Juvenile trends for 2009 are eye-popping
Vibrant blues, circles emerge in several categories
Gerri Hunt -- Kids Today, 1/27/2009 9:13:00 AM
There was a lot of talk last year about yellow being the big color for 2009. It was emerging in an array of juvenile products, especially with shades of grey. There was anticipation that it would be “the” color for the new year, as it represented freshness and optimism—much needed in this economic climate.
However, as new products hit the recent trade show circuit, yellow has taken a back seat.
Obviously in the world of children, pink means girl and blue means boy. And taking a neutral stance has traditionally meant yellow or green.
But another color is emerging in the infant/juvenile category, and was fairly prominent at the recent Atlanta Gift
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| Pantone's Palace Blue |
Show. A vibrant cornflower blue—or what the Pantone Color Institute calls Palace Blue—has popped up all over the place. It’s also one of Pantone’s top 10 fashion colors for Spring 2009.
Just as lighter shades of blue have been paired with a deep brown over the last few years, so has Palace Blue. It’s a nice way to keep balance the bright color.
Beeby’s fold-up change mat is hard to miss, with its large blue Swarosvki crystal fleur de lis on a brown background. Hand Picked Pumpkin’s Grady patterned onesie is blue with brown sleeves and multi-colored stripes across the chest.
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Beeby |
Hand Picked Pumpkin |
And pairing it with white makes a crisp look.
Love in Every Stitch has burp cloths with incredible embroidery, including blue threads and blue ribbon border with white polka dots. Belly Laf’s cotton/bamboo blend Mini Mitts for bath time come in white with a blue and green fish.
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Love in Every Stitch |
Belly Laf |
The great thing about this shade of blue is that not only does it span the genders, it also looks incredible as bedding, like Whisper Soft Mills’ Skyway, whether it’s on a white, black or stained wood bed. Even Foreign Accents has picked up on this blue, putting it against a charcoal brown background.
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Whisper Soft Mills |
Foreign Accents |
The brightness of the Palace Blue is rivaled by hot pink, which is taking center stage with the still-popular trend of circles.
Clairebella’s Groovy Dot blanket bears an incredible likeness to Mudpie’s Initial Baby wall art collection, both in white, green and shades of pink. Even Rashti+Rashti’s Taggie’s Take-Me-Home Set fits in with them, making a statement with the addition of stripes.
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Clairebella |
Mudpie |
Rashti+Rashti |
Yet in total contrast, the sophisticated vintage look still stands the test of time, with its elegant look and subtle shades.
Maison Chic’s Luxe Fur Elephant is super-soft, with neutral striped details, and Green Frog Art is revitalizing its line with new cradle sets in colors like sage and butter.
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Maison Chic |
Green Frog Art |
In the world of furniture, natural-looking stains are leading the pack in finishes, like Emerald’s Meridian Collection, in its dark brown distressed finish, and Bedroom Distributors’ Stairway Collection, in a honey finish. The latter features storage, an option that is here to stay.
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Emerald |
Bedroom Distributors |
However, white collections continue to be introduced, like Powell’s White Bunk Bed and South Shore’s Heavenly, an RTA collection.
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South Shore |
Powell |
Hi Julie, we do have a baby furniture buyer's guide slated for our March/April issue. It will include an in-depth story and images in our print issue. When we get it online, it will also include a registry of sources in the baby furniture industry, plus more images that we may not have been able to fit in our print issue.
Gerri Hunt - 2009-02-09 12:30:00 EST
how bout trends for 2010...infant furniture styles?
julie knisley - 2009-02-07 23:01:00 EST
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