Retro, glam designs grab attention in upholstery
Gary Evans, Senior editor -- Furniture Today, January 4, 2010
Is corduroy furniture making a comeback?
Several upholstery showrooms sported corduroy looks at the October market, not only in the narrow wale but in a wider wale reminiscent of the '70s. It wasn't a fabric that company execs featured on showroom tours, but it kept popping up enough that you noticed it.
And why not? It's soft, comfortable and family-cozy.
I actually owned a corduroy sofa back in the '70s. It was apple green, with a skirt, and I can't remember the style (I wasn't in furniture at the time). But I think it had track arms so it must have been contemporary or transitional — if transitional was a style then.
It was a pretty cool piece at the time, if I say so myself. There was even a nice shag carpet mixed with yellow and green to pick up the sofa's color. The carpet was also mixed with ivory, the color of the paint I spilled all over it just after having it installed.
I'm now seeing corduroy show up in catalogs like retailer West Elm's, so maybe it'll make a little bit of a comeback. As for shag carpet, that's a whole different thing.
Speaking of upholstery materials, wouldn't it be nice to have the patent on nailheads? My guess is that half of all upholstery pieces now made are decorated with nail- heads — “spit tacks” is what the old-timers call them. They decorate arms, outline backs and brighten up aprons. They're in brass, copper, silver or pewter, in every size you can imagine.
So it was only natural that a company like Diamond Head would come along with a way to apply decorative crystal or stone.
The Diamond Head upholstery tack was invented by Bree Cox of Laguna Beach, Calif., and after two years in development, was launched early this year. The tacks are offered in three sizes with the nail part in black, gold or silver. To keep the stones from shattering, they're attached after the tack is pounded in.
A bonus attraction is that the user can change the stone, replacing it with any of the 13 available varieties. Diamond Heads also can be added to existing upholstery, allowing the user to update the furniture without having to replace it.
I saw the application of sparkly stones at the High Point Market. Finkeldei, a German company that exports throughout the world, showed a collection called Crystal Edition that embedded crystals of all sizes — including some as large as your fist — into upholstery and occasional tables. And some companies used them in upholstered headboards, where they looked even better.
Tacky? Could be. But in the right hands they can be integrated for a tasteful bit of glam, a luxury look.
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