Home & Garden: What’s the Big News in Home Design?

Do you want to know what the up-to-the-minute interior designers will be showing their clients this year? And what the key design themes are, so that you can be in the swing as well?

Find out here, in 30 discoveries culled from attending the Architectural Digest Home Design Show this past weekend. The tenth annual event, which ran from March 17-March 20, at Pier 94 in Manhattan, showcased products from nearly 300 vendors in the areas of home accessories, furnishings, lighting, kitchen, and more.

While there were also cooking demonstrations and art installations at this heavyweight show, the main draw was the clearly the home products, as evidenced by this weekend's packed attendance with visitors from the tri-state area and nationally.

One of the speakers singled out an “eclectic” movement in home design, meaning a mix of style and periods within a home. All of the pieces would accommodate that trend, and contained a high degree of craftsmanship and artfulness.

What I noticed, above all, was a naturalness in subject, material, and form. Even the most beautiful and expensive pieces lacked ostentation. But they did contain an optimism that is trickling back into the economy, and so is showing up in design.

Highlights range from textiles to art, from meditation nooks to a deluxe pool table. You’ll find objects as affordable as a wood organizer for eyeglasses priced at $30, all the way to large pieces such as bureaus that cost thousands.

Here then, a slideshow of the latest in home design, educating your eye as these pieces—or similar ones--turn up in the marketplace. This visual feast itself—without spending one penny—can enhance and inspire the lives we lead at home, stirring our imaginations, and letting in some fresh air this spring.

Katherine Ann Samon is the author of four books including Ranch House Style and Dates From Hell. Contact her at kathsam@aol.com, or visit www.katherineannsamon.com.