That "green furniture" trend was one that reverberated through the streets of High Point, North Carolina, this past week at the semiannual High Point Market. The Market is a chance for furniture makers to show off their wares--both old and new--and for the people who run furniture stores and showrooms across the country to check out the goods and place their orders.
That green survey, sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance, must have been good news to manufacturers such as Harden, which was one of the first large manufacturers to gain certification from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and Copeland, whose pieces bear the Forest Stewardship Council stamp of approval.
Green chic was not the only surprise to emerge from High Point this week. Branding continues to grow in popularity, with Donald Trump joining the fold with his Trump Home Collection for Lexington Home Brands, style maven B. Smith unveiling a collection for Clayton Marcus, and George and Martha Washington rising from the grave to endorse a Mount Vernon-inspired collection for Taylor King.
In the furniture world, massive home entertainment wall systems are going the way of the black-and-white set, as manufacturers race to create furnishings to accommodate the new flat-panel TVs. According to a report by industry publication Furniture Today, when consumers buy a flat-panel set, they usually need a new piece of furniture to accommodate it. They're gravitating to small-to-midsized wall systems equipped with ventilation for components, wire management and DVD storage. Buyers of mid- to upper-end systems also want doors or motorized lifts that hide the TV when not in use. Once confined to bedrooms, these lifts are becoming more popular in living rooms and family rooms, and may signal an end to those gaping TV garages flanking fireplaces across America. We can only hope.
Occasional furniture vendors are introducing pieces in an array of brightly colored finishes, in response to female consumers' demands for greater customization. CR-Home's InColor accent collection offers pieces in an array of 13 different color combinations, while Philip Reinisch offers its ColorTime display cabinets in five shades. Red dominates Hooker Furniture's Dynasty Accent collection, and plays a strong role in Universal's Better Homes & Gardens collection. Young America made a splash at Market last fall with their colorful MyHaven collection, which is available in 20 scrumptious colors.
Speaking of color, prognosticators took this occasion to unveil their spring 2007 Trend Forecast. Some of the highlights:
- Elements of surprise: When it comes to color, there will be striking contrasts and surprising combinations. For example, white mixed with beige or oatmeal and a bright accent color.
- New neutrals: Look for cool grays paired with warm browns for "an effect reminiscent of beautiful river stones" says Sherwin Williams' Lisa Jenkins. Lee Eiseman of the Pantone Color Institute foresees revisionist neutral pairings such as rose and earthy browns, or reddish plums highlighted with a green-tinged bronze.
- Inspirations from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, such as traditional chinoiserie combinations of quiet violet with muted lime, cameo pink, hushed greens and antiqued Chinese red (hopefully assembled by a professional designer) or colors redolent of a Moroccan spice market.
