Housewares manufacturers worth their salt mine lifestyle trends for leads, shaping development and design of their next best products. And with a focus on healthy eating, time and space-saving, as well as a continued craving for the best ways to make macchiatos and chai at home, it's not surprising that there will be plenty to address those categories on retail shelves this spring and summer. And the best examples, of course, are stylishly delivered.

As in other sectors of home decor, there's a dash of fashion as well, with emphasis on cool shapes and on-trend colors and patterns. The theme at this spring's Housewares Show in Chicago touched on another hot button: smart design.

It's actually smART, meant to signify an intersection of art and engineering, technology and style. And although the Internet of Things continues to wend its way into home products, its unrealized potential is much more compelling. The smart kitchen market is projected to be worth as much as $10 billion by the early 2020s, according to Transparency Market Research.

As in kitchen design, with the synching up of smartphones with ranges that tell you when the roast is done, here comes an impressive 13-function cooker from Gourmia. It features a 7-inch LED touch screen with a mobile app. And it guides the user through a recipe -- sensing when the correct ingredient has been added, and moving on to the next step with visual and audible prompts.

As housewares covers everything from air purifiers to vacuum cleaners and hair dryers, cookware to food products and serveware, plus storage and containers, cleaning and grooming products, Wi-Fi enabling sometimes is more a convenience than a sexy add-on. But, then, there's the PancakeBot, whose prototype we saw last year. It allows you to print your own pancake design by inserting an SD card or USB flash drive (or you can download designs).

In today's cookware, health is underscored as much as new colors.

"Fresh is the single most important buzzword associated with healthy eating today," says Tom Mirabile, senior vice president of global trend and design for Lifetime Brands Inc. "There's also more focus on mindful living or taking the time to savor both process and consumption."

Ceramic coatings as an alternative to nonstick are gaining traction. So are pressure cookers -- with their apparent speed, tenderizing, and the ability to extract flavors from ingredients all strong selling points. Some manufacturers, like Fagor, are slimming down models while offering desirable features, such as overheat warnings.

Slow cookers are not going away. But after four decades or so, they're attracting new followers. Fresh prep and convenience (start a meal before you leave for work; enjoy it when you get home) have contributed to the sale of 12.6 million slow cookers in the year ending in June 2015, totaling $334.1 million, according to the NPD Group Inc., a Port Washington, New York-based global information company.

One-pot cooking is especially popular among millennials because of its simplicity, back-to-basics appeal and familiarity of classic dishes, according to the National Restaurant Association's "What's Hot in 2016" study.

And while it's covered at the high-end with built-in appliances, stove or countertop steamers are a significant option. Cuisinart's new glass model is especially attractive with its sleek, compact, transparent form. Air frying also is heating up (a sleek black model from Kalorik adds to last year's Emeril Lagasse launch). And for those who would prefer grinding their own grains, there's L'Chef's NutriMill.

Popular foodie trends, like French press and pour-over coffee as alternatives to expensive, high-tech barista-type coffee makers, also are turning more attention to design. An expanding range of sea salts and peppercorns led one manufacturer, Peugeot, to design the Zanzibar pepper bar: a tray with a trio of interchangeable peppercorn containers. Color has been a mainstay of housewares for several years now; its breakout, perhaps, unleashed with the proliferation of silicone.

"With consumers increasingly comfortable using color as a form of expression, we are seeing more experimentation and creative uses of color throughout the home, and nowhere has this showcasing of color been more pronounced than in the kitchen," offered Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute.

Pantone's co-colors of the year, shades of Pink Quartz and Serenity (a pale lavender-based blue) showed up in Le Creuset's enameled cast-iron cookware (adding rosy Hibiscus, part of its retro-inspired Oasis collection, to an existing Pink Chiffon), and in Keurig's single-serve limited-edition brewer, an ode to Serenity.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, says the calmness of the two resonates, helping consumers "escape the stress of their modern lives, offering reassurance and security in difficult times."

Cookware hues seem to hit all home decor trend categories, some echoing a current fondness for all shades of blue. Warm metallics also are making an impact, most significantly copper and burnished gold. Nambe, known for its signature silver metal, is refreshed with burnished oven and freezer options to tableware, as well as mixed pieces sporting gold handles. In addition, metallic is adding luster to solid colors like sapphire and ruby with Epicurious cookware and colanders.

Other home decor directions also resonate: the appreciation for natural, organic materials like wood manifests in everything from handles on pots to beautifully grained cutting boards and trays to knife blocks in a range of woods that also feature embellishments, including contrasting metal accents. There is also the teaming of wood with white marble or white powder-coated aluminum in accessories and benches teamed with storage from Umbra.

It's worth noting that texture also is playing a bigger role in housewares, as in dimensional surfaces in the home. The popular raised diamond motif, for example, which has surfaced on everything from vases to console doors, is especially dynamic in metallic finishes on sports canteens. Also, hammered looks in metal further distinguish cookware, with some luxe examples offered by the Italian company Ruffoni.

Patterns are more playful in tabletop and canisters, with signature polka dots and stripes channeling iconic brands like Kate Spade. And, of course, they're most buoyant in products especially suitable for outdoor entertaining. Brands like TarHong and French Bull cover the rainbow gamut, along with motifs in paisley, tropical, geometric, as well as frosted glass looks in bold hues. French Bull's patterned spatulas and utensils also brighten up kitchen counters. And that company took one of its signature zigzag patterns to dress pantry storage containers.

With cameras monitoring what's in the fridge (Samsung's newest pricy model; although you can purchase your own mini-camera to do the same), is it just a matter of time that we'll be able to track most everything in our homes, and signal what's run out directly to shopping lists on our smartphones?

Trend forecaster Tom Mirabile sees the future in more practical terms. Innovation, he says, no longer trickles down but gushes out. "The future is about convenience and anything that saves consumers time. This can be as high-tech as a robotic cleaning device or as low-tech as a food prep kit that is delivered to your door."

Sources

-- Alessi, 877-253-7749, www.alessi.com

-- Cuisinart, 800-726-0190, www.cuisinart.com

-- Debbie Meyer, www.debbiemeyercakecutters.com

-- Fagor, 800-207-0806, www.fagoramerica.com

-- Farberware, 800-809-7166, www.farberware.com

-- French Bull, 212-317-9646, www.frenchbull.com

-- Gourmia, 888-552-0033, www.gourmia.com

-- JK Adams, 866-362-4422, www.jkadams.com

-- Keurig, 866-901-2739, www.keurig.com

-- Le Creuset, 877-418-5547, www.lecreuset.com

-- Maker Homeware, 844-220-6441, www.makerhomeware.com

-- Maia Ming, www.maiamingdesigns.com

-- NutriMill, 800-692-6724, www.nutrimill.com

-- Peugeot, 877-777-5914, www.peugeot-saveurs.com

-- Pyrex, 800-999-3436, www.pyrexware.com

-- Ruffoni, an Italian brand under the umbrella of Meyer Corp., 800-888-3883, www.ruffoni.net

-- Sabatier, a French brand under the umbrella of Lifetime Brands Cutlery, 800-252-3390, www.sabatier-shop.com

-- Takeya, 714-374-9900, ext. 314, www.takeyausa.com

-- TarHong, 212-689-2710, www.tarhong.com

-- Tefal, 800-395-8325, www.tfal.com

-- Umbra, 800-387-5122, www.umbra.com

SIDEBAR

A Cut Above

Simplifying tasks stylishly is an underlying goal for some housewares manufacturers with an eye on design. A pizza cutter, for example, can be sleek, show off unexpected curves and fit elegantly into the hand. Alessi's newest fills the bill. A cake slicer should do the job without mangling the dessert. Debbie Meyers' design gives even those less skilled a boost. And even behind-the-door storage is best when conveniences, like lift-up handles, are added to stylish looks, as with Takeya's Freshlook containers.

(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com.)

Ah ... spring. When thoughts turn to the great outdoors and spending quality time chilling, grilling and entertaining.

And also ... daydreaming.

For starters, imagine your ideal outdoor space. It might be a fabulous resort, stretching out on a pristine white chaise longue with the Mediterranean blue as a brilliant backdrop. Or a foliage-framed jungle of a garden, where you've set up a rainbow-colored, festive fringed hammock for swinging or just lying still. Or a country garden, blooming with roses and hydrangeas on the edge of a patio outfitted with cozy seating -- outdoor wicker plumped with cushy pillows. Or a manicured bluestone terrace, framed by tall galvanized pots brimming with boxwood, the backdrop for a straight-lined, tailored sectional.

No matter what style you prefer, or what kind of landscape you can create (depending on size and budget), comfort remains the key to outdoor room design. It doesn't even matter how big the space is, because you can create ambience even on a condo balcony with ingredients as simple as an attractive, snug chair and some sort of side table for a margarita, guacamole and chips, or summer reading.

In terms of materials and choices in outdoor furnishings, there are improvements every year. Wicker and rattan looks have blossomed, with a wide range of specialty weaves, like herringbone, multitonal effects or even bolder striping, as well as open weaves that make even mega-scale pieces feel less bulky.

Upholstered wovens intrigue because the mesh-y "fabric" stretches like skin across frames, resulting in a crisp, clean-lined, contemporary look.

Powder-coated aluminum remains a top choice for a range of colors, in matte and high-gloss finishes. Besides seating, tables, planters and accessories such as trays add to the options for colorful accents. Outdoor stainless steel and other metals provide polished or rustic and weathered looks, sometimes hammered or grained to look like wood. Porcelain tabletops also offer a range of looks from stone to wood.

And teak (as well as other outdoor-friendly woods like ipe, mahogany and acacia) is by no means stagnant, especially strong in contemporary, with new styles of mid-century modern that appeals to those who embrace that style indoors. More weathered finishes (either distressed or smooth, driftwood-like surfaces) are opening the door to those who aren't as fond of the natural reddish tone of teak or are unsure about how it may silver and wear over time.

Wood combined with other materials, including wovens, metals and synthetic concrete, have enhanced design options.

While frames, styles and materials offer considerable ranges, textiles have perhaps been the biggest game-changers in the last few years. Sunbrella, Crypton and Outdura are instantly recognizable brands for performance fabrics, but so many fabric manufacturers have added outdoor components, you may be surprised at the kinds of sophisticated patterns that are available, from animal prints, paisleys and ikats to tropicals, bold cabana stripes and chevrons. Digital printing allows rich and subtle prints, like a watercolor hydrangea on a soft blue background called Bloom, from the high-end brand Donghia. In addition, throw pillows are huge, just as they are indoors, where they can change up or freshen upholstery.

Style leaders like Elaine Smith take their cues from fashion runways, so details such as pleating, weaving fabrics like ribbons, fancy buttons, braiding with frog clasps, hand-twisting for 3-D effects and chenille yarns for raised patterns are spot-on in trend. If the only investment you make this season is in pillows, it's well worth it, as they can instantly add sparks of color, life, a touch of whimsy or a theme that can be carried out in other accessories.

Rugs also lend a dynamic element, and the stain- and UV-resistant categories have such a wealth of good-looking styles that feel so much like softer indoor rugs that they're moving inside to sunrooms and family and dining areas.

If you're in the market for new furniture, be sure to come armed with measurements for your patio, roof deck or terrace. You might even photograph the space with your smartphone and share with on-site designers, especially in specialty shops, as they may guide you through selection.

Here are some tips to keep in mind.

-- Go bold. Choose a color or a pattern that makes a statement. It can be grand -- on a sofa, a chair, ottoman or pouf. Or small -- with an accessory like pillows, a lantern, melamine dinnerware or a planter.

-- Mix it up. More and more we're seeing two different materials combined in one piece: teak plus resin (even in color at West Elm), teak plus metal or even concrete-like synthetics. Or you can become your own mixologist by teaming stone, mosaic or synthetic concrete side tables, or porcelain planters, with teak or wovens.

-- Give me shelter. If you've got the space, there's an outdoor four-poster at Pottery barn that looks like a bed framed by a pergola, complete with canopy, framing curtains and even lanterns hung inside. Chairs or chairs and a half that are scoop for nesting or even those that cradle with hoods or canopies offer cool outdoor getaways.

-- Gray is the new beige. Just like indoors, gray is gaining traction in outdoor furniture. It goes with just about any color -- especially citron, mustard and hot pink -- and the green landscape pops behind it.

-- Try white. Nothing beats it for pristine style, especially with a modern profile, as in Restoration Hardware's new Marbella aluminum collection.

-- Get in the swing. From traditional gliders, like metal or a French country style wing in black matte powder-coated aluminum with a chunky natural-colored vinyl wave from Lloyd Flanders, to exotic hybrids (a hammock chair from CB2), these offer sheer retro enjoyment.

-- Have some fun. Outdoor poufs can add a playful touch -- especially when you choose a graphic pattern, such as starfish or octopi or giant coral. The puffy vinyl inflatable Air Flower chair in a hot fuchsia shade by Roche Bobois is like a sculptural, sheer beanbag.

-- Add warmth. For cool evenings, a fire table provides heat and a sizzling profile. There are many types of fire pits and bowls, and now cocktail tables with linear fire down the center. Some even come with covers to extend the surface when you're not using the fire feature.

-- Add water. Even if you don't have room for a pool or a pond, consider a water feature like an urn or a fountain with a recirculating pump. Some even have LED lights. Just the sound of trickling water is so soothing.

-- Layer in some lights. The verdict is still out on outdoor lamps -- table, floor, chandeliers. Some draw the line with this indoor-out feature, preferring the romance and glow of candles. With the burn-free variety, there's no mess or worry about the light being blown out by wind. Some light strands have decorative covers; others featuring Edison-like bulbs and the battery-operated mini LED strings so popular in cloches indoors during Christmas are finding their way outdoors, transforming the night garden on trees, umbrellas or pergolas. Lanterns also have escalated in popularity, offering a variety of materials and finishes, in stainless, rusted iron, black or powder-coated aluminum, from rustic to ethnic to sleek.

Once your new pieces are in place, settle in. Revel in the sun-kissed outdoors -- and the sheer bliss of daydreaming in your oasis all summer long.

Sources

-- CB2, 800-606-6252, www.cb2.com

-- Crate and Barrel, 800-967-6696, www.crateandbarrel.com

-- Elaine Smith, 561-863-3333, www.elainesmith.com

-- Fermob USA, 404-749-4749, www.fermob.com

-- Homecrest Outdoor Living, 218-631-1000, www.homecrest.com

-- Janus et Cie, 800-245-2687, www.janusetcie.com

-- Missoni Home, available at Mobili Mobel, 312-337-3444, www.missoni.com

-- OW Lee, 800-776-9533, www.owlee.com

-- Pottery Barn, 888-779-5176, www.potterybarn.com

-- RH, 800-762-1005, www.rh.com

-- Roche Bobois, 312-955-0275, www.roche-bobois.com/en

-- West Elm, 888-922-4119, www.westelm.com

(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com.)

As reliable as the first furls of foliage poking up from the soil, lawns awakening from winter slumber and trees leafing out, green is the surest sign of spring.

Get ready for a greening up of the interior landscape as well. Pink quartz and serenity may be the proclaimed Pantone colors of the year, but a verdant range of green is sooo money.

In January at the Paris Maison & Objet furnishings exposition, palm fronds dominated patterns trends. Why? There's the obvious exotic tropical appeal. But it's all about the green. Green velvet. Green leather. Moody inky tones. Rich emerald. Even that old standby, Kelly. Blue-based spruces are dialed down from teals. Lemon-based. A dash of olive. On sofas, chairs, lighting, housewares.

Fashion designers also are enamored. Green in spring collections include a grass offering at Dolce + Gabbana, a python trench coat from Burberry, lace from Gucci, suede pumps from Manolo Blahnik, agate rock candy bangle bracelets from Ippolita. There's also classic packaging: Think of the iconic Orange verte products from Hermes in the familiar emerald bottles, and a new woodsy fragrance from Armani called Vert Malachite, which comes in a bottle with the gem's characteristic swirly markings.

The trend is not surprising, says Ann Haagenson, divisional merchandise manager for Anthropologie. The retailer shows its fondness for the hue in a number of spring introductions for home decor.

"Green naturally evokes a sense of the season and new beginnings," says Haagenson. "It's been a long winter for some, so a nod to nature is especially welcome. There is an eagerness for positivity and hope, for the optimism that the color represents."

We've certainly seen it before. Just a few years back, malachite was all the rage and, like animal prints, that look never seems to fade.

"Malachite has become a decorator classic. The material -- and the color -- is popular in everything from bar gadgets to decorative accessories, even as the inspiration for wallpaper," Haagenson says. "It's inspiring in spite of its prevalence, especially when it appears in unexpected places like a malachite bench I saw in a solarium of Milan's Villa Necchi. It was striking, and a supreme example of luxury."

And then there's the sometimes kitschy, exuberant chartreuse or those tart lemon-limes that seem to pop up every summer. Still, this new planting of green seems richer, perhaps even a little more sophisticated and nuanced.

"Green is the new black," says interior designer Gary Lee, who also is at the helm of a curated furnishings collection in Chicago's Merchandise Mart.

"The greens we are using are dimensional, with undertones of black and/or gold, like one of our credenzas (for Atelier Gary Lee), which is in noir green," he says. "It relates depth, interest and warmth. When using green, textures are important to how the color works in palettes. There's something very soothing about the new greens. Something very elegant, yet natural."

When Miami designer Sam Robin created a bachelor's loft retreat as part of an Elle Decor magazine-sponsored Modern Life concept house during Art Basel/Design Miami in December, she was trying to bring the outside in. Situated in a 6,000-square-foot penthouse in the city's hip Wynwood Arts District, the condo featured a deck filled with lush plantings.

Also mindful of the artsy vibe, Robin married industrial chic -- using wallcovering that looked like exposed brick -- with style and elegance. Behind a bed, a stunning headboard that looked like a green-and-white agate slab was actually a printed-out version of the stone on aluminum board with layers of resin and sparkle to simulate the mineral, created by artist Alex Turco. Robin laced citrus hues throughout with furniture from Roche Bobois and small tables from Robicara, a company she co-owns.

"In Florida we do a lot of inside out, bringing nature in with incredible living walls. I am loving these greens," she says. "Two years ago I was traveling in India, and there was a scene with gorgeous grasses and women wearing identical grass green saris." The image stuck. Also a no-brainer in Robin's design: the integration of large-leaf foliage. And all the greens pop against the neutral grays.

Then again, certain shades of green may well substitute for gray.

"I love a gray-green that reads as a punchy taupe," says Haagenson. "This color works with both cool and warm tones."

Los Angeles-based designer Barbara Barry long has embraced greens as neutrals. In her launch of the new Milling Road for Baker Furniture, designer Kara Mann made some strong statements with seating in suedes and velvets, in a dark, moody shade she called "midnight green."

What to call some of these new greens is a challenge. While so many are just plain "greens," in Europe, some are referred to as "golf." There may be "grass," and then there's the familiar "forest" and "Caribbean." The kicky, saturated bright known as "Kelly," a preppy staple with navy that was especially popular in the 1970s, is back.

"Kelly green is a sporty sense of the color," says Haagenson. "It evokes fun and inspires energy."

Launching its new custom line of furniture, Anthropologie trotted out its ranges of colors in striking rows of the same chair silhouette.

Even the mention of certain colors elicits visceral reactions. For so long, avocado was one of those, forged in the context of kitchen appliances during an era that also included harvest gold. But the shade of avocado that you might see today is a little bit truer to the real fruit; it's just probably called "guacamole" or something else.

So how do you integrate some of the new greens?

Unless you are secure in bold choices, the brights probably are better in accent pieces, like a single statement chair or even a side table. The latter could be in a lacquer (emerald) or shagreen (sharkskin), or stone, either real or faux. A softer green is quiet enough to make a design dent; in an otherwise neutral scheme, it can be simply refreshing. Supplement it with a piece of art in the same shade. A landscape or abstract piece that may include a touch of metallic gold for sparkle also can introduce a verdant touch. If it's hung near a window or door overlooking a garden or trees, it really will make an impact.

Paint the walls -- or one feature wall. Or paper them in a bold green graphic or malachite, a chevron or stripe. Lucky clover stripes at WallPops from Brewster Home (www.wallpops.com) are affordable (recently $10.99 on Amazon) and are peel-and-stick, so you can remove them when you want to move on to something else.

Choose a pendant light that features green. Some glass and metal combinations are like jewelry.

If you don't want to make a huge commitment, try an accessory. Solid color pillows will pop, but patterns may add an artistic touch. One in printed linen at CB2 has a watercolor look that feels like a painting on a sofa or chair. Choose a pretty tray to organize small items on a cocktail table; textures can be welcome for subtlety. Check out beautiful boxes or trivets in agate or other stones, such as those by Anna New York (www.annanewyork.com). Utilize napkins, placemats and dinnerware. Or change out the pulls on a dresser or cabinet.

Of course, any live greenery imported into interiors transforms the space. Bunches of pale green hydrangeas, giant fronds or lacey asparagus ferns refresh. Vertical gardens have captured the imagination in recent years, and there's nothing like having fresh herbs at hand when you're cooking or grilling. At Williams-Sonoma, several styles of hanging containers are available. When the cells are filled, the contrasting foliage is like a living piece of art.

Then there's the once-ubiquitous wheatgrass, a favorite prop accessory for magazine stylists, in low, rectangular containers. Pop one of those on your dining table, and your friends will be green with envy.

Sources

-- Aerin Lauder, 866-647-3330, www.aerin.com

-- Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, www.anthropologie.com

-- Arper, 212-647-8900, www.arper.com

-- Atelier Gary Lee, 312-644-4400, www.ateliergarylee.com

-- CB2, 800-606-6252, www.cb2.com

-- Issey Miyake Home collection by Iittala at MoMa, 800-851-4509, www.momastore.org

-- L'Objet, 855-562-5388, www.l-objet.com

-- Lalique, 888-488-2580, www.lalique.com/en

-- Kara Mann/Milling Road, 800-592-2537, www.mr.bakerfurniture.com

-- Roche Bobois, 312-955-0275, www.roche-bobois.com/en

-- Sam Robin Design, 305-375-0727, www.samrobin.com

-- Vista Alegre, available at Michael C. Fina, 800-289-3462, www.michaelcfina.com; www.vistaalegre.com

-- Williams-Sonoma, 877-812-6235, www.williams-sonoma.com

(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com.)