3 Design Trends Spotted at HD Expo

By Jessica Lotner, Senior Designer

Last week, a team of designers from The McBride Company gathered in Las Vegas along with approximately 10,000 other hospitality design enthusiasts for the Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (HD Expo). We were at HD Expo — or as we like to say, interior design heaven — to see and discuss the latest trends as well as source products for our current and future projects for some of the biggest names in the hospitality industry. 

Recently, we’ve been working on projects that aim to achieve what we refer to as casual sophistication, and we got some great inspiration at the expo. We actually experimented with a few interior design trends that are gathering steam right now in one of our most recent hospitality projects, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort in Hollywood Beach, Florida. This project opened in late 2015, and we aimed to create a fun, laid-back beach atmosphere to capture the essence of the Margaritaville brand in an elegant, refined way so it appeals to the guest accustomed to four-star-level comfort, service and sophistication. Three trends we spotted at the HD Expo were key to achieving this balance. Here’s a look inside the resort and how we incorporated those trends.

Natural Finishes

First, designers are increasingly getting away from brand-new-looking, glossy finishes in favor of more natural finishes, such as reclaimed wood, jute rope and wicker furniture. Throughout the Hollywood Beach Resort, we played with this idea by using materials that looked like they have history. In addition to selecting reclaimed wood, we experimented with how the wood is placed to give the space depth. In the resort’s spa pictured below, you can see how we used reclaimed wood in an interesting pattern on the ceiling, which has a sort of nautical feel above the wicker furniture.

At HD Expo, we saw quite a few vendors with the type of flooring we used throughout the lobby of the Hollywood Beach Resort. It is porcelain tile made to look like driftwood.

Retro Vibes

Retro references are really in, especially when it comes to lighting fixtures. These are just a few of the old styles that are coming back in style. In the lobby of the Hollywood Beach Resort, we created vintage-inspired telescopic floor lamps, among other custom lighting fixtures.

Craft

Finally, designing in a way that suggests a personal touch is really popular right now. Designers are bringing in elements that appear handmade, which adds personality to a space. The emphasis on craft and using materials that don’t look mass-produced are some things we played with throughout the resort. In JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, the resort’s upscale restaurant, we created custom barstools that incorporated rum labels from long-gone Caribbean distilleries and on the front of the bar created a woven pattern.