Vegas Market 2025: Bold Interior Design Trends and Statement Décor: Transcript

katie [00:00:05]:

Do you love interior design but can't make the business side work? You've come to the right place. Welcome to success by design. Mastering the business of interior design. Whether you want to elevate in your current interior design firm, start your own firm, or move the needle when it comes to your existing firm's trajectory, this is your masterclass and I'm your host, Katie Erickson. Learn from my mistakes as I built a coast to coast, multi million dollar interior design firm. I share nearly 20 years of serving as a university professor of undergraduate and graduate business courses with you. And best of all, I bring in experts in all things business and interior design. Class starts now.

katie [00:00:45]:

Hey, everybody. Welcome back. We have the fabulous die with us. Literally, like fresh off the plane from Vegas, because, hello, unless you've been living under a rock, you know, the Vegas market just happened and we can't start the episode without two truths and a lie because it's so appropriate for where we are at in market because it's all trends. So it makes this round even more fun. So velvet is on its way out, number one. Number two, Vegas market is dying. Number three, petrified wood is amazing and it is trending hard.

katie [00:01:21]:

So we've got two chairs and a lion there. Stick around. We're going to debut them all at the end and let you know the cold, hard truth. Di Vegas. I'm sorry, you guys. Right before we hopped on, Dai showed me the most insane thing which we will put in the show notes, which is fabric and a curio cabinet, glass door, circa like my grandmother's house. And we've talked about grandma core Di. What's going on out here?

Di [00:01:46]:

So it's like this very interesting take on traditional 80s cottage. The finish is like smoked oak, so a little bit of a gray tone oak. But it's a beautiful curio. It's like glass panel down the front. And so you see the curtains or the fabric behind it. And so when you open it, like you can move it like at your granny's house. And I mean, the fabric's beautiful. The smoked oak is beautiful.

Di [00:02:11]:

But I saw that and I was like, okay, we're going cottage. We're going traditional. Like, you saw a lot of that kind of traditional flair coming in. So that was the one piece that I was like, oh, we really pushed it because, like, you know, the skirted and the wing back and all of that. But I was like, okay, yeah.

katie [00:02:27]:

This is taking me back to like when I was a kid and I would remodel my bedroom with whatever I could Find on the Saturday morning garage sale run. And I'm just feeling like I've seen a lot of this in my prior garage sailing days as a child redecorating my spaces. Yeah, you called it a while back, which I thought was pretty cool. Petrified wood.

Di [00:02:50]:

Yeah. Last year, this time on our podcast, we talked about that petrified wood. It's here. So it used to be on the walls and kind of like in the lighting, and now it's in the coffee tables and accent tables. And so they figure it out, how to replicate it well. And so it's sustainable on a lot of those showrooms, but it's here, and I was so excited to see it because they've done such a beautiful job with the resins to get it to truly look like, oh, we just gotten this. But it's replicated, so it's way lighter in weight, so shipping is not an issue. You're not having to worry about price point because it's just a replica, so you're being thoughtful in that way.

Di [00:03:26]:

But the textures and the colors, they're so pretty. So you're seeing the coffee tables, accent tables, even tabletop and, like, big bowls. It's here. I'm so excited. I love it.

katie [00:03:37]:

I can tell you, I can take that a lot easier than fabric in a curio. I'm going to be back there for a while. Y' all come find me. Bring a glass of wine. That's going to take a minute, I'm just saying. And market as a whole. Interesting to see that. We felt like a lot of vendors are backing out of Vegas.

katie [00:03:57]:

We talked about it a year ago and said it's not looking good. Was this the final nail in the coffin?

Di [00:04:03]:

For me, it was one account that we work with who usually shows in a very big, significant way, basically cut their square footage in half. And even in the one showroom that they were showing in now was, like, maybe half the SKUs. I mean, I know it's Sutmar market, but I was like, what are we doing? What's happened? And, I mean, you know, I have a special spot in my heart for Vegas, and I think that was my last market for Vegas. Like, I'm gonna just have to do High Point and explore Atlanta and go that route, because it just wasn't worth the squeeze anymore. Especially if, you know, some of those really big players are cutting down their square footage that significantly. It's not worth it. Yeah. Unless something really, really major happens with rebranding.

katie [00:04:53]:

Well, and I think outdoor spaces, I mean, we've talked about it ever since COVID Outdoor spaces have just become such a huge thing. Residential, commercial, Pick your genre. People love outdoor space. This is why you can't get a camping spot, why you see kajillion people on every trail. People have not gone back inside. Which I honestly think is. It's also driving that Atlanta market in a really significant way in that that outdoor market I think is going to take up a huge amount of space in our heads and literally as far as square footage, because people want those outdoor environments. It's not just a afterthought to put a TV out there.

katie [00:05:31]:

It's the full shebang. In fact, it was interesting. I just saw a house, you know, they've got the green egg and everything in an indoor outdoor space with the accordion doors. And there's as much outdoor space almost as indoor space.

Di [00:05:44]:

Yeah, well. And the designs really support that too. As far as the furniture goes, like these sofas are not your, like mom and pops fold out chair with a dad or on deck. Like they're like full upholstered, curve on curve type of true furniture design. That. So you're getting a. An easy transition from indoor to outdoor. So it all looks like indoor.

katie [00:06:05]:

So everything going east coast, which is kind of a bummer for those of us on the west coast, but that's where it's at. And speaking to the other reps, do you get the feeling they're going to pull out of Vegas entirely or is it going to be something we'll hang out? Because it's been what's been done historically, but it's going to be a footprint or a postage stamp, I think.

Di [00:06:25]:

So I feel like you do have those vendors who have put money into their permanent showrooms that probably will continue to show and at least negotiate their terms for their showrooms because you don't get the foot traffic. I think January probably will fare better than this July market, but especially if all my clients are mainly east Coast.

katie [00:06:46]:

Yeah.

Di [00:06:47]:

It doesn't make financial sense to stay, unfortunately. So I said my farewell to, to Vegas when I got on the plane and I was like, well, that was. That was cute. Appreciate ya. Yeah, see ya.

katie [00:06:59]:

So I will tell you, Vegas is the mother reinvention though. Every time you think something can't be done, I expect them to come back. But it's going to be a clawback from where we're at now.

Di [00:07:09]:

Yeah. I think it'll take it a couple years for them to figure out how to draw that market back in and figure out where it Went sideways. But for the next year or so, I probably won't attend until they get their ducks in a room.

katie [00:07:21]:

Makes sense. And as our fabulous producer Leah reminded me, when we had Sue Waddell with Sherwin Williams on the podcast, we had talked about Americana coming back, and you're seeing some stuff out there that rings true of that. What did you see?

Di [00:07:36]:

A lot of military inspired with, like, the buckles and the canvas and the cording that's going on in a lot of the accent pieces are definitely military inspired and have more of a masculine feel to them that are also overlaid on a curved frame. So it's like this juxtaposition. Yeah, it's great. I really like it. And the trifecta of a metal, wood, and canvas all in one. And then the other texture that it's not necessarily military, but it's like a linen boucle. Ooh, it's boucle. But, like, subtle.

Di [00:08:09]:

So it's not as, like, aggressive as we were seeing in this last. What was that? A year, a year and a half ago, But a softer, more traditional take on it that's less aggressive. Yeah. Military. I'm here for it. I like the buckles. I like all that stuff.

katie [00:08:22]:

So, yeah, it adds a fun new layer, a fun new dimension to it. I'm here for all of those textures. And the conversation reminds me of the conversation we had a couple of years ago with Nella Morelli, who said, you're going to see boucle, it's going to go to a linen format. Those are his exact words, what you just said. And this is why Europe, and this is why we go to Nello, who's choosing fabrics for Versace and all of the guys over there. He totally called it. And now here we are, how many years later in the States, boucle, but toned way down, meets linen, but fascinating to be able to see that actually transpiring. What else are we seeing as far as color? What's the pigment going on out there?

Di [00:09:02]:

It still definitely is a muted, like, 70s vibe. I still am seeing a lot of those kind of olives, chocolates, the greens. Yeah, Chocolate merlot, burnt merlot, that kind of color pattern. Still very warm tones. We did see a little bit of a sprinkle of, like, a sky blue color. So something a little bit brighter that you definitely see in fashion in a very real way for, like, right now. But we saw a little bit of that in the accent pieces and pillows and textiles and rugs.

katie [00:09:32]:

Almost like a denim.

Di [00:09:33]:

A denim, but not as Grainy, like more of a pastel gotcha. And so that was in a lot of the rugs and textiles that we were seeing.

katie [00:09:41]:

I do like it, and I think it's a nice way to come out of the navies. As far as upholstery, we've done navy for so long. Greens. Do we see the greens? I know when we did High Point, it was a lot of greens and apricots.

Di [00:09:55]:

Yeah. The green is kind of cool that I didn't see a ton of, like, new green out there. I saw a little bit of jewel tone in it, but it wasn't as heavy as it had been. It's definitely transitioned into more of, like, the warm browns and more of the burnt yellow, burnt orange.

katie [00:10:11]:

I know. I'm loving that, like, mustard, the burn mustard. I don't know why, but I'm there for that. And the Merlot, the combination of those both being warm but complementary.

Di [00:10:20]:

I don't know.

katie [00:10:20]:

I really like it. Biggest surprise besides the fabric in the curio. Ah, yes, folks, Katie is still back at the fabric in the carryout. Okay, what else do we got besides that that made you stop and go, well, is this a blip or is this a trend?

Di [00:10:39]:

The piping. I saw a lot of piping on sofas, accent chairs, and I even saw it on some bed frames, which I adore. It's a contrast piping, so it's not just a different texture, but true contrast. All the way on the headboard, all the way on the footboard, on the rail. I saw on dining chairs, regular sofas, the high contrast, complementary color pattern were really prevalent. And I feel like I started to see that kind of in lighting about six months ago. And I'm happy to see it come into more upholstery, because I think it's just an ode to glam Hollywood almost. But it adds just, like, that small detail that I really think takes your design one level up.

katie [00:11:19]:

It's interesting. I was just thinking, as you were saying that I'm like, it's amazing where our piping has popped up. Look at all the baseball caps. All the baseball caps have the piping, but it's just, like, interesting. It's, like, across the board. Everyone's loving the accent for it. Any vendors that you're like, wow, like, didn't expect to see you here. And I realized that's kind of a loaded question because Vegas is dying.

katie [00:11:42]:

So you, like, a lot of them were probably not there. It was probably your bread and butter. But was there anybody who took your.

Di [00:11:47]:

Breath away Honestly, not really, because everyone just looked so like, we're here because we have to be, and, you know, like, this is fine. But the effort that went to visuals, I mean, four hands, I think still did it. While their permanent showroom, I feel like in both High Point and Vegas, it's done exceptionally well. Their showroom was beautiful, and that's where we saw a lot of those traditional accents come back in. And a lot of the post play on more of, like, the 80s type of color palette. Traditional. Their showroom was beautiful, but I think they were really the only ones that I was like, that's what I'm looking for. And everyone else was just kind of like, hey, this is the same stuff.

Di [00:12:24]:

We had wine vest. And I don't blame them. You know, as far as, like, an.

katie [00:12:27]:

Investment goes, I want to talk decor and lighting. So we've talked side tables, we've talked accents, we've talked upholstery colors, decor. Like, when I was at High Point, it was horses last year, all the horses. What are we seeing?

Di [00:12:43]:

Sheep. We've moved on to sheep.

katie [00:12:45]:

Sheep. We've moved on to sheep. You heard it here first, folks.

Di [00:12:49]:

That was mainly in the artwork. I felt like I saw so many sheep and so many, like, different kinds of fluffy rams and that kind of thing. I'm like, I don't know what's happening, but I like it. They were, like, in really contemporary black and whites and really large scale. So I took a bunch of pictures. It was black and white contemporary sheep in multiple showrooms. And it was great farm animal, but contemporary. Yes.

Di [00:13:13]:

Yeah.

katie [00:13:13]:

Yes. Okay, so we're talking, like, horn sheep or just bass soft. You need to be shorn sheep. Okay, Both. So we've got a masculine, feminine juxtaposition going on. Nice. I did not expect to see that.

Di [00:13:26]:

I know every time I saw one.

katie [00:13:27]:

I was like, okay, so right now I have, like, buckles on things, Fabric behind curios and sheep. It feels like it was really different. There's markets that you're like, okay, I see a Scotian, A squish of this, and, like, that feels like a little take on that from last time. But this sounds like a deviation.

Di [00:13:44]:

Yes, it was definitely a market that felt weird as far as. Yeah, everyone kind of was doing their own kind of internal thing with those, like, sprinkles of, like, all of those trends. But it was hard to, like, pick out what was real. Yeah, exactly. Like, is this going to stick, or did you just put this out here because you needed something to show? Like, I think the piping will stick. The traditional homages, I think those truly will stick. The sheep thing was kind of weird, but I kind of liked it at the same time. And like the petrified wood, I don't think is going the way.

Di [00:14:17]:

I think that is truly a trend that will catch on with other vendors. So when you go to High Point.

katie [00:14:22]:

Yeah, two months. Yeah, it's coming up.

Di [00:14:23]:

Yeah. So when you go. I'm interested to see if that carries over into the High Point market.

katie [00:14:29]:

Let's talk lighting. Because you called petrified wood in lighting last year, what did you see in lighting this year that you're like, I can see that becoming a thing.

Di [00:14:39]:

Oh, gosh. Honestly, the lighting game out there, I didn't see a lot of things that were like a thread, except for the traditional frames. Like a lot of that, like kind of curved look. Very traditional, almost chandeliers, but then with a hint of glam. Like, there was one showroom where it had. It was almost like a mirror ball, but not a mirror ball. Does that make sense?

katie [00:15:00]:

Oh, gosh. Like a disco ball.

Di [00:15:02]:

I mean, kind of hints to it. And it was just really loud and more of a glamorous statement that was paired with more of a traditional vignette or interesting, like a contemporary one. So it was like their pop of a feminine.

katie [00:15:15]:

Yeah, their glitter told the masculine.

Di [00:15:17]:

Exactly. That was like a literal glitter. Literally a little bit of sparkle, a little bit of Hollywood glam with the piping and all of that. I was seeing how that tied into the lighting, even with that contrast in lighting, how it was just like, okay, well, this is an opal shade, but they did a black iron piping that kind of framed out each individual panel.

katie [00:15:37]:

Pretty.

Di [00:15:37]:

Yeah, it was gorgeous. It was really pretty.

katie [00:15:39]:

We'll put that in the collage at the end in the show notes so everyone can see it. Okay, one thing leaving as we wrap up that you're like, I'm so glad that that is not a thing this market.

Di [00:15:52]:

Do you remember last year we talked about like the channeled or like the more the corduroy looking giant sofas and everything?

katie [00:15:59]:

Yep.

Di [00:16:00]:

Done. Yep. Oh, bye.

katie [00:16:01]:

Great.

Di [00:16:02]:

And I'm like, thank you. I didn't really understand that one in the beginning. I definitely didn't understand it when it hit mass market. And so I'm glad that we have moved on to more of a velvet channel rather than a corduroy channel because I think it's a definitely a better feel better look. Visually, it's less aggressive and just functionally, I think a better Choice corduroy is.

katie [00:16:24]:

Hard for me because I feel like it's a very heavy winter fabric.

Di [00:16:28]:

Yes.

katie [00:16:29]:

And how do we carry that through. Through summer and then back to our conversation about outdoor spaces, you know, like, because we want that lighter, brighter. And the boucle linen. Yeah, I'm glad that one's going as well.

Di [00:16:41]:

And. And anyone still trying to do some of that green stuff is, like, they've transitioned more to an olive rather than, like, an emerald. So it's definitely more of a 70s palette rather than bright, like, fun green. It's more of a subdued 70s palette.

katie [00:16:57]:

And prints, let's talk patterns. How are we doing differentiation in upholstery and fabrics?

Di [00:17:03]:

So I didn't see a lot of it at this market, so keep your eyes filled when you're in High Point, But I did see a couple of Alex pattes and, like, benches that had full on, loud, bright print on, like, the whole frame of the sofa. So. And that wasn't in the custom world. This was in, like, ready to ship. This is the print you're getting. So whether that's, like a large floral, a medium floral, think 80s.

katie [00:17:28]:

These are florals. We're discussing florals.

Di [00:17:30]:

And then even plaids.

katie [00:17:31]:

Oh, my gosh. Plaids are back. Are we doing the sofas with the skirts and the plaid? Are those. Oh, what is old is new again?

Di [00:17:39]:

Yeah, Like, I started to see that. So I'm like, I like that loud. Like, if you're gonna do it, let's double down on it.

katie [00:17:45]:

Let's.

Di [00:17:45]:

Let's just do it. So it's like the skirt with a large print with the piping, and I'm like, if you're gonna do art in a sofa, I mean, that's it. Like, if you have no walls and you just have windows, like, let's just put a printed sofa in there. It was great. I loved it. It was so loud and obnoxious. That's love it or hate it, you're going to remember it.

katie [00:18:03]:

That's true. It's a statement piece for sure, 150%. And then as far as textures, velvet going, going, gone, or we're just beginning to have it stay in the sun.

Di [00:18:13]:

It's coming back. It's in large scale, it's channeled, it's in sofas, it's in headboard. So I feel like I saw more of it than we normally do in those bigger pieces again. And I really liked the texture that it brought. That's kind of replaced that weird corduroy channeled look that we Flee. See, we used to have. So, yeah, the velvet is back in rattan fibers.

katie [00:18:35]:

Are we doing more rattan? Are we doing more? I'll never forget when that came back.

Di [00:18:38]:

Like, right.

katie [00:18:39]:

I'm like, is that on its way? Was that a blip I did?

Di [00:18:42]:

Yeah, that was a blip. I didn't really see a lot of that, like, in a trendy way. That was more of a, like, oh, there's like one or two in here, but not that I saw.

katie [00:18:52]:

And leathers, we always talk about the cognac. We love cognac leather. But are we still seeing a lot of leather? Like, you just did a design that I loved that had the juxtaposition of the leather with the velvet. And I think that, like, masculine, feminine energy combination is great. Leather still hanging out.

Di [00:19:11]:

Yep. Leather still hanging out. A lot of vintage leathers, too. I feel like they're introducing to kind of give again that like, kind of masculine, Masculine military vibe. Like, it just reminds me of, like, boots, type of.

katie [00:19:21]:

Yes.

Di [00:19:22]:

Kind of country, like, worn in leather, not like a high polished contemporary leather. So.

katie [00:19:28]:

Yeah. No gloss.

Di [00:19:29]:

Yeah, no gloss. Oh, I'm glad you brought that up. This, I feel like, is a blip. I hope it's a blip. It's not my favorite thing I've ever seen. They were doing some really high gloss accent pieces, like shiny, shiny high gloss matte colors, like end table. And you're just like, this is the glossiest thing I've ever seen. And you can see all the little fingerprints and the small, little scratches.

Di [00:19:48]:

Right. Because they're so sensitive.

katie [00:19:49]:

Not for people with children.

Di [00:19:51]:

No, they were sprinkled in there and I was like, ooh. I really hope we're not moving into something that's like that aggressively glossy because, I mean, I feel like can get on board with a lot, but I couldn't see the vision on that one.

katie [00:20:02]:

Yeah. And. Well, and to your point, maybe it's like the plaid couches. Maybe it's the piece. Right. Like, you're not going to forget that high gloss side table. Rest assured. As it did with you sear itself into your memory.

katie [00:20:15]:

Good, bad or indifferent. Yeah, but it's there. I mean, yeah, it sounds like we're dropping pieces that are bright, bold and memory making, but in a very strategic way.

Di [00:20:26]:

Yeah. Be cautious on how much of it you use, because I feel like that could go sideways really quickly if you combine all of these trends in one. In the past, I feel like you could get away with some of that because of the trend. But this time I'm like, that would be.

katie [00:20:39]:

They're so bold.

Di [00:20:40]:

Exactly. They're really loud.

katie [00:20:42]:

It's interesting. We talk about how design is always a reflection of society, and you look at how loud everybody is and their opinions and their feelings, whether it's about politics or whatever it is. It's just fascinating to see the design world following and just the louder, bolder, bigger statements as well. You know, it's such a good reminder that we design spaces. They design us back. And there's an ebb and flow there. Okay, rounding it out. Teachers in a lie.

katie [00:21:06]:

You call them out. Velvet is on its way out.

Di [00:21:07]:

Bye.

katie [00:21:08]:

That's your lie right there, folks. It's staying. Vegas market is dying.

Di [00:21:12]:

It's dying, and it's so sad.

katie [00:21:15]:

I know it's true. Turn it around. We're begging you to turn it around. All us West Coasters.

Di [00:21:20]:

Yes, please.

katie [00:21:21]:

And petrified wood is amazing and not going anywhere.

Di [00:21:24]:

True, true.

katie [00:21:26]:

There you go. Okay. You heard it straight from Market. From our dearly beloved Dye. Giving you all the trends, everything from colors to textures to shapes to you name it. So thank you, Dye. It means the world. I can't wait to see the images of these come to life.

katie [00:21:42]:

And I think I'll forever have this market seared in my head is the Market with the fabric Curio. That's all I've got. I'm still back over there.

Di [00:21:52]:

From Market.

katie [00:21:53]:

Just saying. All right, thanks so much, Die.