Brown rules, but why?
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, June 15, 2009
After spending a few days last week at Showtime, I've come to the conclusion that our industry continues to suffer from what I call a split personality disorder.
One of the personalities, and perhaps the more daring of the two, loves to wrap itself in bold and bright colors and patterns. There was plenty of evidence at Showtime, the semiannual High Point fabric show, to support the argument that this personality is much alive.
As I made my Showtime rounds, there was no shortage of fabrics and leathers offered in a riot of colors that ran the gamut from purples and blues to red-hot-chili-pepper red.
Exhibitors also painted an equally compelling picture with a broad assortment of bold designs and textures.
These suppliers helped underscore the premise that furniture is, after all, a fashion business that should be driven by whimsy and the ability to ignite the imagination.
But the other personality is much more grounded, practical, pragmatic and predictable. This personality finds comfort in avoiding the road less taken in favor of the well-worn path.
The proof that this personality is also alive and well was found in the seemingly endless shades of brown seen at Showtime, especially in leather.
As one exhibitor lamented, “A lot of my customers tell me to go out on a limb in terms of color. We do. We come to Showtime with a large palette of colors, but the very buyers that want new and different always seem to end up buying those safe but boring shades of brown.”
Another exhibitor wondered if that would still be the case if consumers got to shop the show and could see what options are actually available.
“If you only show the consumer varying shades of brown and she buys one of those shades, then you start believing that's what she likes.
“But how do we really know that, especially if that's all she is actually able to choose from?” the exhibitor mused.
Holy cow. That's a good question. How now, brown cow?
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