What will 2012 look like at The French Hen?

I had a wonderfully productive stint at the Atlanta Gift Show last week. From which new product has already begun to arrive at The French Hen. Inspiration and creativity were everywhere and the showrooms ranged the gambit; sublime to the redonkulous. It's all there, the good, the bad and the oh so very tacky.
A few trends that I picked up may be worth noting. Industrial has been refined to a softer- edged utilitarian. I saw lots of ticking, craft paper, burlaps, seed bags, galvanized surfaces, but gone are the wheels and gears that we had been seeing. Tabletop is "green", stone slabs, big thick (wonderful) cutting boards, simple glassware and plates. Lots and lots of rough hewn furniture, (driftwood tones)which I think may look too unfinished for most nutmeggers.
It seems like the Parisian apartment dealio is being replaced by a more casual Italian villa vibe. Things just looked less fussy. When there was an ornate piece of furniture it was paired with simple clean lamps or vice versa. We all know matchy- matcy is out but now adjacencies of the unexpected are what make a room look interesting. Textile patterns are less in the floral department and are more modern with color blocking, and trellis or flame (zig- zag)patterns.

Stop in soon to see what I decided to bring back with me. I want to go back to more of a home décor mix; linens, tabletop, small furniture pieces and hopefully some interesting vintage. The French Hen will soon be lush with wonderful things that you just won’t be able to live without.