Spring Trends by Scott Williams

What’s Your Story?

“I think the times have really taught us to think about what’s authentic in our own lives, and what really matters,” Hipple says. “For me, I’ve been a fan of wabi-sabi, which is really the Japanese aesthetic of the beauty of imperfection. Give me something that has a story, feels authentic, and is warm and embracing.” Authenticity, Hipple believes, is part of the appeal of the reclaimed woods she works with at Turning House, a company that made its Market debut last year and will unveil sixty new designs this Spring. To produce the line, Turning House uses beams and flooring from buildings constructed in the industrial South prior to 1945. “We know exactly where the wood came from, whether the Landis Mill in Landis, N.C., a tobacco warehouse in Greensboro, N.C., or a distillery in Kentucky,” Hipple says. “This is old growth wood that was up

image provided by Turning House Furniture

to 200 or 300 years old when it was cut down. Our task is to honor the vintage wood, interpreting it as almost a piece of sculpture for function today.” “In this economy, more than anything, it’s very, very important to have a powerful, authentic, soul-filled, aspirational starting point,” explains Ashwell, who re-launched Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture™ flagship stores in Santa Monica, SoHo and London’s Notting Hill neighborhood in order to create a strong licensing program. “The stores,” she says, “are where I create the magic, where I consider what my thoughts are as a designer.” image provided by Shabby Chic

“It’s not like the old days when we were riding the wave of the Baby Boomer and you just threw product out there and goodness knows it sold,” Hipple explains.

“You have to be smart, you have to have strategy, and you have to have people who can make connections, as well as product that is aspirational.

provided| by Phoenix Art Group www.highpointmarket.org | image 800.874.6492 336.869.1000

image provided by Shabby Chic

It’s going to be a good Market for those that tell a story, create some excitement, have good relationships with their customers and who are totally targeted on who they are and what they offer that is a value.” “People really need to be inspired to take their wallet out of their pocket and purchase something now,” agrees Jennifer Raboin, art director at Phoenix Art Group. “They don’t want to buy something that is average or commonplace. It’s uncomfortable to open up that pocketbook, so they are really looking for something that is going to knock their socks off. “For us, that means quality over quantity in terms of introductions this Spring,” Raboin says. “Instead of sending quite as many products to High Point, we’re really focusing on being outstanding in quality, in concept, and having something new that cannot be found elsewhere in the marketplace.” The watchwords at Phoenix Art are “texture” and “dimension,” Raboin adds, in motifs that focus on “nature, natural, happy, bright, clean, clear and … recognizable. People have way too much to think about now, as far as what’s going on in their lives and what they have to do. When they get home and they are looking at a piece of art, they don’t want to have to try to figure it out. They don’t want to try to analyze it, they just want to recognize it, get it, and they want the piece to be happy, uplifting and spiritual. They want it to move them, to try to bring them a little peace in an otherwise crazy, hectic day.”