Every year, HD Expo in Las Vegas showcases the latest products tailored for hotels, bars, restaurants, and casinos. From architectural firms to interior designers, all attendees have the unique chance to step into the shoes of a guest and experience these offerings firsthand.
Las Vegas is hailed as the home to experimental, no-limits hospitality design. Any concept you can imagine has been tested—or is currently being tested—in Las Vegas. For designers, architects, purchasers, developers, or any other design decision-maker, this makes HD Expo the place to be for hospitality.
The Expo is more than just a gathering of industry professionals; it provides a glimpse into the future of hospitality design. Here, the creative minds behind these spaces gather to discover trends that will shape our future stays, dining, relaxation, and more for years to come.
Here are some emerging trends in hospitality I noticed during the show:
Colorful elements within the Icongraphic wallcovering collection include soccer jerseys, bold sunglasses, and architectural features. All showcase Terry and Astek’s artistic talents imbued with exciting details and hidden gems. Photo courtesy of Astek
Art in New Form and Scale
At HD Expo, Astek Wall Coverings’ collaboration with actor and artist Terry Crews, a wallcovering collection titled Icongraphic, featured images of various cultural figures illustrated in graphite drawings by both Terry and Astek’s design team. Playful graphic elements added pops of color and unexpected details to the portraits, from Michael Jackson in his Thriller jacket to Yayoi Kusama with her iconic bob.
“Terry chose to pay homage to people in pop culture he looked up to or inspired him, ranging from athletes to artists,” says Jeff Dey, director of business development at Astek. “Initially he began with three different portraits of each person, because he couldn’t necessarily copy someone’s photo. Eventually, those three portraits became what you see in the collection.”
Art had also evolved beyond traditional boundaries, embracing trends that blend fine art with functional design. Momentum Textiles & Wallcoverings, for example, unveiled its latest collection in collaboration with New York City art studio En Viu.
This Momentum x En Viu wallcovering, titled Dropcloth, introduces a unique monochrome mural design. The piece celebrates the interplay between chaos and order and blends organic forms with structured geometry. Photo courtesy of Momentum
En Viu’s artist partners, Chandler Noah and Diego Castaño, are renowned for their large-scale installations and paintings. Their debut wallcovering titled Dropcloth captures the essence of their mural-like paintings, making fine art accessible to the masses on a larger scale.
“This partnership with Momentum is really the first time we’re translating our paintings into a work of art in the digital realm,” says Chandler Noah. “Dropcloth is somewhat like a deconstructed skyscape. It’s multi-layered and retains the accidental mark-making you might see while you’re creating this in the studio.”
astek.com, momentumtextilesandwalls.com
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- Arteriors unveiled its new outdoor collection during the show, comprising more than 50 pieces that blend indoor and outdoor living. Pictured: The Margo outdoor lounge chair. Photo courtesy of Arteriors
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- As the industry continues its focus on mindfulness in design, Arteriors has also followed suit. The collection incorporates mixed materials, rich finishes, and organic shapes, displayed here through the Caldwell Outdoor Sofa. Photo courtesy of Arteriors
Blurring the Indoors and Outdoors
Exhibitors also emphasized the importance of creating living spaces that extend beyond the confines of traditional interiors. Arhaus was among them, showcasing a full range of outdoor pieces from their Echoes collection including dining chairs, lounge chairs, bistro tables, and daybeds.
Their range of offerings gave a full sense of being able to seamlessly blend the indoors and out, creating a more cohesive environment.
“Everyone is moving toward outdoor areas that feel like another living room,” says Mary Ingersoll, Sr. account executive at Arhaus. “People don’t want steel furniture outside anymore. This collection is a little bit more upscale, and makes you feel like you’re indoors. Our Wilmar Fire Pit, for example, comes with a top cover making it double as a coffee table.”
Similarly, Arteriors’ outdoor line debut included pieces that mirrored the textures and silhouettes of their indoor counterparts, according to Terry Clayton, SVP of sales & marketing at Arteriors.
“The Margot outdoor lounge chair was the inspiration for the entire collection,” said Terry. “We originally created this piece in rattan for indoor use. I thought, ‘Why don’t we weave it in a synthetic fiber for outdoor?’ Now the whole collection is built around that piece.”
The products blended the familiar comfort and sophistication of indoor designs with the resilience required for outdoor use.
“We also created various fiber cement tables, which are useful for hospitality,” Terry says. “They can be used inside, outside, all over lobbies—you name it. With outdoor we tried to do things that were different, and wanted this collection to feel special.”
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- Ethnicraft launched new additions to its Elements collection featuring coffee tables, side tables, and consoles. Photo courtesy of Ethnicraft
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- The collection showcases a distinctive material known as microcement created from a blend of fine aggregates and minerals. Photo courtesy of Ethnicraft
Ethnicraft’s (see our Salone coverage for more from Ethnicraft) addition to its Elements collection utilized a distinctive material known as microcement, created from a blend of fine aggregates and minerals.
The combination resulted in a unique finish that gives each piece an earthy, stone-like appearance. Despite being designed for indoor use, the pieces incorporate organic shapes and textures inspired by nature.
arhaus.com, arteriorshome.com, ethnicraft.com
Dedon reintroduced Cirql Nu, a chair model already in the Dedon lineup now revamped in a new colorway. Photo courtesy of Dedon
Refreshed Product Colorways
Color made a significant appearance during the Expo, notably through Dedon’s introductions, including the latest addition to Stephen Burks’ award-winning KIDA collection. Dedon’s use of color brought a dynamic visual element to the booth and made the products themselves more memorable.
“When we first launched the KIDA line, everyone thought ‘oh my god, it’s so colorful,’” says Dedon creative director Julia Shapovalova. “We were curious about how the market would react. Since functionality is key for outdoor furniture, we thought having a colorful chair might be challenging, but our customers immediately fell in love. People were coming to the booth and saying, ‘Wow, this is such a colorful chair—and I know immediately where I’m going to place it.’”
Dedon also reintroduced Cirql Nu, a chair model already in the Dedon lineup, now revamped in a new colorway. Previously offered in neutral fibers, Dedon’s “Invert Fiber” presented a distinctive bicolor composition.
“Color has always been a strong part of our portfolio, and we’re seeing a lot of interest in it right now,” says Nicole Ciminera, Dedon marketing manager. “That’s why when we brought back the collection, in addition to some ergonomic changes, we used the colorful inverted fiber. That technique enabled the fiber to feature complementary tones of blue on one side, and orange on the other.”
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- Wolf-Gordon debuted El Muro, a concept-driven project featured on digitally printed PVC-free wallcoverings and wood veneer. Pictured: Camila Apaez’s “Frontiers on the Land Are Bodily Frontiers.” Photo courtesy of Wolf-Gordon
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- Wolf-Gordon’s project aimed to celebrate patterning and murals through the medium of wallcovering. Pictured: Blanka Amezkua’s “Echos of the Codex de la Cruz-Badiano.” Photo courtesy of Wolf-Gordon
Amplifying Local Artisan Voices
HD Expo also highlighted a growing emphasis on cultural and artisanal narratives, as seen in Wolf-Gordon’s El Muro project. This initiative focused on celebrating patterning and murals through wallcoverings, with the goal of understanding how artists from both sides of the United States-Mexico border process their lived experiences.
To do this, Wolf-Gordon invited seven creatives from north and south of the wall to explore themes of identity, culture, and heritage.
Artist Blanka Amezkua’s Echos of the Codex de la Cruz-Badiano highlighted the importance of preserving traditional healing practices and gives visibility to indigenous cultures’ contributions to society.
“For the past several years, Blanka has been researching and drawing medicinal plants from the Codex,” says Marybeth Shaw, Wolf-Gordon chief creative officer and curator of the exhibition. “She worked with Wolf-Gordon Design Studio to compose a polychromatic mural that expresses the richness of indigenous knowledge, anchored at center by the magnificent and powerful agave.”
Camila Apaez’s Frontiers on the Land Are Bodily Frontiers explored the internal movements that may occur when one decides to cross a frontier—whether physical or subjective.
“Camila translated her three-dimensional work in Tapalpa clays, local to the Guadalajara region, into a two-dimensional surface with compelling visual depth,” Shaw explains. “The sensual, curvilinear form resembles a view of a canyon or natural borderland.”
“Following last year’s PROJECT: HI > AI exhibition, El Muro is the second in a series that Wolf-Gordon is excited to share with our design community. We believe design is firmly rooted in the social, political and economic context of our time, and we seek to spark awareness and catalyze conversations on important issues that tend to not be covered.”
The next HD Expo will be held May 6-8, 2025. hdexpo.hospitalitydesign.com
