Welcome back to The Seven!

Spring is long thought to be kick-off time for both design and real estate interests. Yes, tech allows us to do almost anything at any given time, but there is something wonderful about definite new beginnings.  The Seven Q2 reflects on fresh starts.

Stager’s Spring Market Hack?  Doug’s perfect, tall, home-brewed Starbucks Toasted Coconut Mocha Iced Coffee, with a shot of Freddie.

The Jury is Still Out: Color Drenching. An entire room is done in tones of just one color. Walls, floors. ceilings, even furniture. An interesting statement in defined rooms. Familiar and polished in light colors, can be tricky in deeper tones.

Mets or Yankees?  YESSSSSS 🙂

Don’t Say That, Say This:  “Old-fashioned” and “outdated” are two more terms that just sound judgey and mean. Design is trendy, by definition, transient.  If you’re decorating and it’s what you like, don’t worry about it. If you’re trying to get top dollar for a property, “time stamp” points to a logical question for buyers: what else have the sellers with powder blue wall-to-wall put off doing?

Color to Watch For: Deep, warmed orange. It’s substantial and has character. It’s happiness, life, energy, and confidence.  Way back when, the inspiration behind the naming of TRH’s digital sister.  ORANGE you glad??  

Accent walls: Making a comeback! It could be with a different paint color, some peel-and-stick wallpaper, wood or upholstered panels. Only caveats: These one-of-a-kind walls are usually the most important wall, and typically the backdrop for the most important piece of furniture in the room.

Market Reports are in: Much of what you’ll see in the days ahead boils down to Form Follows Function.  Paraphrased-what something looks like is about supporting how it works, a problem it solves. For example, Sensory Design was a very big topic at this year’s ICFF show. Cool and pleasing to see the shapes, colors, and textures, but everything had a higher purpose.

Personally excited that as an industry, design is even more committed to designing for joy; more firmly rooted in solving big-picture problems.  Physical and mental health, safety, neuro-inclusive design, and sustainability top the list.  More to follow, but here’s a brief recap for a deeper dive now.