6 Home Trends to Watch — and Shop! — from the 2021 Field + Supply Fair

If you’ve never been to Field + Supply, think of it as an open-air market where you can discover and purchase all sorts of handmade and small batch home, clothing, jewelry, and personal care goods. The brainchild of interior designer and entrepreneur Brad Ford, the bi-annual fair — which has the picturesque Hudson River as its backdrop — happened earlier this month, with over 150 independent makers and artisans displaying their wares at Hutton Brickyards in Upstate New York. I was lucky enough to attend IRL this year, and trust me, it’s a trendspotter and shopper’s paradise.

While the fair itself may be over, the good news is I scouted the biggest home trends I saw there for you. Even better, now you can shop many of the fair’s curated goods right from the comfort of your sofa, since Field + Supply is now available year-round through their digital marketplace. Here’s what I had my eye on there and think is worth watching for this holiday season and into spring 2022.

If you’ve fallen hard for the flared pillars and twisted, colorful tapers popping up everywhere these days, then meet statement soap, the heir apparent to the funky candle trend. You might not see quite as much variety here in terms of shape, but the shades bar soaps are coming in today? That’s where all the charm and quirk is right now. These plant-based Neon Bars stole the show with their wild, vibrant colors. A travel pack of five bars would make a great stocking stuffer or holiday gift this season, whether you break up the set or gift the whole shebang to a special someone on your list. It’s also a great way to try a few different scents if you’re looking to upgrade your own bar soap situation.

Buy: Neon Bars Travel Pack, $29.90 for 5 bars

Plant-derived dyes aren’t exactly new, but the textiles from this year’s Field + Supply exhibitors really raised the saturation and intensity of the colors of hand-dyed objects to new heights. I loved the offerings from Rosemarine Textiles, a Detroit-based business that makes many of their home goods (mainly patterned pillows) out of scrap linens and list the plants used in each product’s dyes. The brand also offers clothing and small accessories like hats, scrunchies, and socks.

Buy: Rosemarine Textiles Assorted Pillows, From $135.00

You could go down pretty much any aisle at this year’s fair and expect to see something quilted, be it a jacket or a blanket or even a scarf. That said, these quilted pieces had a modern air to them; something about the construction — the patterns, color palettes, and even the stitching — didn’t look like the quilts you probably remember of yesteryears.

Check out these nautical beauts from Mathilde, the Rhode Island-based designer and quilter Claudia Middendorf, as an example. Made from European linen with an interior layer of cotton batting, the simple striped pattern, combined with what almost looks like textural pin-tucking, couldn’t feel fresher.

Buy: Mathilde Cape Cod Quilt, $500.00

Lighting is everything, but it can be tough to find pieces that have personality at decent price points. That’s why I was excited to find a new brand, Perch Objects, the handiwork of industrial designer Amy Adams Ratliff who, though based in the Catskills now, designed for West Elm in Brooklyn once upon a time.

A key area of focus for Perch, beautiful table lamps lined Adams Ratliff’s booth, and her new stacked wooden designs with pleated shades are what struck me most. Equal parts whimsical and nature-inspired (Adams Ratliff says the rings remind her of layers of sand and earth), a pair of these Ziggy Lamps would be perfect on nightstands or living room side tables. For being small batch, they’re not so bad on the wallet either, and Perch can customize pieces, too, should you want a specific size that they don’t already carry.

Buy: Perch Objects Ziggy Lamp, Starts at $320.00

Plywood has been a super-popular material in furniture design recently, but no one does it quite like designer and builder Ken Landauer of FN Furniture, one of my favorite exhibitors at the fair. From one standard-sized sheet of plywood, Landauer can create five chairs or four benches or seven stools, all of which are available in a bevy of bold colors. He cuts the parts and fits them together like puzzle pieces to create sturdy seating and storage solutions, leaving almost no wasted wood behind from each sheet. He also makes tables, desks, and bookshelves out of plywood, too, as well as beautiful metal menorahs.

Buy: Outdoor F7 Side Table or Stool, $295.00

If you’re looking to add to your #vasegang, you’ve come to the right place. Field + Supply always has tons of talented ceramics and glass exhibitors, and in addition to the standard mug, plate, and candleholder offerings, vases really abounded this year. I was particularly struck by L’Impatience Ceramics, the Kingston, New York-based husband and wife team of Jerome and Benedicte Leclere. Together the Lecleres throw and fire simple, matte pieces in subtle but rich colorways. Their Bouquet Vase (pictured on the left front of the top shelf shown here) is the perfect piece to house a fresh or dried arrangement.

Buy: L’impure Bouquet Vases, $60.00