Design Directions
Nothing adds drama to a room like a well-thought-out design theme—and the good news is, there are a variety of design directions in the market today, ranging from crisp contemporary and sophisticated minimalism to lush traditional and nostalgic country. One of them is sure to be right for your home!
One of the most enduring and appealing trends in design is American country. Current interpretations of American country include colonial motifs, updated Southwestern styles and casual apparel influences such as denim looks and rugby stripes. For example, Raymond Waites Country Village collection from Village features Americana scenes such as antique flags, scenic depictions of colonial towns, antique pottery and baskets, as well as gingham checks, plaids, stripes and small-scale allover “ditsy” prints.
Country styles from across the sea are also popular here in America, particularly French country looks characterized by Provencal florals, French calligraphy, toiles and other types of documentary prints. The Raymond Waites Kitchen & Bath collection, for instance, features allover small-scale florals in shades of red, yellow and blue; rich ripened fruit designs; and classic toiles showing tulips in full bloom.
Another European country style on the horizon is Scandinavian, especially Swedish design featuring textural plains, laces, antique ski sweater looks with snowflake motifs, diamonds and lattices, ribbons and wreathes, and simple carved roses.
From Village’s Nobility Volume III, Buckingham Palace Stripe wallpaper with a shoulder-high Buckingham Place Border.
On the opposite side of the style spectrum is contemporary or modern design, which is enjoying a resurgence. Today’s contemporary is characterized by spare geometrics such as squares, boxes and spirals as well as allover marbleized textures, harlequin textures and textured stripes, such as those found in Village’s Nobility Volume 3 collection. Sleek curves and asymmetrical shapes also appear in various patterns, along with chic menswear motifs such as houndstooth, herringbone, pinstripes and plaids.
Flowers are a perennial fashion favorite, and today’s just-picked varieties incorporate leaves, stems and lovely single blossoms. For example, Village offers a selection of sparsely tossed floral designs in the California Country Volume 2 collection. Prints with the look of pressed flowers or fossilized leaves are particularly fresh looking, as well as allover leaf designs such as those found in Village’s Traditional Palettes collection.
Traditional design remains an important classification, ranging from opulent damasks, scrolls and bouquet florals to updated architectural influences such as Greek key motifs and antique stonemasonry. The Raymond Waites Vintage Home collection, for example, spotlights traditional shell and scroll architectural borders as well as reproductions of antique urns.
Another continuing design trend is the influence of Asian cultures, including both Chinese- and Japanese-inspired patterns. Calligraphy designs, simple stylized nature scenes and bamboo latticework such as that found in Village’s Traditional Palettes collection are representative of this trend. Also coming on strong are Indian-inspired designs, particularly richly colored styles drawn from Indian sari cloths, exotic embroideries and interesting paisley patterns.
Technology Trends
New techniques and new technologies are radically altering home design today, giving consumers greater freedom and more choices in decorating than ever before. Expensive and time-consuming treatments such as faux finishes and wood-molding looks are now easy and economical and easy, thanks to new developments.
For example, Village has developed a new proprietary product, PaperIllusion™, which gives the look of a handcrafted faux finish, but without the expense of hiring a professional. PaperIllusion is designed specifically with the do-it-yourselfer in mind, and is virtually mistake proof! To learn more about PaperIllusion click here.
You also can create fancy trompe l’oeil and wood-molding wainscoting looks by using Village’s paintable embossed white wallpapers and borders, or layer two or more borders together to create the effect of richly detailed crown moldings. New laser cutting processes give the appearance of hand-sculpted borders in the Village Decorative Edge collection, while our Easy Ups self-adhesive borders and appliqués allow you to change your room décor as frequently as your mood.
Advances in printing technology also are having a substantial impact on product design. For example, Village uses new digital printing techniques to create 10-foot-long borders without a repeat in two World Championship Wrestling designs; and innovative inks are utilized in Village’s Glow-in-the-Dark borders, both found in Village’s Borders, Borders, Borders, Borders, Borders book.
