MOTIF TRENDS 2008: Watch for More Crowns, Fleur de Lis, Crosses, Keys

Watching decorative trends evolve in home furnishings and accessories often makes me think of the riddle, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?". Do markets drive consumers taste or do consumers drive the markets? Usually, a mix of both, I think. However, the motif direction for 2008, is in my opinion, clearly driven by consumer taste for vintage motifs.

The dominant motifs will be crowns, fleur de lis, crosses, and keys. If new introductions in the recent Dallas market are an indicator, we will see the motifs used in everything from candleholders, lighting, and wall art to small table top accessories. How very interesting...

Those very motifs began to find a place in the hearts of shabby chic vintage collections as least eighteen months ago. This clearly appears to be a trend generated first by consumer enthusiasm and the market is now playing catch-up.

Watch for the reproductions in intricate ironwork and scrolled metals, carved in wood, and rendered in molds.

Will these motifs replace roses as a motif? Nooo, floral motifs are in a category all their own. Personally, I think I'll continue to have mine - well aged and vintage.

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ATTENTION: Watch for this product to be HOT! Golden Bead Gel

Gina Wolfrum has graciously shared her photo of an exquisite example she produced from Golden Bead Gel. (click on photos to enlarge)

You must meet Gina, a cutting-edge master of elegant finishes in murals, ceilings, furniture and accessories.

Her work is synonymous with adjectives such as elegant, magnificent, and awesome that make you stare in awe, wide-eyed, wondering...

How could anyone paint All of THAT while they are miles above a floor?

A link to her website, Elegant Finishes by Gina, will remain available listed always as a trend setter; an accolade she has surely earned. Can you imagine a ceiling embossed with hundreds of Swarovski crystals? Gina did and has done several - including a nursery with a twinkling stars and another graced with an exquisite salon flair. Thanks, Gina.

I've also added a link for Golden Artists Colors, available at most craft stores. You'll need it once you enlarge the photo sample above a and check out Gina's website. Golden Bead Gel is a translucent when dry - gel - requiring whisper-thin application, that I anticipate may well turn out to be one of the most important new products to be discovered by artisans in the romantic genre.

This gel has micro clear glass beads that add texture, sparkle, and shine when dried. Think of adding tiny touches to brocade silk lampshades, to Christmas ornaments, to rose wallpaper, to stenciling, to any paper or paint project, to seashells, to painted signs, to literally any project - from your ceilings to your walls - if a subtle dazzle would add the ultimate finishing touch. It's exciting, it's new and it's waiting for you to make it your own in your decor.

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