The irregular tesselation shapes of last Spring’s market have become more orderly. 6x more orderly, in fact, because High Point Market was literally buzzing with hexagons. The new warm-weather optimism saw these bee honeycomb shapes everywhere. The modernity of geometry, the rebirth of Spring; it was a shape that was easy to appreciate in upholstery, floor coverings, lighting, textiles, casegoods, and accessories of all kinds.

Featured:

Wilcox – this new venture by Natural Curiosities’ Christopher Wilcox had a rock and roll edgy vibe. The “infinity hexagon” modular shelving units are a modern take on a curio cabinet for containing collections.

Tourmaline Home – Deep indigo blue collided with the hexagonal trend.

Regina Andrew – showed a cowhide rug with metallic accents pieced together into a unique rug that was far too pretty to walk on.

Mr. Brown – The matte white gesso finish on the honeycomb cabinet contrasts so nicely with the mirror to create a beautiful statement piece.

Noir – How does a black steel bookcase makes one love it? 6 sides of love,…I’m telling you.

Lucy Smith – Steel tables in a wide variety of colors and finishes are whimsical and cool at the same time.

Made Goods - The flat white base and simple drum shade can go casual or dressy depending on the room. Such a flexible piece.

Gold Leaf Design Group – small hexagon cups in black, white, or gold for some interesting wall opportunities with flexibility.

Della Robbia – Not only the hexagonal rug, but the subtle quilting on the sofa was also a tiny little honeycomb. Quite lovely.

Cooper Classics – The copper hexagonal set of 4 mirrors was chunky and rustic for a little bit of country cool.

A tesselation, or tile pattern, can be regular and repeatable geometric patterns, like the pentagon light fixture from Arteriors, or the table top sculptures from Made Goods.

Tesselations can also be irregular, which reminds me of fractured glass; unusual and unique shapes butting up to each other to create a beautifully disjointed pattern. Examples of irregular tesselations were spotted as the garden-stool-turned-light-fixture at Emissary, or the collection of tables from Regina Andrew that can be used to create your own table cluster exactly where you need it. I particularly loved this pattern trend, as a break from the norm – something modern and fresh.

• Made Goods
• Arteriors
• Gold Leaf Design Group
• Regina Andrew
• Emissary Home & Garden
• Majestic Mirror
• Paragon

The trend spotting from High Point Fall 2010 continues this week. For earlier topics, go HERE (Modern Menagerie), HERE (Wing Chairs, Menswear, & Pagodas), HERE (Customized Brights), or HERE (Red and a Touch of Dread).

But today I show some general motifs I saw while breezing down the halls,…designs that repeated in several places that jumped out at me. The clover shape was still prevalent from last market, but I saw the following new shapes really begin to emerge in lovely ways.

Trends from High Point Fall 2011 - Shapes

First was the square within a square. I photographed it at Worlds Away and Jonathan Adler, but saw it in many, many others. I am really partial to this shape for the simple purity of it; but also for its flexibility to create a practical structural element as well as a pleasing design.

Secondly, was the easy interlocking circle motif; reminiscent of floating bubbles or ripples in a pond. Worlds Away, Selamat and Cyan all had lovely pieces featuring this fanciful and light-hearted design.

Lastly, was a modified diamond within a square,…which quilters know as Cathedral Windows. As the daughter of a quilt teacher, it’s nice for me to see it in steel, burlap, and wood from Caracole, Gabby and Mr. Brown by Julian Chichester.

Thank you to all the wonderful showrooms that create such amazingly well-crafted pieces with such evocative designs. I encourage you all to visit their websites and love the variety of their offerings.