Twice a year the imposing International Home Furnishings Center (IHFC) building and adjacent market showrooms in High Point, North Carolina open their doors to design industry professionals for Market Week, the designer professionals equivalent to a five star Michelin Guide restaurant with courses that never end. U.S. and international manufacturers, from large to small and new to old, showcase their most recent and best designs for the home and office so that designers, architects and retail buyers are given first chance to view and purchase products for furniture stores, accessory boutiques and clients in the months and year to come. So let us now take a quick imaginary tour of the main themes and trends that will be driving the U.S. marketplace, with a particular focus upon those which will make a distinctive, fresh, functional and ultimately chic impact upon design.

Furniture + Fashion   One key piece of information to keep in mind is that the furniture industry remains in many ways different from the fashion world, even though we are seeing greater fusion between the two. A trend within the interior design world could keep intact for years, while fashion will come and, generally, go with the figurative frequency of the tides. However, what you see in haute couture is translating directly into haute decor as well. The latest colors in colorful leather handbags by YSL or Gucci  are also being found in accents for the sofa. The growing presence of canary yellow or mandarian orange is a prime example.

However, while there are design trends that will come and go more rapidly, here the focus will be upon the timeless trends, an apparent contradiction, that remain an important element in the buying world for both designer and consumer alike. Manufacturers in this category have accomplished two feats. They are creating innovative designs with new or existing materials in a style that should last over the next decade or more. That said, let’s go to the show.

Sleek + Sustainable What we are now entering is a more naturalistic environment which is really showing greater effort to synthesize style and sustainability.  At this moment there is growing presence of natural wood furniture and accessories. I cannot even count how many drift wood sculptures I saw on display at the show. These organic forms make great accents on coffee tables, side and sofa tables, or bookshelves.

Although clean lined furniture in wenge (pronounced when-ghay: a mahogany/black colored wood finish) has become a mainstay in the home furnishings diet, and should also remain so for some time, there is also a growing market for natural and lighter wood furniture pieces with simple lines and bulk presence, rough hewn and sometimes oiled for a more natural effect.

Regarding furniture detailing, there will be less hand-painted pieces with ornate handles and knobs. The movement is going towards more simplified versions, and if there is a way to keep the knob off, the furniture designer will do it by finding a clever way to have a hidden, unobtrusive drawer pull, a minimal one, or none at all by carving out a handle within the piece to get there.

Leather Bound   Another continuing trend - leather furniture - is still making big impressions. Coupled with mirrored furniture this combination is stunning and the uber chic effect will please both man and woman simultaneously. It goes to show that anything is possible as long as it is designed well. Put this stuff into a bedroom and look out. The leather can also be crockodile stamped to cover anything and almost everything from the obvious sofa and chair to the furniture, lamps and accessories that surround them.

Mirrored Furniture   Couple that with an over scaled mirror, mirrored chest with leather and a few key accessories and you have a great look. In fact, mirrors in all shapes and distinctive styles still rule the day and designers can't seem to get enough of them, nor does the consumer. Mirrored furniture still remains a timeless way to add elegance and appeal to the home and examples are showing up in coffee tables, side tables, dining room tables, buffets, chests, and, of course, wall or floor to ceiling mirrors. Mirrored accessories are also an extremely popular way to add a little glamour and sparkle to almost any space.

The Dramatic Drum   When it comes to lighting, lamp shades matter and right now the larger, drum style, which has the same diameter on the top and bottom, is in style. Not going in this direction could have the effect of making your home look like Grandma's place in Idaho, even if the rest of your home is fresh off the delivery truck. Just pick up any furniture catalogue. Pottery Barn, Ikea, Crate and Barrel are some examples of companies going in this direction. Cream or black would be the color of preference, although custom options abound with new patterns in silks and linens.

Rugs: Fur Welcomed   Animal prints are and will always be in style, so if you want to make a timeless statement and small investment, then go with a zebra stenciled rug. This is cow hide dyed white or cream and stenciled to look like a zebra skin. The effect looks dramatic and can go classic or contemporary with prices that are impossible to reject. You can even customize them to be made in whatever color you want. All it takes is a little imagination and that turquoise and hot pink zebra rug can be yours.

Final Note: The Controversial Market Climb    These developments are a direct reflection upon what the consumer needs, but a new kind of consumer. I believe that we are going more minimal, in part, for the sake of keeping the head uncluttered and the home in order. (Who wants to come home to lots of finicky furniture and accessories to dust on some other day when there is more time?) Today’s consumer is beginning to prefer clean lines, functionally clear-cut and innovative designs, natural finishes, and natural materials. 

This is due to the changing nature of the new market, both generation X and Y (or Gen E in the UK), which have both been historically ignored by manufacturers who have focused instead on the Baby Boomers. However, these same companies are now having to make an about face and are losing market share because, simply put, no one wants a repro Chippendale chair anymore, not even the Boomers. Gen X and Y are for the most part very savvy and like to spot and make good, clean purchases quickly through a trustworthy source. The newer, leaner, tech-friendly companies have a unique ability to successfully fulfill these needs. As a result, they have become stiff competition against larger, older and more entrenched manufacturers because these rising stars can adjust quickly to ever changing consumers.

The internet is also the furniture market's equivalent to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Access to information has given the consumer greater power of choice and price. Yet the many larger manufacturers can not rely on this critical market for actual sales since they are set up by territory with representatives who can not cross state or regional lines. Since the internet has no boundaries there is an inherent flaw in the larger manufacturer’s marketing strategy and capabilities. Overlooking the internet as a sales vehicle also, unfortunately, exists with some of the smaller manufacturers. Part of the concern is that their unique designs will be either cheapened or knocked off if made available online for all to see. However, as the web has opened such trade secrets exist, to all. The results will not be pretty, but the consumers homes certainly will look better at a lower cost and subsequently they will have an improved quality of life.

-Sharon Hess