from loose knits to sleek leather and soft linens. Bedding masterminds at Libeco introduced a fresh shade of hunter green to its Belgian linen lineup. Uni’quity, a favorite for Belgian linen throws and pillows, added a more leafy green to its striped collection of hand towels and napkins. In terms of upholstery, Verellen presented pieces in subtle hues of sage. Translating the trend into our showroom, we’ve placed our limey April Pillows in profusion, and spruced up tabletops with green-laced pieces like hand-painted botanical Jasmin Vase by Astier de Villatte.
