Wow, guys, we saw some titans fall in the last round as you narrowed down our 2018 trend predictions from the Elite Eight to the Final Four!  This is an exciting day because these four represent the top trends within each category: decor, blogging, surfaces, and embellishments.  Without further delay, here are your picks:

There are so many sports analogies we could be making to sound clever as we analyse this really dramatic day.

The cinderella story of the day is Peru, a dark horse team, er, trend that has roared through some of the biggest names in decor (colorful appliances, BUFFALO?!) to stand at the head of that division.  We were less thrilled to see the fall of gästfrihet, which we thought would be a perfectly pleasant trend but we admit was weak in a lot of positions (i.e., specifically the position of not being totally made up by us).  And, although Vegas wouldn’t have given it good odds, in retrospect it makes perfect sense that bone inlay would finally take down the previously dominant force that is pom poms.  While they’ve had a good run, they’re clearly all flash and no substance.

But you don’t read this blog for sports analogies (or if you do you’ve been super patient to date), so let’s get into the voting!

Peru vs. Vacation Homes

In our first match up we have the textiles, decor, and animals of Peru facing off against the unstoppable tide that is bloggers buying vacation homes to generate new blog content.

Peru really seems to have it all: bright colors, an “I’ve traveled the world vibe,” pattern, the extremely popular llama, and its very own yarn concoction.  It’s like an entire set of trends all in one, so we see why you’ve been advancing it round after round.  But have you thought about how it will fare when adapted into the shabby chic homes of so many of the blogging world?  Can it really stand above them all as the top trend?

On the other hand, blogger vacation homes are the answer to the question that keeps every blogger up at night: what can I post about next?  I mean, even WE bought a (doll)house for that same purpose!  They promise more of the same, but different and new.  We see why they’re a top trend among the elite bloggers, but can this trend really be applied more widely?  Is this achievable by the 99% of the blogging world who fill our pinterest feeds?

Natural Textures vs. Bone Inlay

Our second match features the calming and versatile use of natural textures as features in a home against the dramatic statement that is a bone inlay piece.

As hard as it was to see Mixed Metals fall in the last round, your choice of natural textures makes a lot of sense.  Will they ever go out of style?  And in this terrifying world, they bring a sense of peace and connection to the natural world that justifies their position as the surface trend of 2018.  But can something we always like really be “the” trend of the year?  Does having a wood dresser really “count” or do we need to turn all of our homes into piles of old wood?

This universally appealing trend is up against an extremely divisive one in bone inlay.  It is a bold choice on your part for the top embellishment trend of 2018, but we’re with you: pom poms had to fall.  Bone inlay is cultured and expensive but could totally be applied across the blogosphere in the form of painted on patterns and elegant free printables.  But can its dominance spread beyond being “just” an embellishment trend?  Is it applicable to enough styles to stand among the greats?

Some big decisions today!  We hope you’ve thought long and hard about your votes, and we’ll be back tomorrow to reveal the top two who will battle it out for total 2018 dominance.

Happy Wednesday! We’re back for Day 3 of our blog anniversary week, also known as “Blog Madness.” We hope you’re not getting sick of voting, because today we have another set of (increasingly bizarre) match-ups for you to opine on! (If you have no idea what we’re talking about: we’re making you vote on the top trends of 2018 in a March-Madness-style bracket but with design trends instead of basketball teams. See the original contenders here, and yesterday’s Sweet Sixteen here.)

Today the stakes are high, because we’re going from eight to four, which means you’ll be selecting the top trend in each of our four divisions: decor, blogging, surfaces, and embellishments. Here’s where things stand based on your voting yesterday:

So let’s get to the voting!

Decor Division: Buffalo vs. Peru

Animal figurines and colorful appliances may be on the upswing in 2018, but that’s nothing compared to the battle of the titans we now have in front of us: buffalos versus Peru. We all know that the buffalo has been making its way to the forefront of the design scene in the past few years, and is now poised to hit superstar status. You know you’ve made it when you’re available for sale at Target.

On the other hand, if that’s the litmus test of trendiness, then what does it mean that Jonathan Adler is selling something called the “Peruvian Llama Flat Weave Rug,” or that when you search “llama” on the Target website you get clothing, bedding, costumes, stuffed wall decor (we’re telling you, animal busts are a thing this year), lamps, artwork, figurines, wall decals, and gift bags? Throw in the fact that A Beautiful Mess did a DIY llama vase project two days ago, and this race is looking competitive.

Ultimately, there can only be one victor of the Decor Division. Will it be the stalwart, stoic buffalo, or the versatile, bold stylings of Peru?

Future of Blogging Division: Vacation Homes vs. Gästfrihet

While it was hard to say goodbye to Home Automation (Nest, Alexa, Google Home…it’s an exciting new world) and Instablog (we wish this trend weren’t happening, but it is), we’re totally on board with the choices you made. Now, you must choose between the seemingly unstoppable tide of blogger vacation home purchases and the entirely-made-up-by-us-but-probably-going-to-come-true “gästfrihet.”

On the one hand, vacation homes will unquestionably feature heavily in 2018’s blogosphere, since the close of 2017 saw just about everyone who’s anyone buying a beach house (or two)/cabin in the woods/lake house/bnb rental/mountain house. On the other hand, gästfrihet is about parties and it’s Swedish. And yes, we cannot emphasize enough that we totally made it up as a trend — we don’t want you to feel misled. I mean, it’s really a Swedish word and it means hospitality, but we came up with it by googling “Swedish Culture,” finding this guide, and scrolling through until “the role of hospitality” caught our attention and we decided to google the Swedish word for it. But just like the Swedes made the chunky knit blankets that bloggers already loved into a phenomenon, it seems like a match made in heaven/Scandinavia to marry bloggers’ obsession with party planning and an unpronounceable-by-Americans Swedish word.

Ultimately, the choice is yours.

Surfaces Division: Mixing Metals vs. Natural Textures

It wasn’t a shock to see Caliente (AF) fall to Mixing Metals…sure caliente is better than ultra violet, but it’s no match for the tide of brass + gold + chrome + ORB that is sweeping our homes. And while we were a little surprised to see watercolors lose out to natural textures, you’re probably right: the trend toward rustic, raw materials seems likely to continue picking up steam.

Now, however, you must decide which of these two is the surface trend of 2018. Will we be seeing more multi-metal spaces (apparently Pinterest thinks so) or will it be all about raw wood and simple textiles?

Embellishments Division: Pom Poms vs. Bone Inlay

We end today with the painful discovery that you voted for pom poms over disco balls. We’re not saying you’re wrong because it’s hard to imagine pom poms ever losing much ground, but we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: 2018 is the year of the disco ball. When December rolls around, we’ll be back to declare “we told you so” (because it’s not a good blog series unless we’re defensive and ungrateful for your advice?). Meanwhile, bone inlay triumphed over faces, so now we’re left with the timeless and whimsical pom pom to compete against the pricey and sophisticated inlay. Could there be a stranger (or more befitting of the blogosphere) juxtaposition than a wad of yarn you can sew/glue onto anything versus a finely crafted and financially unattainable piece of furniture? We think not.

That’s it, that’s all there is to vote on today! We can’t wait to see your selection for the top trends in each division, and then to see where things go as the match-ups get really strange (Peru vs. Vacation Homes? Buffalos vs. Swedish Hospitality?) Thanks for continuing to play along!