In addition to finding new product, the gift and decor trade shows are great resources for display ideas. While in Atlanta this January, I came across several showrooms that were just stunning. No matter what the company was selling or the general theme of the display, one thing remained the same. Every successful display had something that drew you in. Sometimes it was a pop of color or an unexpected prop. Other times it was the positioning of the display pieces. And sometimes it was the sheer abundance of the materials used. Here are some of my favorite displays from the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market.
Bright color will always draw your eye. One way to use color is to paint something unexpected in a vibrant color. At Grace Direct’s Bridgewater Candle showroom, the designers painted the tires of a tractor bright, girly pink. Pink and yellow tulle above added to the color punch.
Ganz used color in a similar way in one of its spring displays. The display experts there painted basic suitcases with bright purple, aqua and green paint and used them as risers in the display.
Two’s Company brought color to one of its displays by attaching patterned paper leaves to a wood tree. The tree’s trunk and branches are plain lumber pieces painted white, making the leaves stand out.
In one of Demdaco’s displays, the company added its punch of color through the products themselves and wrapped gift boxes. Like Two’s Company, the base of this “tree” is white-painted wood strips, making the red in the products and packaging stand out.
Demdaco does an excellent job of using odd materials in display settings. To separate different sections of its showroom, Demdaco’s designers created faux “walls” out of unusual pieces. The garden section included a “wall” created from many little clay pots hung together end to end. To showcase its Silvestri painted-screen wall hangings, the designers hung lengths of heavy rope as a backdrop.
Over at The Southern Link showroom, the Stonebriar Collection display incorporated an old bedspring as a backdrop and product merchandiser. It works great because it adds that illusion of a backdrop but doesn’t completely block the view to the other products.
Pallets were still used in displays although not as abundantly as in last year’s market. Saro Trading took the pallets and painted them white to showcase their spring merchandise.
My favorite display at AmericasMart caught me by surprise and made me stop in wonder. Two’s Company chose to display some of its ceramic pieces among a huge pile of apparently haphazardly stacked books. The overall effect was that of an overflowing old library. The book stacks made me stare in awe (how do they stay in place?) and then drew me in to investigate further. Although the books look like they could tumble at any moment, they were actually all adhered together and very stable. More books were attached to the walls and trailed across a mantel. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the bibliophile in me loved it!
