There's an adage that goes something like, 'once you've seen something three times it's officially a trend'. Personally, I think that when it comes to home decor items, trends creep up rather slowly, and then something that you spotted just once or twice last year, and barely even registered in your subconscious is suddenly absolutely everywhere.
I'm neck-deep in househunting right now, and though it can be time-consuming and stressful, I never tire of getting a peek inside someone else's home. Particularly one that's been scrubbed, staged and primed for sale. It's like looking at everyone decked out in their Sunday best. One of the unexpected side effects of peeking inside the well-groomed homes of others is that I've been seeing some decorative items over and over again. In particular, the things listed below are suddenly everywhere I go; in every store, every design show, every open-house. And so, another Top 5 Friday is born!
Hand-Scraped Hardwood Floors
Bryan Baeumler's very own hand-scraped hardwood.
Perhaps as a backlash against the smooth and shiny engineered hardwood that adorns many a new-built house and condo, this rougher, more worn and hand-scraped flooring is suddenly in every house I see. As someone who currently owns a townhouse with smooth and glossy dark engineered floors, I welcome this weathered (or weathered-looking, often it's faked) alternative with open arms. Good bye striving for the perfect-looking planks, hello floors that can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. (Watch Elana's exclusive tour of Bryan's House of Bryan, where he talks about his hand-scraped floors.)
Horses as Art
Photo: ApartmentTherapy.com
As an avid lover of horses I've noticed the trend of horses as art creeping up slowly for some time now. My guess is it's the perfect accomplice to the tailored, understated luxury that has found its way back into homes after the hard times and flea market finds of the recent recession. Nothing says classic, privileged-yet-earthy elegance like the equine, and in my opinion, nothing is more beautiful and evocative than a wild horse. Put those two factors together and you've got the perfect decor item, bringing a touch of the natural world into your decor scheme while still maintaining a level of polish and elegance.
Vintage Train and Bus Station Scrolls
Photo: Reproduced Train Scroll at Las Vegas World Market
I first caught sight of these amazing vintage (or reproduced, in the example above) train and bus station scrolls while window shopping in my favourite antique store strip one sunny winter afternoon in Toronto. Then Elana, Jessica and I found the one you see above at Las Vegas World Market and coincidentally the lovely ladies from Apartment Therapy mentioned them in their trends talk a couple of days later. That's three times in as many weeks, so if you believe the adage above -- an official trend!
Over-sized Drum Pendant Lights
Photo: Alix and Fiona's Dining Room
It just so happens that I have the exact same drum pendant you see above in my own dining nook. And before it popped up as a feature in the stunning HGTV original home tour that Alicia posted recently, I'd seen this fixture in several of the homes that I've been touring as part of my search. Though a drum pendant is not exactly a new trend in decor, I think that the prevalence of them suddenly, in such a wide variety of spaces, makes them deserving of today's list. Things that make this one stand out are the sleek touches like the metal trim and the crystal droplet that hangs from the center -- these add just the right amount of glamour to an otherwise simple design.
The Bertoia/Modern Metal Mesh Chairs
Photo: www.avant-scene.com
Pick up any interiors mag off the stand today and I can guarantee that you'll see at least one Bertoia Side Chair in it's pages. What surprised me is that I have been seeing them in actual homes. As in people are paying a lot of cashola to have these lovelies in their lives. And who am I to blame them? A stunning modern design by Harry Bertoia, born out of an experiment with bending metal, resulted in a timeless modern piece that's not only incredibly cool , but also comfortable. The $400+ price tag is a hefty one, and that doesn't included the sartorial leather pillow, but if you could ever manage swinging it, I doubt it would be a purchase you'd ever come to regret.
Bonus Item! An Affordable Alternative!
Photo: Solvar Dining Room Chair, IKEA.ca
Okay, so it's no Bertoia, but this $75 mesh-backed alternative from IKEA has a similar shape and can look almost as slick when paired with the right table in your dining room. And, again, it's $75 dollars.
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