Don't look now, but furniture's adding more color
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, 11/3/2008 12:00:00 AM
HIGH POINT — Let's stop whining about color.
Put away the complaints about seeing too much brown and beige in upholstery, and crank up the kaleidoscope. High Point Market was bursting with color.
There were big splashes everywhere, most of them retailer-friendly (meaning they'll probably sell), but still bold enough to make a statement.
Southern, for instance, had a sofa that used a mix-and-match palette with an exaggerated red paisley bench cushion, a base covered with an oversized animal print, inside arms in an ikat pattern and multicolored back cushions.
“Our strategy is that, during the time when most companies are very conservative in their approach to fabric, it is the perfect opportunity to bring fresh looks to stimulate excitement, not only with dealers but with consumers,” said Mike Delgatti, executive vice president of sales and marketing.
“Most have leaned to beige. But at the end of the day, consumers love colors — as indicated by apparel,” he said, noting that people wear clothes that are bold, bright and crisp.
Rowe mixed bold colors in fabric selections for three distinct groups this market: Scandinavian Chic, which used neutral backgrounds with small repeating pops of color; Graphic Africa, which used rich browns and deep greens reminiscent of the lushness of that continent's landscape; and Santa Barbara, which celebrates the mountains and California “feel” with large graphics and textures.
According to trend forecaster Kai Chow, who has worked with Rowe for several years, the aim is to bring the greens, blues and beiges of outdoors inside using nature — leaves, ferns, botanicals — as graphic design elements.
“The minimal look is getting kind of tired,” Chow said, pointing to large-scale botanicals in Rowe's design-oriented Robin Bruce showroom.
Several manufacturers gave berry a thumbs-up as a way to brighten other colors. Randall Tysinger, which has a license agreement with E.J. Victor, used a subdued berry in pillows set against a high-back shelter sofa; Loft used purple in a group for younger customers; Lee used a semi-antique Kilem rug on one chair, and large pink botanicals on another.
In other showrooms, companies positioned plum-hued pillows on neutral sofas or wove little bits of raspberry, pomegranate and cherry into the patterns of body cloths.
Black and white mixtures remained strong, and, surprisingly, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of dazzling white or winter white in the marketplace.
“The Europeans have had it for a long time. There is a tremendous amount of white over there. They've never been afraid of white,” said Luana Davis, president of Luana Living.
C.R. Laine used bold, lemony stripes on its Gotham sofa, a faded red checkerboard grain sack reproduction on its Macchiato ottoman, splashes of aqua blue and ash on a charcoal background for its Catskill ottoman, and large yellow dahlia blooms on a gray background for its Gotham chair.
Holly Blalock, the company's marketing director, said colorful furniture is a way to make consumers feel happy at home.
“They're colorful but they're gentle at the same time,” she said.
