I couldn’t fit all of my favorite trends right now in one blog post! These ones are the winners for designing your plan of attack for decor.

lose the mantel

Mantels are losing in favor of entire accent walls … shiplap, tile, stacked stone, brick, plaster … any and all of these are climbing the style trend fast. Above, a photo of a new construction home where I am removing the mantel in order to create an entire wall of stacked stone. Quite extreme for someone who has made a living at detailing mantels! Yep. It’s all about style. NO mantel takes the cake!

Here is  closeup of the white stacked stone we’re using. A bit of quartz puts a glisten in the finish and I’m loving it! I’ll create an entire post on the process and end result when completed. #ohsosusan

oversized art

Oversized art is on point. We often work one extra large, striking piece of art into our designs. Statement pieces take first place in the field of art placement. As always, don’t be afraid of color! In this case, a statement piece with a bit if whimsy found a home in my laundry room. That wall covering is a strong contender to complete the vibe!

Another trend in custom art is a bit of glamorous glitter! No kidding. We started to notice this unique trend almost 18 months ago, being shown at the finest of our art vendors in major markets. We mused over the demand for such a thing in custom home design. To our surprise, we were told the category was growing every market and they were in the top sellers for each trade show, continually growing! Well, they are beautiful. Glitter…what’s not to love?! It’s a trend!

Consider bold color in modern abstracts … oversized, yes! I love this one.

make a statement with a colorful rug

You may have a calming, neutral palette, or a strong and bold one with deep hues, but most rooms can come to life with a colorful rug. The one above and below are examples of making an art statement not just with your walls, but with your rug. More and more of our vendors are using synthetic yarns which makes these bold statement rugs very affordable, so it’s a smaller style investment for you! These price ranges help you indulge in current style without breaking your budget. So fun.

add something organic

We’ve been using and selling basketfuls sycamore wood cuts for the past few years! It’s honestly a part of every day’s sales at the home store. We can’t get enough of these organic charmers. Slices, log cuts; small and large. There are so many uses for these. You’ll find multiple ideas for them in my visuals throughout Black-eyed Susan and they work themselves into almost every installation — all styles, all budgets! Love.

Succulents are another trend in the organic movement. There’s no reason to struggle with growing your own when these fakes can fool the finest green thumb. There isn’t a room in the house that can’t make room for succulents.

I love doing a fresh flower design installation. Several times a year, I will take a wedding or grand party project when fresh flower design is involved. It’s all about style and trend here as well. This simple, yet striking design using fresh, colorful kale is simplicity at its finest. Organic style, and sooooooo easy! Try it.

collage a wall

If you want to create an interesting statement, tell a story with a wall collage in like or the same objects, using perfectly placed, random (but planned!) dimensional art.

A good tip for your design that I use: lay your design out on the floor within a measured and marked space . When you know how much width and height you have to work with, start laying out your objects. Try multiple options. Keep moving things an inch at a time until you love your design and placement. You’ll know when it’s just right! Take a photo of it with your phone and record your measurement spacing. Refer to your photo as you transfer your design from the floor to the wall. You won’t believe how quickly your frame of reference is lost as you take away each piece of the puzzle. Some unexpected placement is always a good plan for interest!

A few months ago, I helped a friend design this collaged collection in her master bedroom. The wall was quite a large expanse, and I suggested the use of mirrors along with about 8 different sizes of the ceramic flowers. This is a great example of perfect scale, color theme, and unexpected placement for a personal and unique wall grouping.