Trend Seminar at American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame to Explore Vacation-Inspired Design in Home Interiors

Furniture World News Desk on 10/21/2024

Pictured Clockwise from top left: Trish Hayes, Jessica Duce, Paula Oblen, Jaye Anna Mize and Jane Dagmi.

The emerging trend of “escapism in the home” will be the topic of a Mimosa Brunch and Trend Seminar to be hosted by Markor International on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 10:30 a.m. to Noon at the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame, 311 S. Hamilton St.

Along with the seminar, the Hall of Fame also will be unveiling a new Trend Exhibit during the October High Point Market that highlights a range of new furnishings exemplifying the escapism trend.  

“As consumers crave spaces that evoke the relaxation and adventure of travel, vacation-inspired design — or ‘escapism in the home’ — is influencing not only home interiors but also the booming short-term rental market,” says Jaye Anna Mize, vice president of advisory and partnerships for Fashion Snoops (FS), who is moderating the panel discussion. “This panel will explore how the trend of escapism is driving demand for homes that blend luxury, comfort and nature, offerings guests an immersive experience of resort-style living.”

According to the latest trend analysis by FS, “the home is becoming a haven for escapism in 2025, drawing inspiration from destinations both near and far,” says Mize. This novel outlook embraces boundless creativity, reflecting the consumer’s ongoing shift toward craft-heavy design.

“As we head into 2025, we’re seeing a theme of vacation-inspired design, or ‘escapism,’ emerging in the home,” says Kristen Moonjian, creative director of Home + Lifestyle at FS. This trend sees consumers craving spaces that allow them to escape the pressures of everyday life and pursuing a more thoughtful approach to design “that eases our daily loads and enriches our moments,” she adds.

“Curating a place to block out our external stressors supports a new kind of nesting, pulling from extra eclectic inspiration,” Moonjian says.

“We are thrilled to host this seminar, which aims to inform and educate the design community about the key trends and innovations that will shape the home furnishings industry in 2025,” says Karen McNeill, CEO and chairman of the Hall of Fame Board of Directors. “Fashion Snoops has put together an amazing panel of experts for this discussion, each with a unique perspective on where the home furnishings business is heading in the coming year.”

The panel of four speakers, moderated by Mize, will introduce unique perspectives and views on key design directions emerging in the marketplace. Panelists include:

• Jane Dagmi, managing director of High Point by Design (HPxD), a non-profit organization that promotes High Point, North Carolina, as a year-round destination for design, creativity and innovation by uniting and promoting the city’s rich and productive ecosystem. Prior to this role, Dagmi served as editor in chief of Designers Today magazine, where she spent four years successfully growing the publication’s reputation, audience and community. Dagmi’s first trek to High Point was in the mid 1990s, when she was an editor at Country Living magazine. Enamored with the city’s legacy and intrigued by its fresh potential, Dagmi has called High Point home since 2018, and enjoys being an active player in High Point’s changing landscape.

• Jessica Duce, owner and principal designer of JDuce Design. The daughter of a designer, Duce, has been creating unique and comfortable spaces since her Barbie house as a child. As the owner of JDuce Design in Houston, Duce serves a host of clients both locally and nationwide across a variety of styles, budgets and needs. In addition to her residential clients, Duce was asked to design a VRBO on the Oregon Coast in 2015 for a client. This learning experience inspired her to create a new company specifically for the needs of the vacation rental industry — Vacation Rental Designers. In 2023, she formed the Vacation Rental Designers Collective to mentor and support other designers in this category.

• Trish Hayes, creative director of Caracole. A design professional with more than 20 years of experience in luxury home furnishings, interior design and visual merchandising, Hayes has served as creative director of Caracole Home since 2021. Prior to that, she had her own design company called Trish Hayes Design. Hayes also has served as the director of showroom and boutique design at Caracole Home and held various roles at Baker Furniture, including manager of global creative services. Hayes also has worked as a designer at Marshall Fields, Long's Furniture and Econimides Architects, where she was responsible for interior and exterior finish selections for multi-unit housing developments, as well as interior design for common areas and guest suites. Hayes started her career as the furniture and soft goods department head at Cost Plus World Market.

• Paula Oblen, owner and principal designer of Paula Oblen. A Midwest native now rooted in southern California, Oblen is a natural-born creative with a passion for curating immersive interior spaces. With more than 20 years of experience starting and owning multiple interior design ventures, Oblen has built a long list of clients that includes celebrity artists, musicians and interior designers, as well as private and commercial real estate investors, property management companies and restaurateurs. In late 2021, she teamed up with Netflix’s “Queer Eye” designer Bobby Berk to reimagine and transform a 1950s Spanish-style home named Casa Tierra into a world class airbnb destination. Inspired by the hotel to home movement, Oblen founded Hotelements as a vehicle for creating “vacation interiors” — gracious, luxurious and welcoming interior spaces inspired by favorite boutique hotel experiences.

“This popular trend seminar — part of our ongoing education initiative — is held twice a year at each High Point Market as a collaboration between the Hall of Fame, FS, ANDMORE, Interwoven and the High Point Market Authority,” says McNeill. “These in-depth discussions with creative thinkers from across the industry provide a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights into what’s coming next in the ever-changing world of home furnishings.”

In creating its trend showcases, FS partners with three leading industry groups — the International Textile Alliance, sponsor of the semi-annual Interwoven textile show; the High Point Market Authority, organizer of the High Point Market; and the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation. The partnership calls for FS to identify four fabric trends during each November and May Interwoven and through a changing product exhibit during each April and October High Point Market. 

“The FS Trend Exhibits for the Hall of Fame explore how designers turn these ever-evolving trends into new products and interiors, providing a must-see experience for all industry professionals looking to understand where consumer tastes are heading,” says McNeill. 

About The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc.
The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc.®, is an industry-wide organization founded to preserve its history, to celebrate exceptional individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the U.S. home furnishings industry, to inspire the next generation of innovative leaders and to engage the community with the world of home furnishings. Our new home, which opened in April 2023, is a symbol of the Home Furnishings Capital of the World™ where the industry gathers, where we honor our leaders and tell our stories, and where we learn through exhibits, seminars and speakers. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, funds support our history and leadership programming. The organization is based in High Point, North Carolina, at 311 S. Hamilton St., and can be reached at 336.882.5900 or by visiting www.homefurnishingshalloffame.com.