the cityhammer blog

One of our big predictions for interior design and interior decoration trends for 2009 is called Homemade, and one of the key components to the look is having the right art and objects that call out "authentic" and "handcrafted". New York interior decorators are no strangers to using architectural salvage, with many stores selling columns, stained glass windows, and objects that were once a part of a grander building or home. Even factory fixtures have found new lives in private homes once they've been restored and polished.

Now from the coast of South Carolina comes an artist producing sculptures from salvaged shrimp boats and the Beaufort Gazzette has published the whole story. The artist's name is Ray Lynwood Polin and he has used the wood and materials from several famous shrimp trawlers, including boats from the films Forrest Gump and The Prince of Tides, to create nautical sculpture that would fit right in to the Homemade design style we've been discussing.

All of his projects are made of recycled materials -- from driftwood to cypress, cedar and juniper pieces of old shrimp boats, from tomato stakes from Dempsey Farms and string used to tie shrimp nets to tin from old Sea Island structures.

Polin is getting the authentic feel by making use of his knowledge of shrimp boats from his childhood and is inspired by the trawlers themselves and the nautical way of life he grew up with.

To read the rest of the story, click here: SC Artist Recycled Art

Labels: Homemade Interior Design Trend, Interior Design Trend 2009, New York Interior Decorators

Etsy Can Help You Decorate "Homemade" for 2009

We'll see if this one makes it to the luxury buildings of Manhattan, but one of our big predictions for interior design in 2009 is the emergence of the "Homemade" look.

Achieving the Homemade look will hinge on your color choices (think natural, earthy colors without any bright shades) and your texture proclivities; homemade items are neither minimalist nor are they slick, they are cluttered and mottled and shopworn and are thus all the better for these very flaws and imperfections. One great place where anyone can go to find a vast selection of homemade decor stuff would be Etsy.com, a site you can get lost for hours on.

We think the homemade trend may stem from the need for comfort in times of duress and hardship like these, which we can collectively thank California and Florida real estate speculators and reckless mortgage underwriting for. The layoff totals are piling up to astounding numbers, the high energy prices made our utility bills come in extra-thick envelopes all summer, and the tone on the evening news or the cover of our local newspapers is getting more election-ugly and recession-despairing each day.

After the 9/11 attacks, we saw a similar trend in this country, called nesting, which led to booming sales for home decor stores even as consumers pulled back from other spending. The explanation was that if people are going to travel, or even venture outside less, then they would at least "feather their nests" for the time being.

The same way a knitted sweater or a home-cooked meal can comfort you when you come in from the storm, so too can the homemade decor trend when you get back from a day of work in an economy like this one. Tune in next week to the cityhammer blog for more details on this design trend as well as others we expect to see in 2009.

For a New York interior decorator who can help you get this look for your house or apartment, click here: New York Interior Designers

Visit Etsy.com

Labels: Homemade Interior Design Trend, Hot Trends for 2009, New York Interior Designers