The very mention of fabric and color and texture trends has made many a patio retailer (primarily men) leave the room, and the discussion to those in the know.

But the importance of correct fabric decisions to a successful selling season at retail is unquestionable. Fabric sells furniture, and not the other way around.

Color, and its constant evolution, keeps our world not only beautiful, but interesting, as it acts and reacts to events, seasons and attitudes. Imagine for a minute, a world without color – that’s a frightening prospect, isn’t it?

So all you reluctant men out there, don’t be afraid of color. Embrace it, enjoy it, wrap yourself in it, and show that enthusiasm to your customers.

To help you in that endeavor, Hearth & Home asked the following five experts to provide you with their opinions on what’s hot in the world of fabric.

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As seen at the international and domestic markets, there are multiple color stories this year, each very different from the others. Everything from pastel palettes to bold and bright, muted and softened, almost greyed primary colors, to neutral layers of grey. White or black is always popular.

“We’re also seeing a mash-up of matte colors combined with stronger and brighter colors all in the same hue. For instance, you will see various shades of blues and greens together in soft to bright hues, reds to rose and corals, and so on. For me, the idea is to be different; once something is seen as trending it is already out of trend.”

Neutral Colors

“The neutral colors that most commonly appear in natural linens will continue to be an influence in fabrics, including white, off-white, beige, taupe, and warm and cool greys. These are consistent classics that will always remain ‘the basics.’

“Grey is an easy neutral. Its ability to be warm or cool allows a rather broad appeal and application. Moving forward, greys will evolve to include flecks of color that will create a soft sense of light and energy pulsing throughout the neutral background.”

“For bright colors, blues and coral pink have been trending at both ends of the market. Turquoise, orange, yellows and ocean/island/beach colors have been strong. You sometimes will see this expressed in sun-washed or pastel versions of these colors at the high end.

“For frame colors, we have white, greys and taupe – also strong color when thoughtfully developed and applied. Popular finishes include those that exhibit matte or low sheen, oxidized, and new takes on vintage metals. Also chalky white and grey finishes, wood and faux wood in interesting colors employing unique finishing techniques – all great for mixing and matching for a curated look.”

Major Influencers

“Texture and colors that calm the eye and soothe the spirit. Agave blue/greens, colors seen in water, natural stones and gravels, earthen colors of sand and decomposed granite, some warmth expressed in soft peach and rose, and accents in a broad range of blues and oranges.

“A constant influencer continues to be anything that makes us feel we are creating more balance in our lives. I have been known to say, ‘unplug, unwind, undo . . . relax, refresh, renew.’ This is why we see the popularity of ocean, island and beach themes consistently recurring in the marketplace.

“I have been designing and developing fabrics for about 30 years now and I don’t think there has ever been a time when texture has been more important than it is now; it’s equal to the importance of color and pattern.

“New yarns continue in development, and new constructions offered today combine thick and thin, matte and shiny, coarse and smooth yarns in very unique and complex weaving constructions. This year’s fabric offerings do not disappoint!”

Caravan by Richard Frinier.

Santa Barbara by Richard Frinier.

Sling Fabrics

“Always an alternative to cushions, performance sling fabrics have evolved to become single-layer seat upholstery. What’s trending is textured sling and the application of sling fabrics creating durable, interchangeable and replaceable frame panel upholstery.

“Where there are furnishings that have been designed with sling panel construction, such as my Connexion collection for Brown Jordan, it’s a great way to have creative license in specifying similar or completely different sling panels for the inside and outside of upholstered surfaces.”

Major Offerings

“Two of my newest textile collections with Sunbrella are doing well in the marketplace: Caravan Collection and the Santa Barbara Collection.”

L: Brenda Sewell-Bost. R: Karen Williams.

“We see the hottest colors stories coming from both warm and cool palettes. From the warm family, yellow- to red-casted tones will continue to grow in strength as the trend for bold, livable colors grow. Falling somewhere in the middle, Flamingo, Outdura’s 2017 Color of the Year, is the perfect coral. This newcomer plays well with all the color families and the response to this color has been tremendous.

“On the cool front, the blue family has truly taken center stage. From the palest pastel to the deepest hues, we can’t seem to get enough of America’s favorite color. We have blended various blues to create the calm yet impactful color story – Crystal Blue.

“Other standouts for 2017 are the colors from the sea. These watercolor hues bridge the gap between the blue and green family and will be a mainstay as we see the returned interest in the green family.”

Neutral Colors

“The grey family will remain strong and continue to gain momentum. We also see the earth-tone neutrals still as a mainstay. Both of these neutral families are great base colors for every color story.

“For bright colors, we see the need for them to be what we call ‘livable.’ When you invest in performance fabrics you not only want fashionable colors but also colors that have longevity. Outdura’s bright, new Flamingo is truly the perfect coral and one that will continue to be on trend for years to come.

“For frame colors, in the past several years we have seen the grey-tones make a big impact. We really look to our customers to be the leaders in frame colors and finishes, and work closely with them to create beautiful color stories in our fabrics that complement their furniture.”

Major Influencers

“We see the opening of Cuba and the focus on the World Cup and Olympics in South America influencing the color palette. There is a direct correlation between the need for brighter but livable colors.

“Just like residential, outdoor fabrics have become decorative and texture plays a major role. Over 10 years ago, Outdura introduced the first boucle yarn into the product line and the fabrics quickly became best sellers. Since then, texture has become as important as the color to the look of the fabric.

“We achieve texture in our product several different ways. One of the ways is through the use of novelty yarns. For 2017, we have introduced a beautiful, two-tone boucle yarn that we have used to create three stunning new fabrics.

“The second way to create texture is by the use of novelty weaves, which has been a focus for Outdura for the past several years. Both ways create the visual and tactile interest that consumers are looking for today.”

Reflections collection from Outdura.

Tropical Punch from Outdura.

Deep-seating & Sling

“For deep-seating, we see texture, a movement toward true visual and tactile textures, fabrics that are chunky and use novelty yarns as well as textural weaves to provide visual interest.

“With sling, we see the use of decorative fabrics used in conjunction with the sling fabric to create a softer, more comfortable seating option.”

Major Offerings

The following comments are from David Meeks, director of Casual Furniture, Outdura.

“Ovation II: We are in the process of unveiling a new and exciting cut-yardage program called Ovation II. It consists of 166 fabrics ranging from plain weave solids to textural dobbies to stripes and ultimately to coordinating jacquard patterns.

“WeatherTex Plus: We are also offering all Ovation II patterns with our WeatherTex Plus finish safeguarded by Crypton™. That allows moisture to roll right off, stains clean up easily, and nothing is allowed to soak through to the cushion. Outdura is the only 100 percent solution-dyed acrylic supplier to offer the Crypton™ finish.”

“One of the world’s oldest forms of fabric dyeing – Indigo – will be an important color story during this fall’s Casual Market in Chicago,” says Joe Ruggiero, a leading home décor authority whose signature collections include Sunbrella fabrics and Terra casual furniture. Ruggiero anticipates that his Delhi pattern featuring an oversized paisley in Indigo and white will be featured in select showrooms in Chicago.

“We continue to see Indigo on the fashion runways and within interior décor, which speaks to the strength of this rich, dark blue color,” he said. “It seems that consumers are drawn to the striking contrast of Indigo and white.”

Indigo color story.

Another of the leading fabric trends that Ruggiero anticipates for the fall market is the extensive use of texture in casual fabrics. His Sunbrella Main Street pattern, which resembles a tweed fabric from men’s suiting, will be featured during the market in the color latte, a creamy coffee effect.

“I believe the popularity of texture in casual fabrics reflects the blurring of interior and exterior décor that has been taking place for several years,” he said. “Not only are casual and interior fabrics increasingly similar in look and feel, but we are also seeing casual furniture pieces being used not only on decks and patios and in Outdoor Rooms, but also for interior spaces.”

Retailers visiting the fall market are also likely to see the continued popularity of stripes, including Ruggiero’s Hansen in a classic grey colorway, and his Trax pattern, which is available in 12 different colors, including a bright orange, persimmon.

“Stripes are a classic element in outdoor décor, and our Hansen pattern (traditional Swedish-inspired stripe) was well received during the Showtime market in High Point,” he said. “At the same time, our Trax pattern (a subtle herringbone) has demonstrated strong staying power as the colorway has grown each year.”

Trax Pattern.

Menswear.

Market watchers are continually on the lookout for the emergence of a new bright color, and this fall market will be no exception, according to Ruggiero, who speculates that colors as bright as persimmon could be adding a pop to some showrooms.

“It seems that everyone looks for a breakout new color each season, but people continue to play it safe, and we haven’t seen a bright color going mainstream, as of yet,” he said. “Blue is a strong color trend today and there will certainly be pops of color. But overall, neutral colors will continue to dominate, not only in beige and earth tones but also in what I call the trend toward the ‘greyish’ family of colors.”

– Mark Brock

Great leaps in creativity come either when things are so bad that there’s nothing left to lose, or when the market is jubilant and there is plenty of profit to leave room for experimentation. Right now neither is the case, so we are seeing a somewhat conservative step forward.

“The standard outdoor formula of ikat + stripe + the flat contemporary grill work + Jacobean trellis + animal print, isn’t going away (heaven help us), and the whole global influence is still with us. But what we are seeing is a more rustic contemporary interpretation of these looks mixed with a hint of menswear.

Ed. Note: Ikat is fabric made using an Indonesian decorative technique in which warp or weft threads, or both, are tie-dyed before weaving.

“The Ikat becomes a less specific ikat, a kind of ikat redux. The stripes fall somewhere between menswear and folkloric. The grillwork might have a subtle hand-painted or hand-blocked look to it. The trellis is being replaced with a fresher, more whimsical, sometimes ink drawn botanical, and the animal print is being upstaged by a bold, clean geometric or a modern mud cloth on the contemporary side, and the return of large acanthus leaves on the transitional/traditional side. Instead of a textured chenille or a slubby texture in the mix, we are seeing tiny-scale ethnic geometrics such as Japanese indigo looks.”

“Novelties are becoming more out-there whimsical. A tongue-in-cheek attitude coming out of edgy Brooklyn and British designers.

“Sleek Contemporary Style is always with us, and favored by architects and in Hospitality applications – clean, mostly solid, with geometric pillow accents. Drier fabrics than before. More linen than sateen.

“With the Geometric Folkloric, rough-hewn linen looks are taking inspiration from anywhere. This category includes folkloric plaids, Turkish stripes with a minimal menswear interpretation, Japanese indigo-print patterns, ikat-redux, accented with large-scale bold geometrics.

“With the Traditional, it’s a return of the acanthus leaf tropical pattern.

“With the Ethnic looks, we have mud cloth inspired geometrics.”

From L: Bark Park in Newsprint, Mandarin, Hello, Sailor!, Geranium Red, Sable, and Fog By Perennials.

Mosaico Digitale pattern by Kate Korten.

Colors

“The onset of the millennium brought on a surge of color like we had never seen. For the first decade, new colors emerged every year. Since then it’s been more a story of how colors are put together. There aren’t any real new colors this year, partly because outdoor fibers are solution-dyed, so new introductions are infrequent. Color will always be significant in the outdoor market.

“Navy – Whereas lately we’ve been seeing a lot of black + white + (a)color theme, I think the new trend will be a very dark navy + white + (a)color.

“White – The white will be less of a stark white and more of an unbleached white.

“Grey – The grey that has been such a dominant color recently is starting to warm going toward taupe.

“Pastel – There was a lot of shell pink at the Milan Furniture Fair so we may start seeing pastels move into the outdoor market. These days no one escapes the dictates of the Pantone color Supreme Leader, Leatrice Eiseman. Though the pastel introduction to the outdoor market may manifest as navy + white + pastel, or warm dark grey + white + pastel.

“Brights – In the less contrasty, more color-saturated schemes, we’re seeing our standard mid-range outdoor brights paired with an off-beat dark plum, and the citron color has gone a little more mustard.”

Juniper by Sunbrella.

Texture

“In keeping with the rustic trend, the most important texture is the linen look. Not so much the over-the-top slub fabric. More raw. Jami Mabb of Sunbury Textile Mills says their Sunbrella customers can’t get enough linen-like Sunbrella solids! Look also for distressed looks starting to emerge. In terms of upholstering styles, look for the chunky, protruding, exterior seams.”

Butterfly Garden fabric by Osborne & Little.

Furniture

“The sleek, modern, minimal contemporary look of furniture is especially strong in Hospitality and favored by architects, but the growth in residential seems to be a warmer, more casual look with a lot of fiber-art inspiration.

“Sleek Modern – In the architect-driven Hospitality market we can expect some more whimsical pieces in the mix; some Zaha Hadid influence (her sudden passing has seized the consciousness of the industry); more illuminated furniture and illuminated accessories.

“Wicker, String, Rattan – In the residential market all of the rattan, wicker and string looks are loosening up. We are seeing more open space in the construction. We can expect more sling furniture. Fiber-art inspired.

“Bean-bag – There seems to be a growing interest in outdoor bean-bag furniture, such as JAXX at the NYC-based International Contemporary Furniture Fair. (jaxxliving.com)

“Thick External Seams – Not really sure what the industry term is. It’s not quite a French Mattress, flatter than a French Mattress. I’m seeing a lot of that lately.

Accessories

“The outdoor trend continues to gain importance in the home. We have entire outdoor kitchens and lounge areas that include rugs. Now that we spend so much time outdoors, we will need outdoor, solution-dyed, acrylic blankets so we can stay outside longer. I also predict that we are going to start seeing more inventive patterns and color in tiled pools as Mosaico Digitale makes custom design so imaginative, easy and accessible.”