Market is always one of my favorite weeks of the year. There is something about walking through room after room of thoughtfully designed spaces that sharpens your instincts and reminds you why you fell in love with this work in the first place. This year felt especially energized. The showrooms had a point of view, and it was one I genuinely loved. Here are eight things I kept coming back to.
1. Romantic, muted color palettes
The cool grays are gone. What replaced them is so much more interesting: dusty mauves, warm burgundy, aged blue, faded clay. These are colors that look like they have a history. They layer beautifully with antiques and vintage textiles, and they make a room feel genuinely lived in rather than staged.
2. Organic, vintage-inspired decor
Organic, vintage-inspired pieces show off surface details that naturally would take years to develop. Pieces like this are the opposite of fast furniture. They bring weight and soul into a space, and they will look better in 20 years than they do today.
3. Nostalgic Details & Maximalist
The maximalism showing up right now is not the chaotic, everything-at-once version. It is more deliberate than that. Nostalgic details and maximalist patterns can be layered and visually rich without feeling cluttered, if done well. This is the direction I have been excited about for a while now, and seeing it so strongly represented at market confirmed it.
4. Statement Millwork
Architectural detail is having a real moment. Fluted columns, paneled walls, decorative molding used with intention. It elevates a room in a way that paint and fabric simply cannot, and it photographs beautifully, which matters.
5. Texture on every surface
Woven pendants, rattan mirrors, nubby upholstery, wallpaper with actual dimension. There is a warmth that comes from layering natural textures that you simply cannot achieve with smooth, flat finishes. It signals care. It signals craftsmanship.
6. Traditional furniture silhouettes
Sofas with proper arms. Chairs with turned legs. Wingbacks. The classic furniture silhouettes are back, and they are working beautifully alongside more contemporary pieces. This is exactly what I love about transitional design: you are not locked into a decade. You are curating across time, which is how the most interesting rooms have always been made.
7. Unexpected color combinations and character
This picture is what I mean when I talk about designing with personality. Marigold leather dining chairs with a pale stone table and a coral chandelier. On paper it should not work. Safe combinations are forgettable. The rooms people remember are the ones where someone made a confident, unexpected choice and committed to it. While this combination may not be for you, we design with your personality in mind.
8. Specific, but this grasscloth end table
I know this is specific, but this is a perfect example of what I love to see. This combination of organic texture, strong color, and refined hardware is exactly the kind of thing I want to bring into projects right now.
Market always sends me home with a longer to-do list and a sharper sense of what I want for my clients. This year was no exception. If any of these directions are resonating with you, reach out. I would love to talk through what they might look like in your home.
Tara, a Bowling Green, Kentucky native, earned her degree in Interior Design from WKU. She loves spending time with her husband and children and can often be found cheering them on as they move from one activity to the next. She finds constant inspiration in travel, art, architecture, antiques, and a great cup of coffee. Above all, Tara is passionate about creating homes that are true reflections of the families who live there — spaces where life unfolds, time is shared, and meaningful memories are made.