The new casual elements collection from Gibson utilizes a time-honored color scheme of navy and white.

The three most influential trends in tabletop — updated neutrals, bright shots of color, and layered looks — promise to ease the worries of cautious retailers heading to the tabletop shows this fall while providing enough newness to excite consumers.

New and interesting color combinations, used on individual pieces or in the combination of pieces, will catch the consumer’s eye next spring, industry experts say. The most compelling assortments will show consumers how the purchase of one or two key items can freshen what they already have at home.

“It pays attention to the economy and the way people are spending their money,” says Leatrice Eisemann, director of the Pantone Color Institute.

“People are going to be more conservative in what they buy, more selective,” agrees Pam Massenburg, vice president at Dansk. “That’s something we’re very mindful of.”

When you are playing it safe, it is best to offer the sophisticated consumer good design, but in products that are easy to live with for a longer period of time, says Michael Kinsler, creative director for Gibson.


Orange Sunflower, a new Vera pattern from the Zrike Company under a new licensing agreement, exemplifies a move toward bold and bright patterns.

Tom Mirabile, senior vice president of global trend and design for Lifetime Brands, agrees. “Color, in and of itself, is about longevity right now,” he says. “The first question consumers will ask themselves is: A. Do I like it? And B. Will I like it five years from now? There is a strong demand for mid-tone palettes because they have a longer life.”

This is where neutrals play a valuable role. The newest slate of neutrals take their cues from nature — sand, sea and sky — and are being paired with a brand-new palette of either equally muted shades, or, in some instances, bold, bright color.

According to Mirabile, neutrals have been redefined over the past few years. No longer simply beige or black, neutrals are colors that serve as a base from which you can build other color stories. “They add tone without personality,” Mirabile says. “They give presence and dimension.” By this definition, the newest neutrals can have tinges of color — any color — in them, ranging from green to brown to even purple (but a more washed-out purple that has less visual vibrancy and not a lot of impact).

“In general, the palettes important for 2010 have strong natural overtones,” notes Mirabile. “It’s a strong departure from fashion,” which is leaning toward what Mirabile calls “synthetic-looking colors.”

Gibson interprets neutrals as earth-based tones, such as a sandy khaki. “We’re firm believers in neutrals for 2010 and beyond,” affirms Kinsler. “We see the evolution in the pairing of warm colors [such as those in the red and yellow families] with neutrals.”


Arthur Court adapted the trend for mixed materials and visual texture in its new collection of aluminum and glass serveware with a grape motif.

Pantone offers several color stories for 2010 that incorporate various earth tones. But the perception of earth tones has been reinvented, according to Eisemann. For example, the sustainability movement led to the creation of Pantone’s Resourceful palette. This color scheme, which includes colors such as Sequoia, Golden Ochre and Aqua Sky, reflects consumers’ desire to reuse and recycle. It is also an updated version of earth tones.

“This palette is a good indication of what you mean when you talk about earth tones,” says Eisemann. “It’s not the same-old, same-old browns and oranges. There is Aqua Sky, Mauve Orchid. You’re taking earth tones and throwing these surprises in ... that’s the big story as we go forward.”

A similar Pantone palette called Gatherings also incorporates various earth tones and a new take on yellow-green. It is inspired by the continent of Africa and its heritage of handwork and beading created by village women. Its colors include cypress green, smoke blue and sand, played up with lemon and copper.

Gibson’s Kinsler uses sandy khaki as a springboard for a more eclectic, Bohemian design direction that takes some of its inspiration from Africa but also serves as a foil for more interesting, textile-inspired patterns, such as batik, paisley and ikat.

Lisa Carroll-Archambault, vice president of design and development for Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton, also notes the influence of ikat, a complex technique of weaving individually dyed yarns together, a trend also currently seen in home textiles. “Ikat prints have been reinvented by the fashion world,” she says.

Paisleys have become part of the batik design point of view and have been paired with ikat, notes Kinsler.

Neutrals account for one significant design direction; on the other end of the spectrum are brights. Bright colors began appearing at previous markets and are still a strong design element. They are used to highlight retro prints or the manipulation of scale, and are sometimes paired with a muted jewel tone or a brighter accent.

“We’re seeing brights coming on stronger in international markets,” says Massenburg.

The brighter palette, like today’s neutrals, will be inspired by nature, says Lifetime’s Mirabile. So, you will see orchids, vibrant greens and buttercup yellows, “flower colors.”

Putting unexpected colors together, or mixing shades of the same color, appeals to a more sophisticated consumer as well as younger consumers (many of whom are increasingly sophisticated). It calls attention to product but also offers a brief design lesson. A new color paired with one you have at home can create a whole new look at low cost.

“A lot of the old rules have relaxed,” says Eisemann. “If you’re trying to sell to a younger audience ... you can be a little more experimental with color. They don’t have those rigid old rules of how to put color together.” For example, various shades of green can look fantastic together. “I don’t see green going away. Green, particularly yellow-green, is not only an earth tone but a neutral as well,” Eisemann continues. “I think consumers recognize that. What food doesn’t look good on green?”

Greens, says Mirabile, “are an important palette for the foreseeable future.” Like Eisemann, he feels that green will be most strongly influenced by yellow, and agrees that various shades of green mix comfortably together. “In tabletop, you see people mixing three or four greens in a pattern.”

The concept of layering different looks together also works with shape and proportion. Kinsler is experimenting with mixing shapes: squares with rounds, squares with round feet, different proportions thrown in together.

Shape remains important in the marketplace. “Shape is key. We function on shape,” says Ian Zucker, president of Ten Strawberry Street. “When you talk about squares, there are hard squares and soft squares. We see the softness coming back.”

Mirabile agrees: “Nothing hard.” There was a move toward strong geometrics, but the recession put an end to that, he says. Everything now is more rounded and organic.

Many of the current popular shapes are the result of international cooking influences, according to Massenburg, who sees increased demand for bowls of all sizes and shapes. The shapes are fluid and organic, with gentle curves, she says.

Several design trends from past seasons remain popular. Botanicals, in particular, remain on the radar, though according to Kinsler, they are more inventive — they’re striped, polka-dotted or melded with animal prints. Expect butterflies to hang around for a bit longer as well.

Many tabletop vendors, particularly those with long histories and deep archives, continue to play with scale, taking a portion of a design element and blowing it up or otherwise altering its original size. Larger scale decreases formality, notes Mirabile, and “makes classic patterns look really fresh yet innately comfortable to the consumer.”

Any shift in design in the coming year will underscore consumers’ need for comfort and stability. This includes the aforementioned nature themes as well as touches of Americana, such as green markets, farmland, even quilting. These elements will be represented in an interpretive, not literal, way.

Perhaps the most long-lasting trend, if you can even call it that, is whiteware. Despite all the industry interest in neutrals and brights and exotic prints, the consumer is wedded to white. It’s safe, practical and shows food well. Vendors are using white to highlight shape and texture, and as a base for layering in more visually stimulating colors and patterns.