Every year, I'm excited to hit the aisles of the McCormick Center to suss out the hot color story at the Home & Housewares show. Last year, green ruled the roost, in 2010, somewhat surprisingly, it was a very grape-y purple and in 2009, a range of dark, deep autumnal shades were the leading edge. This time around I focused in on just tabletop items and the direction is an interesting one...looks like we're going gray! More

I just got in from the Home & Housewares show and, as usual, it was big, bustling and filled to the brim with gadgets galore. I have plenty of trend and product posts to share with you over the next few days as I pull the pics from my camera and get the coverage underway, but I had to get this news up immediately - one of my all time favorite products is back! More

One of my favorite destinations at the Home & Housewares show each year is the Pantone Color Watch exhibit. The Pantone color experts and forecasters put together palettes that they feel will represent the trends that will be influential in the coming year in the world of home goods. Curious about what might be on the horizon for color palettes NEXT year? Jump below to check out some of Pantone's predictions: More

For those who love the smell of cedar in their closet and hope chests (and really, who doesn't?), then the FSC-certified cedar products from Creative Organization are the way to go. Naturally absorbant and repellant to insects, they're one of the only FSC-certified household cedar products on the market. More

These lovely bamboo lacquered bowls and serveware by French company Bibol are painted with VOC- and solvent-free paint, and are made in Vietnam by expert craftsmen.

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By this point you would think I'd have heard of every possible green cleaner out there. But I'd never heard of Canadian-based Nellie's, with their cute vintage packaging. Have I been living under a rock? Having never tried the products in person, I can't lay claim to their effectiveness, but I definitely liked their new (and reusable) metal tin packaging. More

One of the more interesting items I spotted at the Home & Housewares show were these unusual hybrid table linens. They come on a roll and are a very thin cotton fabric napkin, perforated to allow you to tear them off as needed... More

This year's Housewares Show featured at least 5 companies claiming smarter, more sustainable baking and cookware, including PFOA-free non-stick skillets, carbon-neutral stainless steel pans, and low-emission ceramic bakeware. More

Why do one function when you can do two... or more? That seemed to be the mantra behind many of the home appliances I saw at Housewares, particularly the humidifiers. Like the Tribest Humio Humidifier and Night Lamp, the Tom humidifier from Swizz Style is also an "air washer." Large rotating discs filter up to 50% of small to medium-sized particles out of the air, while at the same time achieving a humidifying capacity of 3.5 gallon per day—and all on only 19 watts of power!

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I'm used to seeing beautiful designs when I go to tradeshows — attending the big furniture fairs is a crash course in the contemporary aesthetic and high end, cutting edge loveliness. Home & Housewares is the more practical side of the coin; for the most part it's about things that have to perform well, not just look pretty. But that doesn't mean that both design needs can't be met… More