We just posted our forecast for Trends 2022 in our industry. The video posted below contains all the info, but these are our notes from the chat. Thanks for watching!

New Window Covering Trends 2022

Review our coverage of 2021- What was accurate and what was not

New Window Covering Trends 2021

Supply chain issues- Huge and not going away

Work force issues- Finding people to work is getting worse

Less management- Not sure what is happening behind the scenes at the larger manufacturers

More issues with manufacturing- Communication is an issue since so many are working from home

Less Education- Training has been serious affected. NO IN PERSON training currently

Shipping issues- Worse and no end in sight

It is when we face large issues that people come up with amazing solutions. For example, the east coast is now starting to take on more incoming freight to overcome the backlogs on the West Coast. There will be other solutions that will come to fruition as needed in the future

Shipping charges are changing significantly higher for smaller packages.- This was true and the rates for shipping are escalating at record rates. We paid $350 to have a drapery rod shipped from LA to Reno this year.

Markets are at all time highs, high end shoppers are spending, and low end are trying to stay alive and get necessities.- Will the markets continue to go up? That is kind of the main question. Is it real? Is it being manipulated? I can offer opinions, but I certainly can’t establish facts on it.

Let’s discuss inflation to cover how this affects the window covering industry.

How Inflation Affects 2022 Trends

Last year the rates of inflation for the US were about 9% (could actually be higher)

How does that affect this industry?

Think about how certain things disappear off of shelves at local stores. TP for example.

People know they will need it eventually, and they want to make sure they have it.

Based on the value of their cash being eliminated due to inflation, they are motivated to spend the money now on things that they know they want, so they can get a two-fold benefit.

1. They pay a lower price for the product

2. The money they pay with has not lost its value.- within 5 years, 10% inflation devalues cash by 40% – So, this is why housing has jumped. People don’t want to lose the value of their money.

For those of us in the industry, this has been causing a Boon- Because people are buying new homes they are needing window treatments. (Tell the story of a local dealer who has been saying that they are the busiest window covering dealer in the United States)

When anything is on a huge uptick like it has been for an extended period of time (Bubble), we need to be prepared for a significant drop. Will it happen soon? No idea, but manipulations of markets have consequences. As one blogger recently put it, “Things are changing “at the drop of a hat.” Snap of a roller shade. Be ready for anything.

But now, let’s discuss where things are going in the window coverings industry for 2022.

What 2022 Trends Are Coming?

Safety- in 2014 Kempler Design decided not to sell corded window coverings unless there was no other option. We were following a new trend that made sense to us. Now for 2022, more manufacturers are no longer making corded products.

Opinion- Based on the new trend of ESG- (look it up) corporations are making sure that they don’t conflict with governmental regulations. So, I feel that the window covering industry will be making sure that they are compliant with the Environmental , Social and Governance.

Safety fits under the social and governance platforms.

I feel like another trend that goes along with this is the E or environmental side.

There are two areas that are relevant.

1. Energy use.- One of the hot trends in window coverings is roller shades. I don’t see that going away, but I see a push towards energy conservation. For our industry, this equates to insulation and shading. Roller shades do a great job of shading, but they aren’t great at insulating. So, I personally feel that in the next year or so, we are going to see a movement to more insulative products. Honeycomb shades, etc. I can see other things being created to fit this need.

2. Use of materials- I see another trend about to take place. It started to grab hold a few years ago and then slipped into the background. That is ECO friendly products. Products that aren’t damaging to the environment. I think we may see a movement to natural materials with less chemical manipulations. I’m not saying that this is a good or a bad idea, I’m just saying that I can see this happening. How does this affect the industry? I can see small manufacturing companies that are focused on these new directions popping up. Of course, the big companies will end up buying them, but the trend will be moving forward. This isn’t a 2022 forecast, but more of a 2020-2030 forecast, but things are going to start moving forward on this , IMO.

Something interesting that I’m really looking forward to seeing is certain new releases of products.

The spring is typically when certain companies release new products. Last year, due to Covid, there wasn’t much released, but they claimed to double the amount coming out in the near future.

OPINION- I feel like there might be a new product coming out, but more realistically, I see updates coming more than brand new products. I might be wrong, but here is my reasoning.

Supply Chain

Workers available

So, coming up with completely new products is extremely difficult. If any of the major players can pull this off, congratulations!! I know that colors will be updated. Certain patterns will be adjusted, added or deleted.Technology will be updated. For example, I have a very strong feeling that external battery packs are going to be eliminated in time. There will be other adjustments, but we will have to see what they are when they come out.

Product Updates

Draperies are definitely a positive trend. People love having the dual benefit of function and style. Roman Shades fit this trend as well. Since people are still at home a lot more than they used to be, they want to have a look and feel that makes them very happy to be in their space.The trend for fabrics currently is for textured or solid fabrics unless the pattern or print is the perfect compliment to the design of the room it is going in. This depends on the individual for whom the fabrics are being selected.

As far as drapery rods, you can kind of follow the trends in door hardware. Chromes, Golden metallics, and bronze finishes are trending. But the standards are still good choices. Brushed Nickel, ORB, Black etc.

Opinion- Grey is still a popular color trend, but please be cautious when choosing it. I personally feel like the Grey trend is nearing its end. I’m sensing things moving back toward variations of the beige tones. If you choose grey, be aware of it and choose it because you love it, not because you want to be trendy.

Motorization- Things are going to be almost fully motorized.

The trend in the industry is that 35% of window coverings are motorized. This is going up, but Kempler Design is more of a leader in the trend of motorization. Our numbers of motorized window coverings are closer to 85%. This shows me which way the trends are going. (Use TV control illustration)

The exception to this is shutters. We do less than 10% of our shutters as motorized. The costs for shutter motorization is very high and it hasn’t taken over the markets yet. When motors plummet in price, which is bound to happen, then shutters will join this trend. I don’t see that happening for 3-5 years.

To sum up:

Thanks for watching

I’d like to connect with you. (Networking is a focus of our company)

If you are a manufacturer, let’s get acquainted. I’d like to know what your company is doing and whether we are a good fit to work together.

If you are a dealer, then I’m happy to know you and see what we can learn from each other.

If you are a potential client, I’m thankful that you gave us this much time. If you’d like to use us for your project, please reach out to us and we can help you to get the perfect solutions for your window treatments.

Kempler Design has some pretty big goals for 2022, so please subscribe and watch our upcoming vlogs to see what direction we are taking to adapt to the changes in the world. Thanks again for watching the Kempler Design Vlog.

About Us

Kempler Design is located in Reno NV and serves the northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe regions with a mobile design showroom. Paul Kempler, its founder is considered a window fashions expert. Kempler Design has been featured in many prestigious projects, including the HGTV dream home in Lake Tahoe. Kempler Design works with homeowners as well as interior design firms looking for a local contact in the Reno/Tahoe area or is available for travel.