April High Point Market Highlights

Whenever I return from one of the famous High Point Furniture Markets, clients and friends are eager to know what trends are happening; what’s new and exciting in our industry. Having returned just this past week, I’ll recap 10 of the highlights I specifically noticed in between dodging raindrops and wringing ourselves out from the pouring rain we had most of the trip!!!

Color…the question I’m always asked is, “What colors are current”? My stock answer is, “Any color you like” because I honestly believe that color doesn’t really go out of style. However the most popular colors we’ll see featured in the home furnishings market (as well as the apparel market) include Navy, Orange and Fresh Green (carrying over from prior seasons). Navy is almost becoming a neutral and people haven’t exhausted the freshness and excitement of the fresh green that emerged last season. New this market, we notice a lot of ultra pale blue and blush pink; both super light tones with a lot of grey undertones. These read feminine, shabby chic or are perfect for nurseries.

Mid-Century modern is here to stay…with new upholstery frames, lighting and occasional pieces, this era will live on indefinitely.

Metals are staying strong and in open form in furniture, lighting and accessories. Brass, bronze, black, copper and silver metal items (in both polished and brushed tones) are everywhere in sophisticated, casual and industrial interpretations. We notice more lampshades, in particular, in metal interpretations.

Mixed media is also an increasing trend with many pieces including combinations of glass, metal, wood, acrylic, upholstery and stone. Sometimes we see 3 or more of these culminate into unique furnishings.

Illusion Frames…furnishings with solid objects seemingly floating within a frame are also gaining momentum. As a strategy to visually “lighten up” the overall appearance of a piece, in some cases, it also adds a bit of a contemporary or glam feel.

Geometry integrated into furniture continues to be strong and interpreted in fresh new ways.

Sexy curves define some interesting pieces and definitely command a second look!

Bright colors and patterns are juxtaposing all the neutrals in the market in super complementary ways. Wildly vivid colors in super durable BRISA polyurethane allow upholstery to have a leather-like appearance, yet more resilience and achieve colors leather simply can’t!

Kate Spade is the most abundant designer influence across fabrics, rugs, art, case goods and lighting. Super clean, fun details with bold color achieve a sophisticated whimsy like no other!

Endless Customization…we love that manufacturers are offering additional customization options to upholstery and case goods. This enables designers to create truly unique, personalized pieces for our clientele. Where an item may have once only been orderable “as shown”, we can affect multiple components such as the leg shape, style and finish (even change to an acrylic leg); seat cushion firmness; seat depth; overall sofa length; hardware styles and finishes; use a metal base instead of a wood base; change wood front chests to feature mirrored glass, wallpaper, fabric or personal artwork. The list goes on….

All in all, this exciting trip that left us inspired to create more amazing new designs for our fabulous clients. We’re ready for your next project when you are!!