JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Feb, 4, 2010) – Jacksonville interior designer Judith Sisler Johnston, president of Sisler Johnston Interior Design and ASID Allied Member, continually tracks current selling patterns in the home furnishings market to better understand consumer preferences.  Over the years, she has seen many trends come and go.  Several trends are emerging for 2010.

“Price is important, especially in today’s economy, but it is not the driving factor behind every purchase,” Sisler Johnston said.  “Quality and performance are also important, and brand value is increasingly significant with shoppers who are willing to spend the extra money.”

Most people are attracted to authentic home furnishings.  This includes natural fibers and wood furniture styles with slimmer proportions and clean lines.  Full-bodied upholstery color accents are presented in a background of textured, earthy neutrals. When it comes to lighting, familiar-shaped lamps have been replaced by sleek geometrics including the pyramid, block, sphere, and ring designs.

Mixing old with new and traditional with modern will continue to remain an important trend in 2010.  Repurposing existing pieces with new fabrics and finishes is a green-driven trend as is using reclaimed, retrieved, and recycled, eco-chic furniture and accessories.  These furniture pieces such as antique chairs upholstered in modern fabrics exude great character. 
                                                           
The new decade has attracted many new trends in home design and décor, including:

Colors.  There is a revival in bright, primary colors for spring and interesting color combinations such as green, blue and orange, or red, brown, and blue combinations.  Purple, in all its hues, is a favored choice in paint, upholstery and art.  Animal prints are classic, and many are being introduced in non-traditional color ways.

Contrast.  Accent pillows will feature ornamentation in stitching, beads and fringe, but the furnishings they sit on will have clean lines and natural fabric covers such as linen on refined, rustic wood pieces.  Luxury has been replaced with subtle, sophisticated and comfortable, well-priced furniture.  In coastal locations, nautical-themed furnishings will always be a popular choice and are being redesigned with more contemporary influences.

Natural and original.  Permanent botanicals and greenery are moving toward the natural garden and spice variety instead of fussy, flowery designs.  More people are purchasing original art as an investment instead of mass produced artwork.

With this new direction for 2010, many design trends appear to be on the way out, including:

Quantity over quality.  There will be less furniture and fewer, well-placed accessories.

Anything too shiny.  From fabrics to furniture pieces, the finish materials are losing their sheen in favor of more subdued matte finishes.

Formality.  Formality is being replaced with comfortable, relaxed style.  Larger McMansions are being replaced with smaller, more efficient homes that focus on family living areas. 

Matchy.  Matching bedding ensembles have given way to the hotel bedding model, which features lots of white and neutrals with occasional color accents in shams and pillows.

Brown and blue color combinations appear to have run their course in trends except in traditional western styles where soft brown leathers, turquoise and silver still reign.  Black lampshades, equestrian and hunting themes and over-the-top ornamentation, including carved wood and antique gold embellishments, are also on their way out when it comes to home furnishings.  Exaggerated arms on upholstered seating are being replaced with natural, clean-line, well-proportioned pieces, in response to smaller homes and urban living.

More than 15 million Generation Y buyers will be dictating style for the next several decades as the largest consumer group since the Baby Boomers.  Expect to see products and styles that cater to catalog furniture outlets such as Pottery Barn and West Elm or popular television home networks.

About Sisler Johnston Interior Design
       
Sisler Johnston Interior Design offers comprehensive interior design services for commercial and residential clients.  The company specializes in marketable designs for active adult and continuing care senior lifestyle communities.  Sisler Johnston Interior Design also designs community centers, builder model homes, private residences, hotel guest accommodations and office suites.

Judith Sisler Johnston, president of Sisler Johnston Interior Design, is an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and is a Certified Green Professional (CGP).  She is Florida’s leading authority on designing spectacular environments that are inspiring, functional and contribute to
the wellness and self-esteem of their occupants.  Sisler Johnston and the company’s team of licensed, talented designers work with clients to enhance their surroundings with designs that range from traditional elegance to contemporary classic.

Sisler Johnston’s design work has been featured in numerous books, newspapers, magazines and television programs.  The company has worked with clients throughout Florida for over 25 years and received more than 100 industry awards.

For more information about Sisler Johnston Interior Design, call (904) 288-0908 or visit www.sislerjohnston.com

Photography:

1. Mixing old with new and traditional with modern will remain an important trend in 2010. 

2. Luxury has been replaced with subtle, sophisticated and comfortable furniture. 
   
   
3. Matching bedding ensembles have given way to the hotel bedding model, which features neutrals with occasional color accents in shams and pillows.