Inspiration Magazine

Useful tips and resources prepared by business, industry and design experts to help retailers grow their businesses!

PANTONE®VIEW home + interiors 2016 Future Color/Design Trends: Innovation and Impact

In our highly competitive global marketplace, would-be consumers are continuously being wooed by evocative, imaginative and innovative uses of color and design. Staying on top of the latest color trends and forecasts in a highly visual world is vitally important to selling your products or services. Introducing the 2016 Pantone View home + interiors color palettes at the…

Inside Discover Design: Magisso

Simple and smart, Magisso home goods products reflect the attitude and atmosphere expected of Scandinavian design. Their hand tools and kitchenware reduce the complexities of daily tasks; tableware inspires harmony and calm. Legendary Finnish design infuses innovation with comfort in modern interpretations of form and function. IHA: Juhani, where do you find inspiration when…

From the World of Design and Fashion: Thomas Lundgren

Meet a ‘Creative Emotional Originator’ (CEO), Thomas Lundgren, who not only aims to improve people’s lives through affordable home fashion, but also passionately strives to make the world a better place. Thomas Lundgren is the founder and CEO of THE One (Total Home Experience) — a fashion-focused homewares chain in the Middle East with 21 stores across eight countries that…

Find Your Style

Selecting a color palette and design for decorating can be difficult when finding a style that reflects your life. Consumers are bombarded with different ideas, so it can be hard to settle down to find one’s own style. Here are several simple suggestions you can share with your customers to get them started on their own design style and color palette. Use these tips to…

Chicago Retail Gem

In a character-filled, old, sunny warehouse in Lincoln Park on the north side of Chicago, there’s a business that is edgy, worldly, and well… positively chic. “ Jayson Home has a warm, sensual, textured feel,” says Creative Director Caroline Scheeler. “It's the kind of store that friends meet up at, and hang out, while they’re shopping. While our store, our brand, is ever…

A PICTURE WORTH A FEW HUNDRED WORDS: Ladders & Step Ladders

Ladders in retail displays... Step right up! That is what ladders are for. Not only do they make it possible for you to access something that may be out of reach, they also allow you to go from one level to the next with assurance of new views at each level. Think about it for a moment! How many different types of ladders do you already have in your store? You may have the…

Global Retail Stars of 2015

The IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) is the brainchild of the International Housewares Association, and having launched in 2000, it is now in its 15th year. The annual awards are considered the Oscars® of the retail world, attracting entries from across the globe. This year, 25 national 2015 gia winners from 24 countries were chosen to represent their countries in Chicago,…

Introducing the 2015 gia Global Honorees

In Chicago last March, five stores from around the world were voted as the most innovative, outstanding retailers on the planet and mentioned as 2015 gia Global Honorees. We check out what makes them so unique and outstanding. The top five stores declared gia Global Honorees in 2015 were: Koskela from Australia, Presentes Rodriquez from Brazil, Hudson’s Bay from Canada,…

Inspiring the Industry – Rick Bayless

To most Americans, especially if they have a penchant for Mexican food, Rick Bayless needs no introduction. Most people know Bayless from winning the title of Bravo's Top Chef Master with his authentic Mexican cuisine offerings when he was up against French and Italian master chefs. He also has a hugely popular TV series called Mexico: One Plate at a Time, and is the author of…