This November, we went to the International Furniture & Accessories Market in North Carolina to scope out new trends and collect pieces for our clients. Walking from booth to booth, we chatted up furniture, accessory and rug designers to get a clearer picture of how the industry is doing, where it’s going and what is fading out, along with what’s coming down the pipeline. Think of us as interior designers and detectives. Sitting on our favorite vendors’ pieces and touching all of the new items tells us more about how something could work in a client’s home than any number of pictures could.

Every year, we learn a lot at market, but trust us, it’s completely earned. For five days, we spend our time scouring miles and miles of home furnishing offerings. In addition to some killer calves, we always come back with tips on what is hot in home interior design. We’re so excited to share our finds with you and won’t even make you walk a mile first. Here’s our top 16 trends:

1. Steampunk

2. Wallpaper is hot, hot, hot, and it is nothing like what you might find in your grandma’s home

3. Ikat fabric/patterns were everywhere. Houndstooth, zebras, chevron, fret, damasks, quatrefoils and burlaps are still in too.

4. Leather in lighting

5. Art deco

6. Small metal tables

7. Metal covered furniture

8. Unusual headboards

9. Bright yellows and oranges

10. American flags

11. Fun chairs with interesting backs

12. Large rug patterns

13. Tree inspirations (i.e. drift wood)

14. Little, red tables

15. Gold/gilt with older pieces and/or worn fabrics

16. Nailheads

If you’d like to read more about what our trips can be like, here’s a great article Jill wrote for KC Home Design a few years ago.