Trend Watch
'08 Trends Forecast
Seattle showroom owners, retailers and designers who have their fingers on the pulse of design clue us into what will be new and exciting this year


Nature Round Tray by Simrin, $130 at Velocity Art and Design, 251 Yale Ave. N.; (206) 749-9575.


Ajax Lounge Chair, $3,294 at Great Jones Home, 1921 Second Ave.; (206) 448-9405.


Bright “Vanessa” chair, available
to the trade through Studio G11, Seattle Design Center, Ste. P-366; (206) 973-4473.


Cristobal Chest, $6,426 at Masins, Seattle and Bellevue locations.


Graphic Dandelion Console, $2,700 at Velocity Art and Design, 251 Yale Ave. N.; (206) 749-9575.


“Darjeeling” tableware by Rosanna, $40–$50 through Burnt Sugar, 601 N. 35th St.; (206) 545-0699.


Coffee table by Eva Zeisel, $1,500 at  Design Within Reach, Seattle and
Kirkland locations.
It’s 2008, and resolutions have been made (and maybe broken) but at Seattle Homes & Lifestyles, we stuck to our resolution to report on what’s happening on the home front for the upcoming year. We turned to some of our SH&L Seattle Design 100+ honorees—people who have their fingers perpetually on the pulse of Seattle style—and asked what they think will be all over interior design in ’08.

“People are really focusing on the home now, looking for ways to make it a place of calm and security,” declares Marie Harris, owner of Veritables Décor and Veritables Object. A fixture on the Seattle retail scene for 15 years, Harris has experienced the ebb and flow of fashions and says that this year “it’s all about the home.” The sentiment was echoed by almost all of our experts as they predicted the trends for 2008.

So if you settle on one resolution this year, make it to spend time at home—cooking, entertaining, lounging and luxuriating in your personal sanctuary. With all the fabulous furniture and accessory trends we have to anticipate, it’s a resolution that won’t be hard to keep.

Going Gray
“Monochromatic gray interiors are the new look,” says Todd Dewey Jantz of Studio G11. “The new gray is a much warmer tone than the last cycle of grays we had in the ’80s, so think graphite with a bit of brown or khaki added to it.” Forget the stark and cold gray and black palette for the home—a warmer gray means being able to put it with other neutrals such as brown. At one time this would have been regarded as tantamount to wearing black with navy blue, but Jantz assures us that “the rules” are becoming less important and the thing to strive for is individuality—mixing and matching to make it yours. Keeping cozy in mind, look for gray in a luxuriously soft throw blanket, a tufted sofa or a fuzzy rug to add chic to your shelter.

Natural Instincts
In 2008, furnishings inspired by nature will be just as big as furnishings that work to save it. John Tusher, owner of Velocity Art and Design, puts a lot of emphasis on what he calls organic modernism, which reflects everything from flora and fauna motifs to natural wood finishes. Tusher recommends accessorizing with exotic forms found in nature, such as graphic floral print pillows from designer Thomas Paul, but points out that subtle influences such as organic textures and earth tones provide the anchor for this trend.

Worldly Wise
To Rosanna Bowles, the woman behind Rosanna, her wildly successful eponymous line of tableware, going global means drawing upon the aesthetics of exotic cultures for her newest designs. “We want to celebrate beauty from all over the world and to open people’s minds to other cultures,” she explains. For Seattleites with adventurous palettes, the table is a great place to incorporate different ethnicities into daily décor.  Additionally, whether it’s an eye-catching ikat-pattern pillow, painted porcelain or woven textile, global-inspired accessories are the way to welcome the world into your home. 

New Beauty
For a while, right angles have ruled the roost, but the designers we spoke to agree that “pretty” is back—rounded corners and lacy patterns, for example—though in an updated contemporary interpretation. “The look is very tailored, with the sofa and cocktail tables having curves as well as clean lines,”  explains Bob Masin, of Masins Fine Furnishings & Interior Design, who recently saw this trend at the Highpoint Home Furnishings Market in Highpoint, North Carolina.

Taking the new look a step further, Carrie Hayden, owner of Great Jones Home, is excited to see the substance back behind the styles, characterized by antique or top-quality pieces that deserve to be kept around and handed down to future family members. “I want to know what the established society woman has in her living room—what fabulous silk sofa or curiosity piece,” she says. 

Veritables Décor, Veritables Object
2816 E. Madison St., (206) 322-7782

Studio G11
Seattle Design Center, Ste. P-366,
(206) 973-4473

Velocity Art and Design
251 Yale Ave. N., (206) 749-9575

Rosanna, Inc.
440 S. Holgate St., (206) 204-0588

Masins Fine Furnishings & Interior Design
Seattle and Bellevue

Great Jones Home
1921 Second Ave., (206) 448-9405