Target Designers Give Sneak Peek at the Spring/Summer 2012 Home Collection

January 23, 2012 - Article reads in

During a season of grey and muted skies, we’re ready for some color rejuvenation in our homes.

We found our soon-to-be sunnier style solution in the ’12 Target spring and summer home collection. Vibrant pieces with hints of global influences like ikat pillows and metallic chevron lampshades brighten up every room at every budget.

And, apparently the Target product design and development team did not listen to their art teachers growing up because color does not stay inside the lines with this collection – color is everywhere!

It’s no wonder. The team of more than 150 talented individuals routinely travel around the globe to trade shows, flea markets and fashion shows to spot bold trends. Check out a photo diary of a recent trip.

Target design managers Jason Berke and Stephanie Grotta showed us the chic spring/summer collection in New York City. Below, they reveal their inspirations and favorite pieces.

________________________________________

Stephanie Grotta
Target Design Manager

What is the inspiration behind the summer outdoor collection?
Stephanie Grotta: It was all about bringing color outdoors in a sophisticated way. We saw lots of sherbets and acids rising to the top in fashion, so we translated those colors to the table.

Do you have a favorite piece from the Hue collection?
SG: The green side table – I love it because it shows, from our team’s perspective, how we evolve trends over time. Prior to this spring, we had a great European-vintage trend. And you can sort of see the evolution of this piece – it has great industrial details like the rivets and flat line metal, but it’s in this amazing green color that brings a whole new life to it.

These numbered coasters and stool reminds us of the Vintage Charm collection last fall.
SG: You can see the evolution here too, with the typography, canvas and worn details. I love this stool – the metal base is so clean and black, but it’s paired with what looks like a disk sliced out from a tree for the seat. How fun would this look in a little studio space?

The lampshades and bases might be our favorite.
SG: If you look at all the lamps, they are really different but coordinate so well together. Put any lampshade with any base and you can be confident that they are going to match. It’s such an easy piece to throw on an end table for a quick hit of spring fashion!

How would you mix this rug with items already in your home?
SG: We have a huge indoor rug category with great detail and patterns that work with all sorts of styles. I love kilims like this one in particular. In my house, I have a kilim that sits under really, really contemporary furniture. It’s that contrast of the classic traditional with the overly new that makes it my style.

There are a lot of earthy influences, like the lion and bird statues.
SG: I love them, especially the bits where the black color is intentionally rubbed off and the bronze is revealed underneath. Throughout the collection, you’ll see the evidence of the hand in terms of the crafting of all these different pieces.

There’s a great mix of color and tones.
SG: Our guests love color and neutrals like taupes, khakis and warm hues. This reddish tray is my favorite: classic, simple, a great color for spring and with a foot detail.

Tell us about the outdoor and gardening collection.

SG: Outdoor is near and dear to my heart. And now, we’re seeing people bring their living rooms to the outdoors. Target is offering accessory pieces that make it easy to do that – like lighting. It’s important to show your personal style outside the home too.

________________________________________

Jason Berke
Target Design Manager

Tell us a little about the bath collection.
Jason Berke: This was our chance to establish ourselves as really relevant in decorative bath fashion. One of the looks we developed for spring is driven by feminine influences, but with a twist. We saw that women didn’t want the fussy, traditional feminine. Instead, she wants a reinterpretation.

We adore the mercury glass!
JB: Me too – we saw mercury glass become popular in other areas of the home, and wanted to bring it into the bathroom. Women spend a lot of time in there, so we might as well make it look nice. The mercury glass is really glamorous – it’s jewelry for the bathroom!

How do you spot trends so far in advance?
JB: We keep tabs on a trend as it evolves. We look to fashion and new materials, and then predict how we can combine them. There is a certain amount of risk, but you can tell from spotting a trend in enough different places to know it’s going to be a home run.

Do you have a favorite piece from the collection?
JB: I love the towel collection in this beautiful yellow color. We took a traditional flower motif but did it in a larger modern scale. We have exaggerated sculpting too, but it’s still super soft. Yellow and gold tones are really important. You see these warming tones across many of our looks in home.

Did you always know you wanted to be a designer?
JB: It’s been one big, long journey. My background ranges – I have experience in visual merchandising and design. I think I always knew. Over the years I gained some focus, and now here I am!

Click through the photo gallery below for more photos