Oh, those millennials. While they might not have the deeper pockets of baby boomers, they most certainly are influencing the gizmos, gadgets and small appliances that are winning the hearts and dollars of the housewares industry.

"Influencing" is a key word here. Because so much of what is trending plays out in social media -- on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest -- more and more manufacturers are tuning in. In fact, influencers are beginning to snag major partners, like Gemma Stafford, host of "Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking" (with Good Cook). This also is happening in home furnishings, with product line launches. And now, with mobile video potential, just wow.

Spiralizers? Curly ribbons of veggies? Fun. InstaPot. Yes! Love all those functions in one. Craft beer making? Cheers! Fermenting? Natural probiotic. The best portable clothes washer in the world. Wait, what?

So, there have always been gadgets, designed perhaps to make our lives easier (but also claim lots of space and eventually get lost in our kitchen drawers). With "avocado hand" so much in the news (to wit, "The View's" Joy Behar's emergency room visit because she stabbed her hand while slicing an avocado), the facilitators are getting touted. Some split, pit and slice. Some professionals may roll their eyes.

But earnest innovators will not shrivel. The corner at the International Housewares Show held each spring in Chicago is filled with hopefuls. Some present their inventions in "Shark Tank"-like venues. And when they've made it (sometimes even with a real "Shark Tank" backer, such as Lori Greiner), they're shown off in a special exhibitor section along with other "as seen on TV" products. Success is spelled HSN and Bed, Bath and Beyond. One introduction this year was a container with a lock, devised to deter food thieves in the workplace.

Eating healthy and cooking with fresh ingredients has triggered a renewed interest in growth herbs and veggies. The Aspara Smart Veggie Grower, from Hong Kong's Growgreen Ltd., features LED grow lights and 10 smart sensors to detect air and water temperature, relative humidity, and water and nutrient levels. It will alert you when the reservoir needs filling. At the biannual EuroCucina show in Milan, one strong trend was the integration of plants in the kitchen, often on long shelves with integrated LEDs above islands.

Steaming, air frying and sous vide cooking (cooking in water in a vacuum sealed bag) have been the beneficiaries of the healthy trend, which in Milan went beyond countertop to sous vide built-ins. Wolf's new multifunction cooker has a sous vide function. And the crazy success of InstaPot has led to serious competition with rice makers that dish yogurt, saute, bake, roast, stew, steam and slow cook. According to the NPD market research group, in the 12 months prior to December 2017's holiday shopping spree, U.S. shoppers had spent nearly $380 million on multicookers.

Gourmia one-upped its own range of multicookers with a new feature: keeping ingredients cool until you're ready to cook. The ad's message: "It cools. It cooks. So you can chill." The cooker is IoT-integrated ("internet of things") with the Gourmia mobile app for anywhere-control, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa compatibility, and A.I. to control cooking from anywhere at anytime.

Another huge introduction comes from a company called Frigondas. It's a Spanish-designed, Korean-made product that combines flash freezing with microwave technology, previously only available commercially at costs of up to $50,000. The name actually comes from the Spanish "frigorifico" (refrigerator) plus "microondas" (microwave).

The piece looks like a slick microwave, a black-matte box on small, squarish feet, with a single dial. When it's available, it will sell for about $1,000. You can freeze blast raspberries and watermelon, then defrost them, and they reportedly taste as fresh as if they just came from the farmer's market. Defrosting minimizes evaporation while maintaining taste, shape and texture. Want a cold brew from that warm six pack you just brought home? Six minutes.

And a Belgian company called Sanodegusto boasts plates that keep food warm or cool for 30 minutes. Their TempControl does the trick, heating to 131 degrees Fahrenheit and chilling to 39 degrees.

Always a hot topic in cookware is a practical one: how best to store it. To that end, a number of manufacturers like Farberware have perfected nesting solutions. The Neat Nest rests pans and lids snugly using an interlocking handle system, creating a small footprint.

Color also continues to be a big story in cookware (the best way to spice up white kitchens), and one of the freshest introductions is a shade of green called basil. It was introduced as part of the Ayesha Curry Home Collection for Meyer. Curry took her cue from last year's Pantone Color of the Year, Greenery. The cookbook author and Food Network personality, who is expecting her third child with her husband, NBA star Steph Curry, announced in June that she will host a new show called "Family Food Fight" for ABC, where families will compete for $100,000.

Le Creuset's newest color evokes Provence in lavender. A limited-edition companion au gratin dish and Dutch oven called Applique actually features sprays of the aromatic herb lavender that look hand-painted. There also are mini cocottes with flower knobs in pale yellow, lavender and pink.

As in home furnishings, Scandinavian-influenced pastels have become a force in housewares -- utensils that pair wood and silicone tips, dinnerware, insulated water bottles and even small appliances (such as ice blue toasters at Smeg, or blue-green air fryers from Dash).

And all-blue hues have been popular in furnishings, tableware and housewares, often in allover patterns reminiscent of vintage tiles, like those from Casafina. And while we may expect watercolor looks, stripes and polka dots on ironing board covers, it is startling in toasters. The fashion brand Dolce and Gabbana dressed toasters, espresso and juice makers, with hand-painting of traditional Sicilian motifs in a bold palette in its Sicily is My Love collaboration with Smeg.

Even one of the most familiar brands, Thermos, has jazzed up its solid hue offerings with a colorful collection of beverage and food containers with lively color and patterns in a co-branding with Patina Vie.

Warm metallics remain popular, just as they are in interiors. In cookware, handsome teamings -- like Staub's black-matte cast iron with gold knobs -- spell elegance. Copper cookware (both smooth and hammered) is strengthening, and copper also is being used as contrast -- e.g., tops and knobs on Gotham Steel's air fryer. To celebrate the 100th birthday of design legend Achille Castiglioni, Alessi produced a limited edition (999) of his 1995 footed fruit bowl in gleaming copper with stainless steel colander. In a burnished finish, copper lends a quiet, elegant touch to a salt and pepper grinder from Epare.

Of course, balancing all the bright silicone and shiny metallics is wood, from light to dark finishes, with a variety of handsome utensils, cutting and cheese boards, and trivets.

A growing number of utilitarian products are getting style points because of their form as well as their color. The Dutch company Brabantia is known for clean lines -- especially its simple, tall cylinders to hold trash -- in a range of appealing colors. Its newest model is a standout (literally) as it stands up from the floor on straight black legs. Available in red and yellow, as well as a warm gray and black, it's advertised with the tag line: "Make Waste Beautiful."

Some inspirations come from existing popular products. Debra Walker, for example, eyed the Keurig coffeemaker and daydreamed about how cool it would be to create a cocktail equivalent. That's how Bibo Barmaid was launched. A packet, a liquor and a touch of a lever are all you need for faves like mai tais, rum punch and margaritas.

An easy way to pass Mixology 101.

Sources

-- Aggcoddler, www.aggcoddler.com

-- Alessi, 877-842-2224, www.alessi.com

-- Arte Legno, www.artelegnodesign.com

-- Aspara, info@aspara.hk, www.aspara.hk

-- Ayesha Curry Kitchenware, 888-383-0738, www.ayeshacurrykitchenware.com

-- Bibo Barmaid, 888-827-2426, www.bibobarmaid.com

-- Brabantia, 201-933-3192, www.brabantia.com

-- Casafina, 845-277-5700, www.casafinagifts.com

-- Dash, available (in color shown) at Amazon, www.amazon.com; other colors at Bed, Bath and Beyond, www.bedbathandbeyond.com, and Target, www.target.com

-- Epare, www.epare.com

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

-- KitchenAid, 800-541-6390, www.kitchenaid.com

-- Kuhn Rikon, 855-840-3724, www.kuhnrikonshop.com

-- Maia Ming Designs, info@maiamingdesigns.com, www.maiamingdesigns.com

-- Outset from Fox Run Brands, 800-372-0700, www.foxrunbrands.com

-- Prime Time Petz, 214-257-8068, www.primetimepetz.com

-- Smeg/Dolce and Gabbana, available at Neiman Marcus, 888-888-4757, www.smeg.com; www.neimanmarcus.com

-- Thermos, 844-431-1995, www.thermos.com

-- Wolf Gourmet Products, 800-222-7820, www.subzero-wolf.com

Just when you thought streamlining, mid-century modern or minimalist style rules in decor today, here comes the polar opposite:

Maximalism is back.

In a big way.

"A state of excess has taken hold in the interior design world," says Bethanne Matari, a spokesman for lighting and furnishings manufacturer Currey and Company. It's "a layered style peppered with the offbeat, which some may compare to Aladdin's cave. Maximalism is not about clutter or hoarding, but about curated collections and displaying the things that make us happy. Rich color, embellished walls, vintage brass, gilding, flowers, antique rugs and flashes of red are all elements of the style, along with a mix of materials and patterns."

At the highly revered trendsetting Salone del Mobile exposition in Milan, there was color -- lots of it -- as well as pattern. Retro prints and lush florals on walls setting off sleek kitchens and baths. They were even on appliances, on furniture, inside furniture, on lampshades and on floors -- either solo or in modern patchwork mashups.

At the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, which just completed its May run in Manhattan, a spectacular staircase channeled Memphis (a 1980s furniture collective framed around blazing color, pattern and bold shapes) in a riot of pattern on walls and custom carpeting, designed by Sasha Bikoff. Ceilings in many rooms often enjoyed their own decorative spotlight. And that also was true at the Hillside Designer Show House in Greensboro, North Carolina, this year.

In Milan, fashion brand Etro's home collection featured its signature paisley, especially striking on a fabric-covered cabinet. Dutch designer Marcel Wanders' Globe Trotter collection for Roche Bobois was riveting in explosive patterns -- graphic and nostalgic at the same time. And you couldn't take your eyes off of the packaging for his new fragrance collection for Alessi, as you breathed in the delectable aromas.

The delightful fashion brand La Double J, known for its vintage prints, launched additions to its dinnerware line and introduced a smashing collection with Kartell, pairing its vintage-inspired fabrics with Kartell's signature clear and colored plastic furniture.

The Italian fashion brand Dolce and Gabbana added to its boldly patterned collection of limited-edition hand-painted refrigerators (and small appliances) for Smeg. Among the new pieces were a range and stove hood, as well as a new model fridge in a blue-and-white majolica pattern. And Alessandro Mendini created a showstopper for the Japanese company Sanwa: a simple cabinet with rounded corners and artistic geometry, painted in citrus shades -- with a micro kitchen inside, including a sink and cooktop.

Even at the spring High Point, North Carolina, biannual furniture market, maximalism showed up big time, with a collection at Maitland-Smith celebrating the late, legendary Tony Duquette. It was designed with Hutton Wilkinson, current president of Tony Duquette Inc., and a collaborator for more than 25 years. Considered the father of maximalism, Duquette's work is over the top, with stunning surface decorations like malachite, lots of gilt and materials like abalone, pen shell, coral, rock crystal, bronze and lapis lazuli, which were used to handcraft the accessories and furniture in the new collection (www.maitland-smith.com).

If you're thinking '80s excess ... well, OK! It took on many forms. Like the layering of florals in English country style, popularized by Mario Buatta, dubbed "the prince of chintz," and the modern, playful Memphis.

Ettore Sottsass and the group of designers behind the Memphis design movement, were known for explosive patterns in modern patchworks on laminate from the Italian company Abet Laminati. Furniture, ceramics, glass and metalwork originals are highly collectible at the online marketplace 1stdibs and featured in shows like The Collective in New York. A small group were on display in a Soho popup called Rachel's Dreamhouse during New York's design week in May. The walk-up loft space was full of Memphis spirit, starting with alternating brightly hued stairs.

For Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke, the gents behind the Madcap Cottage label and authors of "Prints Charming: Create Absolutely Beautiful Interiors with Prints and Patterns" (Harry N. Abrams, $35), it's about time. They've been evangelizing their brand of maximalism for a while, with several licensed furnishings collections. Their pattern-on-pattern treatments are equal opportunity, a symphony throughout their own home in High Point, where they live what they preach.

"It's so exciting to see this across the board -- from Gucci to Lilly Pulitzer at Pottery Barn," says Nixon. "It's really trickling down -- in fashion at H and M, on sneakers and handbags. Go into a Calico Corners (fabric store) and there's an explosion of prints and patterns from florals to graphics, Justina Blakeney boho to Thom Filicia. It's not just the playground of the 1 percent any more."

No doubt, there will always be the lovers -- and the haters -- of disparate styles. Pick a lane: Mies van der Rohe's "Less is more" mantra or architect Robert Venturi's maxim "More is more. Less is a bore."

"There's always some kind of maximalist movement going on," says Cecil Adams, vice president and creative director for Currey and Co. "Color makes people happier. It's uplifting. Chinoiserie, Hollywood Regency, the whole boho thing. In a way, it's sort of social, too. For someone who wants to embrace a lot of things, being bold in his/her own look. Like a Diana Vreeland red room. Those looks are never really off of the radar. They just send a stronger signal sometimes."

Jason Oliver Nixon loves to quote Mae West: "It is better to be looked over than overlooked."

"Who wants to be a shrinking violet?" he asks. His own mantra is: "Go big or go home." The Madcap Cottage book is a primer in putting patterns together.

So you think you can be a maximalist?

It all depends on your visual tolerance. If you loathe visual noise, maximalism to the max is not for you. But there are degrees. You can have a lot of stuff in a space and not feel, well, suffocated.

Consider, for example, going monochromatic. Keep it all in shades of blush, or your fave blue. Mix up textures, and choose accessories accordingly. It can be easy on the eyes.

Layer it. Pattern on pattern can look amazing when the prints are compatible in color and somewhat in scale. Go lush with artwork and accessories as well. As Nixon says, "Our living room may seem like too much at first, but it's really inviting."

Limit it. You don't have to totally commit to the overindulgent. Choose a statement pattern -- a wallcovering or a piece of furniture that's more flamboyant than your comfort zone. Actually, the maximalist-minimalist combo is an amazingly strong one, too. Keep everything else quiet, with simple lines and a carefully chosen "piece de resistance" for pop.

Decorate with your heart. Says Matari: "Each room should include the unexpected and tell the story of our lives, our travels and childhood, or any moment that defines who we are and how we live. With all the woes of today, it is nice to hunker down into a cozy room surrounded by what we love."

Sources

-- Sasha Bikoff, 646-524-5941, www.sashabikoff.com

-- Currey & Co. 877-768-6428, www.curreycodealers.com

-- Etro, www.etro.com/en_us

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

-- Kartell, 212-966-6665, www.kartell.com/us

-- La Double J, www.ladoublej.com

-- Madcap Cottage, 917-675-4004, www.madcaptcottage.com

-- Moroso, 212-334-7222, www.moroso.it

-- Barbara Ostrom Associates, 201-529-0444, www.barbaraostrom.com

-- Seletti, 646-484-5606, www.seletti.us

-- Smeg, 212-265-5378, www.smegusa.com

-- Roche Bobois, 212-889-0700, www.roche-bobois.com

-- The Rug Company, 646-713-1209, www.therugcompany.com/us-en

-- Voutsa, www.voutsa.com

-- Nievera Williams, 561-659-2820, www.nieverawilliams.com

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

-- Effeti, www.effeti.com,

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