It was a beautiful day in Chicago and I did not want to deal with traffic or parking, so I took the train to the city to attend NeoCon, a huge furniture trade show. The show was at Chicago’s wonderful (and gigantic) Merchandise Mart, and it featured an impressive array of the newest and brightest in contract furniture, fabrics and designs. I wanted to be sure to cover it for you, our Gringo customers. Always searching for inspiration and new design ideas to incorporate into our Mexican furniture designs or in our work with you in helping you create beautiful Mexico home environments. There was sooo very much to see … but a few things caught my attention and I wanted to share them with you.
1. Fabulous ecologically minded fabric choices. Met with a great company producing fabric from nettle fibers. Yes, nettles. And the fabric colors are beautiful, durable, and soft! They assured me they could supply their fabrics to us for our Mexican furniture, so if we have demand, we will look into providing this sustainable and environmentally friendly fabric option in Mexico.
2. Fabric displays inspired by the world of high fashion. I loved seeing these – they were so much fun. Some clever suppliers of fabric for furniture used mannequins and dressed them using their fabrics, making high fashion outfits out of the furniture fabrics. Tres chic!
3. Use of bright color and ultra modern design in outdoor furniture. I really enjoyed seeing outdoor and patio furniture designs in bright, colorful metals such as bright orange and bright pink. These would look so amazing in a Mexican patio, poolside or garden. Sturdy, bright and even whimsical designs.
4. Contrasting fabrics in one piece of furniture -- the seat of a sofa done in one fabric and then the back in another contrasting fabric. It works. I've taken notes to incorporate this idea in designing our Mexican sofas and chairs.
5. Adding a touch of glamour to living spaces using furniture. Some of the living room furniture had cushions, seats or backs that were gold or silver colored. Why not add a touch of glamour to our Mexican furniture? I liked it. I think something like that appeals to the diva in all of us!
6. Sturdy, ergonomic sofas for highly used areas – perfect for Mexico rental properties.
We hope you have enjoyed this NeoCon furniture design trends mini-tour and that you’ll keep some of these ideas in mind when envisioning and/or designing your Mexican dream home. We look forward to working with you!