Blog Madness 2018: Round Four – Final Four

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.