Wood Innovations - Eurocucina 2010

Sleek and modern stainless, bright white and bold black kitchen designs added a warmer touch at this year's Eurocucina. Wooden countertops, islands, dining tables and prep areas added the influence of nature and the warmth of natural woods in looks that ranged from the very sleek and polished to the very rustic and untreated. A few of our favorites:

Lottocento:Milton:Ar Aerre:Allmillmo:Arca:

Color Pops at Eurocucina

It's Friday and rather than get all wordy and professorial this late in the week, we thought you could all use some pops of colorful kitchen inspiration from Eurocucina instead! Enjoy....

Vente Cucine:SMEGGBerloni:Record:Prodomo:

Color from Company C - Spring High Point Markets

Call it mix 'n match, bohemian, eclectic or just plain fun - we loved the cheery bright patterns and colors from Company C at the spring High Point Markets. Bold flowers, gradient stripes and crayon colors created a fun and engaging atmosphere perfect for the springtime season!

Barclay Butera - Spring High Point Markets

Taking design cues from the Hearst Castle and the South of France, Barclay Butera's spring line featured a unique tangerine and indigo color story, rich woods and elegant materials. Accented with crisp white, warm leather and detailed trims, this color story is a fresh direction for next season!

We've Got The Blues - Color from Eurocucina

We've got the blues... and not just because our trendspotting team is stuck in Milan thanks to the Icelandic volcano. Let's face it, there are worse places to be stranded than Italy! Side trip to Lake Cuomo anyone?? However, thanks to modern technology and a zippy internet connection - we've got the trendspotting photos safe and sound on our server.

Here is a collection of the hottest hue to hit kitchen design this season - shades of a brighter, teal-influenced blue. As always, black and white are the two colors taking center stage at this forwarding-thinking design show - but creeping into a close third place are these lighter, brighter shades of blue offering a crisp and cool take on color in the kitchen. Here are a few of our favorites:

Scavolini:

Alno:

Showcase Kitchens - Eurocucina, Milan

The Sphere Trending team is scattered across the globe at the moment - we've got trendspotting gurus in Milan, Italy covering the Furniture Fair and Eurocucina kitchen design show. Another team is headed to Chicago to trendspot at the KBIS (Kitchen & Bath Industry Show) while another has been dispatched to cover the trends happening at the spring High Point Furniture Markets in Greensboro, NC. And last, but not least, yours truly is going to be digging into social media and digital trends at the Future Midwest Conference happening in Royal Oak, Michigan this weekend. So hang tight... It's going to be a busy few weeks here on the blog as we recap and share with you the trends and highlights from each of these shows.

First up are some stunning pictures of showcase kitchens from the Eurocucina in Italy. A continuing trend this season, kitchens are borrowing design tips from libraries and living room furniture by adding more shelves, more open spaces and more areas in which to showcase collectibles, books and design accessories. Here are a few of our favorites:

Venta Cucine:Lottocento:Torchetti:

Colorful Condos - Toronto Trendspotting

Toronto is experiencing the growth and reurbanization of many different communities and areas around town. One key locale is the waterfront where innovative and unique condo and loft developments are taking the city by storm. In the Etobicoke area, on the west side, the waterfront condos have an urban vibe with a loft-like feeling that is warmed and brightened by touches of color, pattern and furnishings that make the spaces livable and interesting. Enjoy!

Living in Color - Canyon Hills Homes by Pardee

During our trendspotting tour of San Diego, we had the opportunity to visit the Canyon Hills community by Pardee Homes. This collection of Living Smart Homes features great amenities, family friendly designs and a focus on healthy lifestyles. Another great attribute that caught our eye were the bright, inventive and bold color combinations reflecting the individual style of each home. Vivid teal tones cheered up the laundry area, crisp apple greens accented with cayenne red popped in the bedrooms and a bold chartreuse in the kitchen brightened our day!

Raising-the-Sightlines in San Diego

Wondering what we've been up to lately? Here's a sneak peek from our ongoing spring 10-City Trendspotting tour.... And make sure to stay tuned for product innovation and design news from EuroCucina, the Milan Furniture Fair and KBIS.

How to you capture the consumers attention in today's world of retail generica? By "Raising-the-Sightlines TM" with eye-catching signage, displays and unique color stories. In the Hillcrest area of San Diego retail is most definitely innovative, colorful and inviting. Here are a few interesting examples of stores and displays that are doing it just a little bit differently:

Innovative Container Gardening Inspiration

Container gardening is a great way to create green space and privacy on rooftops, on patios or in small urban areas. These unique, flexible and innovative garden containers from Authentics create an easy and portable solution. The bags are made of coated polyester and they're planted with clay granules to help control moisture levels using the included water level indicator making it easy to grow great urban gardens just about anywhere.