Finding Tomorrow's Next Big Antique & Vintage Trends...

Where Will 'Tomorrow's" Styles Come From?

Florida - One of the most satisfying feelings for writers of any genre is to see the continued build-up of organic interest in a story that was published some time ago.

Last year, staff writer's here at the Institute showcased an article that dealt with the lack of new decorative arts motifs being developed and created by today's generation of designers. It focused on the noticeably absent themes of original design concepts within the current decorative arts landscape, and tasked a number of experts from this field with explaining the 'how's' and 'whys' of this apparent diminution of fresh new styles and trends.

Since the original publication date of this article last February, the school has received an enormous and overwhelming response rate of replies and interest from not only students and graduates, but from those working in the decorative arts community as well. To that end, and as a result of the continued interest being generated by this subject matter, we've decided to repost an "extended" version of this article for not only our current subscribers, but also for our newest readers who may have missed it's original debut last winter. For those who wish to add their voice to this discussion, you can do so on the school's Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/ashefordinstitute

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"New" Mid-Century Modern Chaise Being Offered On Wayfair and Amazon

Current Decorative Arts
Trends Lacking
Originality...
​*This is an "extended" article repost from February 2019
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Florida - For many years now, antique dealers and vintage sellers have watched in amazement (and to a certain degree, dismay), as the styles and tastes of the buying public have seemingly turned on a dime.

What were once stalwarts of the antique industry; Victorian, rustic, early American, and silver, have all given way to more futuristic constructs, from mid-century modern to the more recent vintage and retro infused themes of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

And yet, while many of these recent trends have sailed past the popularity barriers of niche collectors, and into the mainstream markets of such giants as Wayfair and Amazon, it is these old flavors from yesteryear that are now raising an eyebrow amongst some of the country's top decorative arts specialists - many who worry about the lack of new and original styles being created today, for the potential collectors of tomorrow. Or, as Terrence Henessy, a young furniture designer from Los Angeles put it, "Are we creating any new trends for our own generation, or are we simply rehashing familiar designs from the past?"

For many, cultural motifs of the time such as post-war modernism and space-age futurism were once the impetus for change within popular styles of the decorative arts, but today there's a feeling we're simply recycling old ideas - while adding only marginally new twists onto variations of a theme, says Rocko Jacques, an interior designer from London who works both sides of the pond. "We copy the mid-century motif instead of creating a new one." Retailers such as Wayfair are not mirroring fresh new ideas and designs reflected in the social and technological advancements of the day, but instead are simply copying and producing what's popular with those in the vintage and retro marketplace.

According to Jacques, websites such as Etsy, along with millions of other entrepreneurs selling their vintage wares online, have become the barometer for what's trending, "They're not just reflecting popular tastes and style, in so much as they're creating them," said Jacques. "This is where the new design trends are coming from - they're not really original - but rather just recast from years gone by."

Henessy, who echo's many of Jacques thoughts, also noted that while some of the pieces in his LA design shop utilized the curvy plastic look from the seventies, he tries to keep the "borrowing" to a minimum. "The decorative arts style of the early 70s with it's modular design, egg-shaped chairs, and heavy use of wrap-around white plastic was completely new and based on the futuristic themes inspired by the space race," says Henessy, "To copy it too completely is not paying homage to those great original designers, but instead is really just ripping them off."

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Handcrafted Mid-Century Modern "Inspired" Credenza

Patrick Davis, another west coast designer and furniture craftsman thinks that it's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy when it comes to older styles repeating themselves. "Once the ball started rolling on Mid-century, it was hard to stop - I went from restoring 50's pieces to creating them because the demand was so high." Davis acknowledges that his real goal was always to develop new styles and types of furniture, but when MCM came along, he says it just kind of sucked out the creative juices because he couldn't justify original experimentation over the profitability of making "new" mid-century pieces.

For some, the trend-setting variance is simply a matter of degree. Where designers once took their cues from large changes in the social and political movements of a time, such as the space race, it seems that today we're left with a far different landscape. iPhones and the like can have an effect, but it's not as transformative in the way it once was. IBM gave way to the notion of real computers in the 1960's, and the public's imagination soon followed - all the way to the silver screen - with films like Space Odyssey 2001 and the nefarious HAL computer, which not only inspired a generation of tech geeks (think Bill Gates), but trickled down to fashion and décor with uniform style pant-suits, and modular spaceship furniture. The seventies became a generation inspired by its own time - not the other way round.

For many in the decorative arts field, there's a strong sense of optimism that something fresh and new might be looming just over the horizon - a renaissance of spirit and original design. Whether this generation can salvage its own unique and iconic trend-setting style remains to be seen. "I wouldn't necessarily bet against it," said Jacques. However, when presented with a recent article from a top design school that showed seven out of ten students chose mid-century modern as the most influential trend of the time, Jacques responded, "Well, I guess we've got a way to go then..."

​- AIA Staff Writers

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NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. 

Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: [email protected] or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508.

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