Influencing Consumers Now

By: Connie Post

The retail landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years thanks to style influencers like Restoration Hardware. Among the retailer’s latest moves: a 680-page “Wish Book” that landed with a resounding “thud” in mailboxes across America this season. Like the September issue of Vogue, aka the bible of Fall Fashion, the sheer weight of Restoration’s publication commanded attention in the daily deluge of holiday catalogs. A lesson in brand strategy, the message to consumers was pretty simple: In a world of retail sameness, when it comes to the home category, Restoration Hardware is, well, Big!

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Tips for Floor Salespeople:

Looking for new talking points to chat up customers about color? Here are two:

1) The human eye is actually programmed to seek out color. This means that if our surroundings are too neutral, we subconsciously begin to look for color. (A great case for dressing up neutral upholstery with punches of color!)

2) If you’re a person who really likes white paint on your walls, or simply wants to freshen things up with a lighter shade, keep in mind that the coldness of a pure white can be difficult to live with for a long time. You can warm up white wall paint by adding a touch of green, blue or yellow. Save the stark white for trim!

On Trend Now: Winter White

Take a look at this month’s major magazine covers:

Whatever the weather report may be saying, the home fashion forecast is calling for a white winter. Why white? White in all its myriad variations is clean and immaculate, pure in heart and spirit. Like a porch light that welcomes us home in the darkness or a cold glass of milk after a cookie, white comforts, calms and refreshes. Sounds pretty good in difficult times, doesn’t it?

Still, as wonderfully crisp and clean as white feels in a messy world, studies show we often choose white for the wrong reasons. Fearing a costly decorating mistake, homes (and retail stores!) get stuck in neutral, with walls awash in all manner of white and beige. Herewith, a few ideas on how to play it for all its worth this season, rather than play it safe.

First, my pick for this month’s most inspirational magazine cover. A simple white sofa surrounded by exciting, color-packed pillows is a quick fix for the winter doldrums. The good news is that it’s easy to harness this energy to promote the purchase of new home décor at your store.

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Color Stories

It’s actually quite easy being green, a color we associate with growth and rebirth, and of course, nature. We gravitate to grass that is greener, and even the word “green” today has come to symbolize environmentally friendly design.

Read my lips: Red represents heart, home and family and as such is always in style. At times romantic, patriotic, dynamic and even dangerous, red can stop traffic, cheer like a cherry pie, and heat up a room like no other color.

Clean and immaculate, pure in heart and spirit, white comforts and calms. Simplicity itself, white on white can shift neutral into a higher gear for design that is as classic as a string of pearls or as starkly contemporary as the architecture of the Guggenheim Museum.

From ripe citrus bursting with flavor to a cozy fireside flame, summer sunshine to pumpkins in autumn, oranges and ambers stimulate and warm. Like a shot of B12, orange amps up the positive energy in a room, while amber adds spice and livability all year long.

Everyone needs a place to escape the busy world and light greens and blues make it easy to create an oasis of safety and calm. Soft nature-inspired shades like aqua and sage lend a sense of solitude and peace that some might say is simply heavenly.

As romantic as a rose garden and as charming as a baby’s blush, the sweet side of red lends a sense of playfulness and femininity to any environ. Whether coral or cotton candy, pink or plum, these colors lift the spirit and leave a room feeling oh so… well, you know.

Blending the tranquility of blue water with the uplifting energy of green growth, turquoise harmonizes and invigorates existing palettes with a youthful vibe. A valuable and popular mineral, the gem is said to promote creativity and clarity of thought. What room couldn’t use a little fresh thinking?