Trendspotting! Interior design trends from High Point Market (Part 1) : Annie Elliott Design

I wish you could have come with me to High Point Furniture Market, Gentle Readers! It’s inspiring, energizing, and exhausting, all at the same time. (If you’re not familiar with this semiannual event, here is a link to the post about my 2021 High Point adventure. There are links to previous High Point posts there, too.)

Six trends really jumped out at me this year, and there’s a lot of overlap. You’ll see ;) And a reminder: just because I’m reporting ’em doesn’t mean I’m a fan.

Here are the first two hot trends. More tomorrow!

Trend #1: Light wood

Light wood finishes are VERY in, especially those with visual texture (burlwood, olive) and those with actual texture (cerused). This is a trend I’m behind: light case goods will be great to mix with darker wood pieces. The effect can be very pretty: casual and eclectic.

Burlwood dining table, parsons style — Burlwood parson’s dining table

Olive wood cabinet with light wood — I don’t believe this is olive wood, but it looks like it. Pretty, isn’t it?

Round light wood dining table — Modern cerused oak pedestal dining table

Cabinet with cerused wood doors — Cerused cabinet

Light wood wide cabinet — Would we call this cerused? I think so

Cerused wood with reeding (which looks like pencil rattan, which leads us into trend #2…

Light cabinet with reeded doors — More reeding on light cerused wood…

Close-up of reeded cabinet doors — …and the shape of these doors overlaps with one of tomorrow’s trends

Trend #2: Natural materials, especially textured and woven

Admittedly, natural textured and woven materials such as caning, rush, wicker, and pencil rattan have been gaining popularity for several years. (They’ve never been OUT of style; they’re just having “a moment.”) But manufacturers are doubling down now. Two vendors confided that they didn’t have many new things to show because they’re still dealing with supply chain-caused backlogs. So some of this could be a holdover.

Anyway, I’m a fan of this trend, too.

Chair in light wood with woven back (see? 2 trends!)

Striped drinks table wrapped in rope — Ropey side table (cannot double as a stool; I asked)

Granted, this store is CALLED “Woven,” but still

Chair and table in pencil rattan — …and more…

Chair and side table in pencil rattan — …you get the idea

Pencil rattan version of Frank Gehry's cardboard Wiggle Chair — A knockoff of Frank Gehry’s cardboard Wiggle Chair, but in pencil rattan

This material is interesting: crushed bamboo. It’s on the cabinet in a gray wash and on the table in natural.

Gray crushed bamboo cabinet — Crushed bamboo

Closeup of crushed bamboo — Crushed bamboo

More tomorrow! The drive back from North Carolina was rather hellish, so I need to get some sleep ;)

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, DC, and we have offices in St. Michaels, Maryland, and Middlebury, Vermont. Don’t miss our thoughts about kids’ bedroom trends in this article on HGTV.com.