Every year after the holidays, droves of designers, buyers, makers, and shop owners flock to New York City for the NY Now market. It's held at the Javits Center, a towering, glassy chunk of a building located at the far reach of the 7 train—known for its remoteness, its poor options for nearby dining, and the fact that it's in the midst of a billion-dollar expansion.
The upside to making the trek? With over 2,500 exhibitors showing off their homewares this weekend, the Javits Center currently is ground zero for what's new and exciting in home design, from handmade accents to textiles and tabletop. It's an epic (and often overwhelming) event, so we traipsed the rows and rows of booths so you didn't have to. Here's our report on the best trends we saw cropping up at this year's event.
Cork
Known for being buoyant, resilient, water-tight, and sustainable, cork is becoming popular for all kinds of vessels in the kitchen. We also like the look of it covering a whole accent wall (you're so organized!) or on the floor—especially since it's offered in colors beyond that warm brown it's known for.
Clean, Geometric Candlesticks
A shape we recognized from hanging bulb pendant fixtures, we saw a number of pared-down geometric candlesticks—some with faceted, pyramidal sides and others in a smoother, rounded hourglass form—that ran the gamut from mid-century to extremely modern. We'd like to thread them through a tablescape with some thrifted, tarnished brass and glass candlesticks.
Americana
A mix of aging wood homes, fading American flags, crackled leather chairs, and either a pair of cowboy boots or a hint of whites, blues, and reds in the room, this style is all about taking a wild, rugged look and making it feel sophisticated.
We saw indigo pillows (topmost photo), wool rugs in white with crimson accents, ceramics inspired by camping equipment, and even flags made just for stringing across your wall.
Decorative Bulbs
It's no secret that we're fond of decorative bulbs—our designer Brad Sherman used them all over the Food52 office to impart a bit of warmth and to connect the clean, minimal design of the space to the antique accents like hooks and doorknobs throughout.
Did you go to NY Now this weekend? What styles did you love seeing the most?
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