There are interior designers who shudder at the word "trend," dismissing it as conceptual spam. Yet, sometimes they inevitably are caught up in it with a proposal that just happens to fall squarely into the prevailing design zeitgeist, whether in color, style, pattern, material or attitude.

Tracking trends is a major global business, touching on every aspect of design. It embraces the home, kitchen and bath, surfaces, paint, textiles, wallcoverings, furnishings, garden and outdoor spaces, automobiles and even food. Everything from fragrances and makeup (scents, colors and packaging), the retail experience and shoppers' habits are tracked and analyzed for the next big thing that bloggers will rhapsodize about as soon as it is introduced.

Internet accessibility and social media have expanded the base of available information and ideas, as well as measuring what connects with consumers. Accordingly, their buying habits contribute to profiles of what is going on currently and what lies ahead in the months and years to come.

One of the most impactful arbiters is the Pantone Color Institute. Pantone color is a universally understood language, used by everyone from graphic artists to auto designers, and its forecast of groups of hues that will prevail is made two years out. It's the source of the much buzzed about Pantone Color of the Year (Ultraviolet for 2018), although paint companies and many others now launch their own stars. While the selections sometimes stir debate (like the color Marsala, a few years back), the influence is so pervasive, that once announced, you seem to see the hue everywhere. It even surfaced in a garden trend report that showed purple foods gaining traction.

Advertising agency JWT Global identifies emerging trends in lifestyle, tech, health, culture, food and wine, and retail throughout each year. Among recent topics: how the internet of things is shifting to the internet of eyes and voice. To wit: the iPhone X facial recognition for unlocking the phone, and Google-owned Nest's Cam IQ with built-in facial recognition to distinguish family members and strangers. Voice tech now is available in TVs, toasters, lamps and even a talking waste bin displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2017. At EuroCucina, a massive biennial kitchen show in Milan, Bosch showed off Mykie (short for "my kitchen elf"), a robot you can talk to, which has a built-in projector that can screen recipes on your kitchen wall.

On a smaller scale, the Garden Media Group, based in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, follows trends that affect the home landscape, interior plantscaping, health and growing food. There's actually a science associated with a new look at purple foods -- antioxidants or anthocyanins, which are health-promoting chemicals that help protect cells, reduce inflammation and lower the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Some trends overlap -- in home design, the term "wabi-sabi" is used to describe interiors that are a little serendipitous. There's a movement in garden to adapt this Japanese practice of embracing imperfection -- especially not obsessing about weeds, deadheading flowers or perfect lawns.

Each year, those who travel to Heimtextil, an international textile exhibition at Messe Frankfurt in Germany, look forward to the annual trend report. This year's theme was Urban Space, and one of the conclusions of the research is that though the world is becoming more urban, its city inhabitants are becoming more nomadic. Millennials, in particular, are delaying the time when they put down roots and changing homes, cities, countries -- and jobs -- more than ever. This trend, along with one to smaller living spaces, makes modular design most desirable because of its flexibility.

At last month's EuroCucina, many of the kitchen displays focused on modular components, sliding counters and pocket doors, which could even hide full kitchens. A mix of materials that more closely resemble furniture showed a clearer connection to the rest of the house for a more homelike look.

Another urban trend identified by the NellyRodi agency, which has offices in Paris, Tokyo and New York, is urban farms springing up between city buildings. One near Paris is in a chateau formerly occupied by a toothpaste factory, attracting those interested in agri-food practices, co-working spaces, shared kitchens and chefs in residence.

NellyRodi also identifies an emerging experiential trend in retail. In London, for example, John Lewis has created a fully furnished in-store apartment called The Residence. Customers can even spend a night -- with private use of the space from 6:30 p.m. to 9 a.m., including an hour of private shopping time and a catered dinner, if desired.

The popular Pinterest platform, where consumers post their favorites images in multiple categories, has its own Top Trends to Try in 2018, backed by global data. Included in travel are one-day vacays, desert escapes and living la vida local -- i.e., getting authentic experiences in non-touristy neighborhoods. In the home, large-scale wall art, statement ceilings and mixed metals are among the popular votes.

Michelle Lamb, director of the Trend Curve, has been traveling the globe to spot new directions for 30-some years. On her radar: "A return to tradition," a neo-traditional movement that she says will appeal to millennials who may be starting to settle down with a home and children. "Art Deco continues to build. Its lines are just as clean as mid-century modern, which now is mainstream, rather than trend." At the same time, Lamb sees a countertrend of maximalism.

In palette, Lamb has reported from Maison and Objet on pink morphing into a neutral, and warm reds like Bordeaux emerging with nuances of other reds. A move to more earthy looks and a definite new wave of American West and Southwest appears to be on the horizon. Additionally, "space is a big consideration for a lot of people," so modular furnishings and multifunctional pieces will be in demand.

So what to do with all the trends? Don't be seduced by current fashions -- unless that Ultraviolet really is a personal fave. Whether it's color, style of a chair, you can't really go wrong if you buy what you like.

Sources

-- Ellie Cashman, 401-335-0683, www.elliecashmandesign.com/us

-- French Heritage, 800-245-0899, www.frenchheritage.com

-- Effeti, www.effeti.com,

-- Hannabi, www.hannabisofa.hu

-- Normann Copenhagen, www.normann-copenhagen.com

-- Roche Bobois, www.roche-bobois.com

-- Sanwa, info.sanwacompany.co.jp/en

-- Scavolini, 212-219-0910, www.scavoliniusa.com

Besides warming weather and blooming landscapes, the best thing about spring is refreshing. That is taking stock -- of your closet, your wardrobe, your house -- and thinking "reboot."

This is especially important outdoors, where you hope to spend much time grilling, entertaining or just being a lounge lizard. But besides amping up your sangria game or finding a new fave craft beer, take a gander at the furniture. One dramatic piece can make all the difference. You've got plenty of options.

Last fall at the Casual Furniture Market in Chicago, outdoor furniture manufacturers introduced much of what you'll see in retail stores this spring and summer. And along with products from European shows in Paris and Milan, you'll spot a wealth of trends.

Tops among those: duplicating what works indoors. Like bar carts, and double-duty pieces, such as chaises with shelves or side tables with extra-high storage for stacking pillows not in use. Sideboards and consoles, some with built-in ice buckets. Motion furniture, though not just gliders, swings and swivels. Actual recliners -- Klaussner debuted a power model one in a weave that works by remote.

In addition, we're seeing increasingly clever use of materials, including pairings that add immeasurably to the design -- like colorful porcelain tables with teak tops at Gloster. Porcelain tops that double for stone, in beautiful slab-like installations on long tables. Here again, Gloster introduced a dining table in a beautiful matte black finish with subtle white veining.

The idea of mixed media is playing out more and more, and that overused buzzword, "eclectic" (still the best catchall that everybody gets), has been ingrained outdoors. Take style notes here: Try to go beyond the suite for sweeter options. This is one reason small drink tables, garden stools and poufs have taken off -- they come in fireclay, concrete, metal, wood -- in modern looks with colors and patterns that lend personality. Blend materials in one grouping and ground it with a striking rug, just like a well-designed interior.

Who better than the "Million Dollar Decorator" to show you how? Martyn Lawrence Bullard designed a few outdoor collections for Frontgate, and the debuting examples look like a million.

"I work with clients that have a 'sky's the limit' attitude and know great design when they see it," says Bullard. "It's most important, for me, to have my personality stamped in every item. What we are doing is injecting that personality, that design into a very curated collection that can take high design to millions of homes."

For Bullard, it's every bit about comfort as it is style. "I really love to be outdoors sitting on indoor furniture," he says. "I want that luxury. I want that depth. I want that comfort."

Of course, there are Moroccan notes, whose signature geometric motifs often appear in Bullard's work, like tile for Ann Sacks and wallcovering for Cole and Sons.

"Moroccan design is having a bit of a moment," he says. "Big graphic fabrics in black and white, intricate tile work tabletops, variegated antique nickel hand-hammered finishes and geometric shapes of the Holland lantern (part of the collection) all spring out of my love for (Morocco's) influence.

Although there is much rooted in tradition, and even with materials, like metal and wicker looks, Bullard also imagined a modern grouping called Sloane, especially powerful in white. He teams the white powder-coated stainless steel seating with comfortable upholstered pieces and a touch of weathered wood for balance.

White furniture frames continue to attract attention, dramatic in all-white or set off with bold fabrics in colors or patterns that pop, as well as teak. Michael Vanderbyl's collection for JANUS et Cie has simple lines, and the teak grid insets are classic.

But look out for matte black or the deepest charcoal. As it is with interior furnishings as well as dinnerware, the no-sheen black is emerging as a striking tour de force. Barclay Butera's newest chair for Castelle Luxury embraces classic style, with a bit of Hollywood glam.

Woven looks still are robust, with some dynamic examples in media you wouldn't expect. At RH, for example, a new collection by Toan Nguyen features a bold weave of wood. It hits all the style points: large-scale and a weathered, driftwood-y finish.

Wicker weaves remain in vogue with tonal geometrics adding interest, and you'll also find them in traditional and modern shapes.

Rope and string offer another stylish counterpoint, especially in tandem with upholstery. A new sofa from Palecek called Avila has a teak frame and a woven frame with a grid pattern. The gray weave is set off with white upholstery.

Comfort, of course, remains key, especially evidenced by a lot of deep seats and modular sectionals with plenty of length for stretching out. There are plush chenille upholsteries, but no more luxurious covers than leather. At Maison and Objet in January, visitors were raving about the slouchy slipcover-look sofa and inviting chairs at the Italian brand Baxter. Performance fabrics continue to amaze, but this outdoor leather, especially in a fetching indigo-denim shade, stood out from the crowd.

In addition to outstanding performance fabrics, look to outdoor rugs for a bump up in technology. Brands like Tai Ping, Doris Leslie Blau and Perennials are among those that offer plush rugs that are wool lookalikes. And Liora Manne's new painterly rug, which looks like drops of pale-hued watercolor, is art underfoot.

Fire tables have far from flamed out. With more consideration to the tables, manufacturers are focusing on shapes and materials to set them apart. And lanterns have become more relevant -- as small architectural accents and mood setters -- either by real candlelight or a lookalike flickering with battery-operated pillars.

At Crate and Barrel, one pillar even has a timer to automatically turn off in five hours and relight at the same time each day.

For many, styling an outdoor space is getting a boost from Instagram, Pinterest and shelter publications for leads. Whatever style you fancy for your outdoor nest, it soon will be time to head for the most comfortable lounge out of the house. Let's get this summer party started!

Sources

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

-- Baxter, at DDCNYC, 212-685-0800, www.baxter.it

-- Castelle, 855-612-9800, www.castelleluxury.com

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

-- Exteta, through Bradley Terrace, info@bradleyterrace.com; www.exteta.it/en

-- Fermob, www.fermob.com/en

-- Frontgate, 888-263-9850, www.frontgate.com

-- Gloster, 434-202-5521, www.gloster.com

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

-- Liora Manne, 212-989-2732, www.lioramanne.com

-- O.W. Lee, 800-776-9533, www.owlee.com

-- Palecek, 800-274-7730, www.palecek.com

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

-- Woodard, 800-877-2290, www.woodard-furniture.com

Both floors and ceilings often are referred to as the fifth wall. But what's on the floor has more gravitas in the design scheme. Rugs can warm and complete a space. They can draw the eye as a focal point, with texture, color and pattern, potentially creating a major impact. And the best designs are so much like art, you almost hate to walk on them.

At international shows, in showrooms and in galleries, you do get a better sense of the rug as art, as very large examples are hung dramatically on walls or displayed prominently on static or movable wings. Like a painting or textile art, it is easier to appreciate this way, stepping back from it and then leaning in to absorb the weave and pattern, especially their subtleties.

One of the most talked about introductions at Maison and Objet in Paris was a collection by Juan Montoya by Stepevi. A showstopping rug called Moon Island is rich in geometry, intersecting and layering circles with extraordinary depth, matte and sheen, some with an almost lacey overlay.

Much of the beauty at the high end of rug design can be attributed to the marriage of Old World tradition and modern thought and technology, as well as new ideas about materials and how to use them. Besides wool, which can range in quality depending on its lanolin content, silk, the silk-like synthetic viscose, cashmere, linen, hemp and even metallic threads may be woven in.

"We revere the history, which goes back hundreds and hundreds of years," says Shea Soucie, principal with partner Martin Horner in the Chicago-based design firm Soucie Horner. In 2012, they launched Shiir with purveyor Oscar Isberian. "We don't want to simply recreate. We want to innovate. That's why we embroider, we oxidize, we mix materials. We take the best of tradition and then use it as the basis of something new."

Designers like Soucie and Horner, who visit some of those tradition-rich rug factories in Nepal, Turkey and India, come away with a better appreciation for the craft -- as well as inspiration for what is possible.

For a time, worn rugs overdyed in brilliant hues such as teal, emerald, cobalt and magenta were trending. Some of the threadbare rugs are repurposed vintage; others are simply distressed to appear well-aged with desirable "patina." This look especially suits boho style and resonates with a younger audience, who appreciate the modernity of bold colors on traditional motifs.

As in furniture trends, a modern aesthetic has gained followers. Now some of those faded looks actually are woven into the rug itself, creating the feeling of a fresco painting, watercolor, a photographic image that's barely there, or a pattern with an ethereal or misty quality, like a veil of fog. In a new collection for Tai Ping, from a distance, one rug reads as a solid coral red. But close up, there's movement, in fact, inspired by an urban landscape. At nanimarquina, the Shade collection takes its palette from the sunrise and sunset, in an ombre effect on a wool flat weave.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are rugs startling in their realism, like a larger-than-life dark-ground floral from fashion designer Alexander McQueen (Sarah Burton has been at the helm of the brand since McQueen's death in 2010), for The Rug Company. The bouquet seems to jump out of the rug's center. Some imagery is the result of photography and digital technology that provide patterns for weavers.

And to suit mid-century modern and emerging art deco decor, graphic geometrics have never been more robust. At cc tapis, a new collection was inspired by an 1884 novella that explores dimensions as if they communicated with one another, with a graphic of overlapping geometries.

Other modern rugs are like sophisticated patchworks or samplers, including Italian architect Piero Lissoni's Hunua, which mixes solids and patterns like herringbone, and German designer Sebastian Herkner's linear planes with gridded checkerboards for The Rug Company.

In the past, lush thick rugs were considered the creme de la creme, and in antique rugs, thread counts are coveted -- the more per square inch, the finer. Though thread counts still are quoted, there are many factors that translate to value. It can take thousands of hours to weave small portions, so lead times can range up to six months for some custom rugs.

"A lot of people equate thickness with luxury, but that misses the mark," says Soucie." What's luxurious to you might be a high-pile cashmere rug; what's luxurious to me might be a thin, flat, oxidized silk rug. Thickness is not a barometer of luxury.

"From our perspective, a luxurious rug results from two things: the artistry and the soul that comes from a handweaver who learned his craft at the knee of his parents and grandparents."

Mixing yarns and threads adds nuance and luster, as do pile variations. Soucie says that she and Martin actually lead with fiber instead of design. "We take cashmere or silk and play with it. How does it move? How does it respond to light? What's its sheen and its hand? Once we've explored the inherent qualities of a fiber, only then do we begin to think about design and how we can create a pattern that best exploits those qualities. That results in rugs that truly are, as we like to say, art underfoot."

Nature still is probably the go-to muse, whether it's a landscape, a river stream or Cotswold moss or the sky -- sunrise, sunset and the constellations.

Colombian-born Juan Montoya, a highly regarded modernist who has had a design practice in New York since the 1970s, developed a collection around the moon. "I love circles," says the interior designer. "I love geometry. So the moon was inspiration -- contemplating it at different times of the day, and how it moves, as well as the constellation of the universe. Just a shift in colors and sheen gives the carpets extraordinary depth."

Artists also have inspired rug design. One pattern in Larry Hokanson's Istorii collection features a rich art nouveau motif. It's a homage to Gustav Klimt, whose shimmery paintings sometimes had touches of gold leaf. Hokanson was captivated when he saw the works at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he was a student.

As with art, rugs can be a powerful tour de force in a room's design.

"Rugs are very important," says Montoya. "Not as an object by itself. It's a composition that integrates architecture and interior design and decoration. And yes, it can be hung as a tapestry."

"We always encourage designers to begin with the rug," says Soucie. "It's a natural starting point because it is, after all, the foundation of a room. When you're talking about a completely handmade custom product, you've got to allow enough lead time for it to be woven. It's so worth the wait in every way. There's really nothing like a rug that's uniquely suited for a particular room."

True luxury.

Sources

-- cc tapis, www.cc-tapis.com

-- Edelgrund, www.edelgrund.com; website is under construction, contact info@edelgrund.com

-- Golran, available through Moroso, New York, 212-334-7222, www.golran.com

-- Hokanson Inc., 616-954-3200, www.scottgroupstudio.com

-- nanimarquina, 646-701-7058, www.nanimarquina.com

-- Soucie Horner, 312-775-0202, www.souciehorner.com

-- Stark, 844-407-8275, www.starkcarpet.com

-- Stepevi, 212-466-0400, www.stepevi.com

-- Tai Ping, 212-979-2233, www.houseoftaiping.com

-- The Rug Company, 646-762-0701, www.therugcompany.com