Is a New Color Palette Really Innovation?

How in 2025 is this considered innovative? Have we completely forgotten what the word “innovation” even means?

We’ve been to a lot of markets. You know the kind — panels with big names and even bigger titles. They promise The Future of Design or Innovation in Outdoor Living.

And yet… what they call “innovation” is almost always just a new color palette.
Terracotta’s back. Sage is the new neutral. Cool grays are warming up.

Let’s be honest: new Pantones aren’t innovation. They’re trends. And trends? They’re loud. They’re flashy. They get the headlines. They shout.

Meanwhile, what we do — furniture and structures that ship flat but stands solid, materials that age beautifully, design that invites people to gather, linger and experience space differently — that’s real innovation.

Or take, for example, smart outdoor lighting that adjusts to the sun and human presence. It’s subtle, seamless and changes how people experience a space — not just how it looks in a catalog. That’s innovation too. Quiet, meaningful and lasting.

True innovation isn’t a seasonal palette. It’s in the work, in the details, in the pieces that change how people interact with a space — for years, not months.

So yes, trends get the attention. But innovation? That’s what we keep showing up for.

We’ll keep creating work that redefines what innovation looks like — one honest material at a time.