Atlanta Market Review

The first words on this winter market at Atlanta are about the traffic. For the first time in two years I had to stand in line:  Lines for the coat check (it snowed!), lines to get on the elevator and escalator, long waits for dinner in restaurants and standing room only on the bus heading into market.  No complaints from me as I could see the market was well attended by buyers from all over the country. Most of them had smiles on their faces and needed to replenish their bare shelves. 

Vendors who had great new spring introductions kept the assortments tight and well presented in somewhat narrow themes.  I felt the selections for most venders were well directed and very appropriate for the emerging year.

The first notes of the season were about black and white.  Whether I saw large oversized floral and leaf silhouettes dancing on textiles, or skyscrapers and words on wall art, the designs were bold, silk screened and minimalist.  My favorite introductions offered items with accents of mustard or pale yellow colors which gave a very sophisticated urban vibe to the look.   Texture was minimal on core bed, bath and table linen items, but accent pieces popped with embroidery and appliqués.  White resin and milk glass offset soft goods and I saw wonderful floral topiaries as well as large finials made out of resin, and a strong presence of modern silhouettes in white glass.   Also within this genre were wide assortments of gorgeous black glass, patent leather and oxidized metal accessories or highly polished chrome items. 

The Spring tide has also turned clean and clear with the strongest comeback of white linen I have seen in a long time.  Washed and relaxed or pressed and pleated, I saw a lighter and brighter interpretation of the natural history world using this wonderful cloth as a platform. Many times I saw white teamed with natural linen; however I saw white linen elegantly layered with platinum or other soft grey and lavender hues.  Soft goods were accented consistently with scatterings of mist, marine blue and frost colors, looking like a handful of worn glass from the sea.  Although many vendors played the look towards beach house living, I saw as many clean line interpretations that would easily suit urban dwellings.    Decorative accents were all about the sea:  birds or decorative balls made of driftwood, rope knots printed on high design products, blonde wood lamps and furniture and tons of colored sea glass candlesticks, glassware and serving pieces. 

And if your preference is pink and green in a tangerine dream then the market had its share of treats too!  This world of retro femme is still a strong presence in the younger hipper world of home accents.  I saw lots of hot pink and orange graphics with green grass colors (and sometimes texture) dancing on white backgrounds.  At this end of the design spectrum it was a bright, fresh and sophisticated presentation of both large and small scaled floral prints and embellishments on white (mostly linen).  There was nothing wrong with this fun and whimsical trend, albeit specific.  Again, I saw a lot of white resin and polished chrome in contemporary serving pieces, lamps, candlesticks and bath accessories. 

All in All, it felt just like Spring with freshness and color popping out of the cold dark winter past.