Future Colors: Specialists forecast what'll sell - manufacturers take it from there

You will find it aesthetically pleasing when blue is paired with silver and gray. You will feel that blues paired with browns are played out. You just don’t know it yet.

So say the color prognosticators at the Color Marketing Group, based in Alexandria. The 1,000-member industry association group has for decades sought to forecast color trends years in advance, giving its members a better chance to get their production schedules in sync with consumer tastes. Its members include representatives from General Motors, Kimberly-Clark - which puts a lot of thought into the color schemes for its Kleenex boxes - and independent designers who do work for consumer giants like Procter & Gamble.

A similar group, the Color Association of the United States, based in New York, has been forecasting color trends since 1915.

Forecasting color trends is serious business, the trade groups say. For one, it’s important that various industries can coordinate, so the offerings from a paint manufacturer don’t clash with those produced by furniture makers, for example. In addition, designers cite multiple studies that show color selection is playing an increasing role in consumer purchases.ww

“It’s a more sophisticated, design-aware consumer today,” said Christopher Webb, color trend designer for GM North America. Webb said that 40 percent of consumers will walk out of a dealership and choose a different brand if the color choices aren’t acceptable.

Doty Horn, a CMG member and director of color and design for Benjamin Moore Paints, said that the ubiquity of home-makeover shows on TV has increased awareness among consumers about their remodeling options and color choices.

The groups claim a strong track record, though they admit to a certain extent that their forecasts can become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Still, they are sensitive to the notion of a secretive color cabal dictating color selections to the masses.

Color Marketing Group’s president, Jack Bredenfoerder, said that the forecasts pick up on recognizable trends that would advance regardless of whether Color Marketing Group had identified them.

Christine Chow, the color association’s membership director, said the trend forecasts have to make sense to the designers, or they wouldn’t rely on them.

“They don’t have to do what we suggest unless it makes sense to them,” Chow said. “And we’re not sitting in our offices tossing at dart boards” to make our predictions.

On a recent window-shopping trip, consumer Celia Coughlin of Fairfax said that you can’t help but notice the color trends as they come and go from the marketplace, but she is generally not swayed.

“I look at what would fit with what’s already in my home” rather than hopping on the latest color trend, she said.

Still, she said she can use the cycles to her advantage - particularly in fashion, where colors change more frequently.

“I know I can get what I want a few months down the road” in clearance and overstock sales once retailers swap out one color for another, she said.

Interestingly, the two groups tend to forecast similar trends, even though their methodologies are very different. The Color Marketing Group holds semiannual conferences with hundreds of members who meet in secret and develop a consensus on long-range trends. The Color Association relies on small, hand-picked committees of eight to 12 experts.

But both groups predict a continued dominance of blues in the next year or so, with a surge in such metallic colors as silver and gold displacing some of the browns.

Jamie Stephens, the director of the Color Marketing Group, said that societal and economic trends influence color trends. Several years ago, Stephens said the group predicted that increased awareness of environmental interest would spark a resurgence in greens - a trend that continues to play out.

Bredenfoerder said that the Beijing Olympics next year could spark a trend in reds and yellows, traditional Chinese colors. Globalization and the increasing influence of such countries as China and India also play a role. Bredenfoerder said that the traditional spice colors associated with India have been in vogue, and with that has come a revival of teal, a blue shade which complements them.

Even politics can play a role. Bredenfoerder said he expects in 2009 that the inauguration of a new president to replace George Bush will lead to a more optimistic outlook, and will help push colors to brighter hues.

Chow offered a slightly different take: The nation’s resurgent interest in politics will reinforce trends toward reds and blues, serious colors that are naturally associated with politics.

At General Motors, Webb said the company used to copy the color trends in the fashion world but now takes a more sophisticated approach that allows it to get ahead of trends - particularly important for a production schedule that requires decisions to be made years in advance.

It also takes a more conservative approach, looking at families of colors. If purple, for instance, is increasing in popularity, Webb looks at shades of red and blue that might capitalize on the trend in a more accessible way.

“People are inevitably a bit more conservative” when selecting a car color, Webb said. “The size and proportion of a car or truck changes people’s perceptions of a particular color.”

At Benjamin Moore, Horn said that the company spends a lot of time tracking colors in the fashion world.

“What you wear often ends up on your wall,” she said. “The colors in your closet or in your makeup box invariably will be colors chosen to end up in your home.”

Certain colors invariably make comebacks in different incarnations. A new name and a slight change of shade, or pairing a color with different combinations can make a big difference. “If you call it ‘avocado,’ you can’t sell it,” Horn said, referring to the ubiquitous green appliance shade of the ’60s and ’70s. “If you call it ‘sage,’ it might sell.”

Source: Winston-Salem Journal, 12/01/07

Growing demand for outdoor furniture

US demand for outdoor furniture and grill products (including patio heaters and accessories such as covers, cushions and grilling utensils) will increase 4.0 percent annually to $7.5 billion in 2011. The market will benefit from growth in the number of households and the increasing popularity of outdoor living areas such as patios, porches and decks. In addition, consumer lifestyle trends such as "cocooning" (spending significant time at home) and "outdoor rooms" (using items such as furniture and grills to extend the home's living space outdoors) will support gains as consumers continue to trade up to better products. Still, increases are not expected to be as rapid as in the 2001 to 2006 period, limited by the slowdown in the single-unit housing market. Despite solid demand increases, US shipments of outdoor furniture and grills will be limited by growth in imports, including offshoring of production by US-based manufacturers. These and other trends are presented in "Outdoor Furniture & Grills," a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

The relatively small patio heating product segment will see the fastest increases, due to strong growth in the South and West, where these products are more popular, and to consumers' desire to extend the season for their outdoor spaces. Grills will also see above-average gains, while the rate of increase in furniture will nearly match the overall average -- although some segments such as wicker and rattan will experience more rapid growth.

The residential market is critical to the outdoor furniture and grill industry, accounting for more than 90 percent of total demand in 2006. Consumer spending trends and consumer lifestyle choices are critical to the industry's well-being. Over the past decade or so, these factors have significantly aided the growth of the industry, with trends such as cocooning and outdoor rooms boosting demand for outdoor furniture, grills, patio heaters and related accessories. Over this period, many homeowners have significantly upgraded their outdoor living spaces. Initially, much of this spending focused on garden items; however, as the trend matured, spending also turned to patios and deck areas. This resulted in upgrades to outdoor furniture and grill products, e.g., from inexpensive plastic furniture to higher quality metal dining sets.

Source: Market Wire, 11/12/07

CB2, Crate and Barrel's offspring

CB2, Crate and Barrel’s sprightlier Gen Y offspring, is scheduled to open its 8,000-square foot SoHo store on Tuesday (next to the Muji Store!), as part of the gentretail-ification of the Broadway stretch north of Canal. The eagerly anticipated store, located at 451 Broadway, is the first CB2 outside of the Chicago area (and third over all). For years, this City Room reporter has been obsessed with CB2, once even making a trip to Chicago, in part to see the two CB2 stores there.
CB2

While born of Chicago, CB2 might find its true soul mate in New Yorkers (not that we want to annoy Chicago again). Its merchandise is designed for Apartments as opposed to Homes, meaning suitable for manuevering through those tight New York corners. (”It’s not puffy armchairs and sofas, it’s more modern and easier to get up a flight of stairs,” said Bette Kahn, a spokeswoman.) It’s economical, modern and a bit whimsical — haute urban style, or those who have more taste than money.
CB2

The emergence of CB2 is the result of back-to-its-roots soul-searching for Crate and Barrel. It’s hard to remember these days, but when Crate and Barrel was first started by a pair of 23-year-olds it was cheap and counterculture, known for inexpensive and stylish housewares, often imported, for people on a budget. (I know, it’s like learning your parents once did drugs, or that Ann Taylor had its roots in Forever 21.) Following that path, its early forays into furniture in the late 1980s were inexpensive Scandinavian design — sofas that might have cost less than $500, for example (sound familiar?). But suprisingly its client base rejected that approach. They wanted nicer stuff, because they were growing up and making more money. So today Crate and Barrel is the place of $2,000 beds and $140 fondue sets. (It’s a reminder that we all grow up.)
CB2

In recent years, there is an influx of retailers discovering the market for furniture for people who don’t want their parents’ furniture. Some are moving high to low — not only Crate and Barrel, but Williams Sonoma has its also foray into economic urban furniture with its West Elm stores. Others, like Chicago-based Chiasso, are moving from low to high — extending their product lines from housewares to include furniture (much like Crate and Barrel did in the 1980s). Either way, New York City seems to be a mecca. “We had to be in New York if we were going anywhere, because that was the capital of everything,” said Ms. Kahn. (That’s the attitude City Room likes.)

While we are on the topic of this market, your City Room reporter is reminded of the time a friend said his newest girlfriend was like the furniture from Ikea: cheap, stylish, disposable.

Source: New York Times, 11/05/07

All dressed up

At J. Roaman, a home furnishings store in East Hampton, N.Y., a painted white iron bed wears a giant charm bracelet over its left head post. The bracelet isn’t there because the bed wants for visual interest; it’s already enveloped in a brightly colored quilt by Lisa Corti, a Milanese designer, and topped with four pillows, five throw pillows and a bolster. The reason for the jewelry, according to Judi Roaman, a former fashion retailer who opened the store in May, is that furniture, like any carefully curated outfit, should express its owner’s personality. “Accessories make the bed into who you want her to be,” she explained.

The idea that furniture should wear jewelry may strike some people as, well, nuts. But the notion behind it — that the kind of personal style associated with fashion can and should be expressed through home accessorizing, in ways that go far beyond throw pillows — has become a guiding principle of the furnishings industry.

Decades after that industry began routinely drawing inspiration from fashion, the boundaries between the two worlds are starting to erode, as their philosophies, vocabularies and materials become increasingly hard to tell apart. Fashion and home design are “collapsing into each other,” said the New York furniture and interior designer Celerie Kemble, who has described her curvy new side tables as having “the insouciant kick of a flared hemline.”

This coalescence was on view throughout last month’s High Point Market, the huge furniture trade show in North Carolina. Henredon, a company known more for classic styling than for marketing gimmicks, introduced Debonaire, a $5,775 striated beige couch with a matching silk shawl — to be worn by the sofa — for $390. At Julian Chichester, new coffee tables ($2,995) and living room chairs ($4,995) were wrapped in chocolate-brown faux shagreen, a material more commonly seen on clutch purses. Visual Comfort & Company, a designer lighting manufacturer, showcased lamps by Thomas O’Brien and Barbara Barry that featured beveled crystal, dainty pearls and white gold accents that could have come straight from Tiffany.

Natuzzi, the Italian company specializing in contemporary leather upholstery, introduced an array of warm metallic fabrics and metallic-finished leathers that were adapted, according to the company’s vice president for brand development, Tod Craft, directly from women’s ready-to-wear.

“It started in handbags, went to boots, went to jewelry,” Mr. Craft said. Just as a woman might wear a chunky gold belt to jazz up an otherwise lackluster skirt, Natuzzi’s executives think customers should plunk down $2,995 for a metallic bronze-finished leather chaise to inject flair into their living rooms. “These are accent pieces that make the room sparkle, give the room personality, give it style,” Mr. Craft said.

In showroom after showroom, consoles and sideboards in basic black or glossy white were adorned with gleaming objects that looked like earrings and pendants pumped up to match the scale of a room. Such accessories “make the room look warm and accessible,” said Mitchell Gold, whose company, Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams, known for its understated upholstered furniture, introduced mirrored glass vases, crystal spheres and sculptural objects in polished nickel.

“When Bob and I are designing furniture, we think , what does Audrey Hepburn look like? How did Jackie Kennedy dress?” Mr. Gold said. “The perfect black dress worn with nothing else looks pretty blah. But then just put white pearls on, you look elegant.”

To be sure, furniture designers have often looked to fashion for inspiration. At various points, the animal prints, distressed leathers and deep ruffles that sashayed down runways have appeared, a year or two later, on upholstery, carpeting and other furnishings.

And ever since Bloomingdale’s flagship store sold $35,000 worth of Ralph Lauren home furnishings the first day they went on sale in 1983, manufacturers have recognized the potential of names like Giorgio Armani and Donna Karan to imbue armoires and bedding with cachet. But the industry’s current focus on accessorizing as a form of self expression represents a marked change from most of the last 50 years, when Americans typically strived for a living room of uniform style that looked as if it had been done by a professional. “Home design used to be so much about these old-fashioned rules,” Ms. Kemble said. “It was about showcasing the accumulation of things that met a certain level of finish. There was an achievement in having that living room that nobody lives in — that you actually had gotten everything up to snuff.”

Things have changed. “People want every aspect of their lives to say something about themselves,” said Deborah Needleman, the editor in chief of Domino, the three-year-old Condé Nast shelter magazine that became an instant hit with its treatment of style as a matter of personal choice. Decorating that feels personally driven, she said, “shows you have confidence and a sense of independence.” It also shows creativity, much as individualistic fashion choices do, Ms. Needleman continued. “I think most people between the ages of 25 and 45 would feel like a jerk if they bought a suite of furniture.”

The proliferation of decorating shows and magazines, not to mention Target’s ubiquitous ad campaigns, has no doubt helped give rise to the idea that everyone, regardless of budget, deserves and is capable of attaining a unique and stylish space. “It’s a whole different moment now where design is for everyone,” said James Nauyok, the vice president for marketing and visual display of Baker, one of the country’s pre-eminent furniture brands. “Today, you can find good design at any price point.”

And magazines, manufacturers and retailers now relentlessly push the idea that changing your home is as easy and affordable as changing your look.

“Just like you want to change your sweater, you want to change your house,” Ms. Roaman said. Expensive purchases like sofas and dining tables, retailers say, can be transformed with accessories as effectively and cheaply as a good navy suit can. “I carry bright dishes that go from $8 to $12 — we’ve sold hundreds of them,” Ms. Roaman said. “For $500 you can change your whole table.” At Target, 12 Thomas O’Brien stoneware dinner plates in deep marine blue cost just under $75, and at Target.com, you can get two potentially room-altering deep red silk pillows with a gold dandelion design for $58.48.

The desire for personalized home design is just as pronounced, if not more so, at the high end of the market. Hickory Chair, a luxury American furniture brand, introduced an array of “personalization” options at High Point, including Made-to-Measure Upholstery, which allows customers to order upholstered pieces in any size between 24 and 120 inches, down to the inch. Another, the Customer’s Own Hardware, lets customers have their own knobs and pulls — whether antiques, heirlooms or specially ordered crystal knobs from Swarovski — installed on almost any Hickory Chair product.

These options are meant to help customers secure a one-of-a-kind piece, and to relieve them of the worry that someone else in the world could end up choosing the same combination of upholstery, hardware and wood finishes from the several thousand options already available.

Not surprisingly, the blurring lines between fashion and furniture have also led to changes in consumer behavior. Some stores, like ABC Carpet & Home in New York and the national chain Anthropologie, have treated the two categories as part of a single continuum for years, showing candles and bed linens on the same shelves as jackets and jewelry. Now, consumers appear to have internalized that concept, as Kathy Walsh observed after starting a furniture store in Great Barrington, Mass., in 2005. From the moment the store, Homeward Bound, opened its doors, customers began telling her they loved her personal style and asking her to sell clothes along with the dining tables.

Today, Homeward Bound carries a carefully selected mix of high-end furnishings and clothing items, at a ratio of two to one, all meant to promote “interior harmony,” the store’s slogan. (For Ms. Walsh, interior harmony means “you walk into your home and your bedroom, and your clothing and closet and everything feels good to you. Even though you have an antique piece and a modern piece and a vegan-leather handbag it all goes together because it expresses who you are.”) Sales at the store have been so good that last year Ms. Walsh and her husband, Trip Rothschild, opened a second location in New Milford, Conn., and a third is scheduled to open in West Hartford on Saturday.

Fashion and furnishings have grown so close lately that the tide of influence may even be starting to turn. While shelter magazines have long featured references to fashion, it is just in the last year that two of the biggest American fashion magazines, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, have started publishing spinoffs about home design. And after decades of furniture taking color, pattern and material cues from fashion, Deborah Needleman says she has noticed the inspiration flowing the other way. “Lately,” she wrote in an e-mail, “I’ve seen the fabrics of upholstery, curtains and throws, like ikats, damasks, suzanis and 80s chintz-like florals on the runway.”

Few furniture designers have taken steps into fashion, but it may only be a matter of time. Oly, one of the most design-forward companies at High Point, actually designated a small nook off its main showroom to sell earrings and shagreen clutches to visitors. Kate McIntyre, a co-founder of the company, who designs all its furniture with her partner, Brad Huntzinger, said designing fashion accessories was “a very natural transition” for the two. “Quite often we’re captivated by a material,” she added, like polished horn or volcanic glass. Their main concern, she said, is finding the right way to express it.

As for fabrics, she added, she often finds herself selecting one for a home-related project and thinking, “This would make an amazing gown.”

Source: New York Times, 11/1/07

If Sox Win, Sofas Are Free

Thousands of Red Sox fans are hoping that their team wins the World Series, not just because they are loyal fans, but because they stand to get free furniture.

Free furniture?

That's right. Thanks to a promotion at a regional furniture chain, nearly 30,000 people might get free couches, dinning room tables, beds and mattresses.

Way back in March and April, Jordan's Furniture ran a promotion: buy any sofa, dinning room table, bed or mattress, and if the Red Sox win the World Series yeah, go ahead and make your favorite joke about the once-cursed team then the price of the furniture will be refunded.

Now, that championship could very likely be a reality, and millions of dollars worth of furniture could be given away.

"I've always been a Red Sox fan, lived in Boston my whole life," said Eliot Tatelman, president and CEO of Jordan's. "I said, 'what a great way to support the team, what a great way to tie ourselves in with the Red Sox, and what a great way to get everybody rooting for the Red Sox and sell a lot of furniture.'"

So, with all that money on the line, you would think that Tatelman is rooting for the Colorado Rockies, right?

No way.

Jordan's like most companies that run such promotions  has taken out prize indemnification insurance, which covers the payouts if the team wins the World Series.

"We're rooting for the Red Sox, too," Tatelman said.

Did You Buy Furniture at Jordan's During This Promotion? We Want to Talk With You

Jordan's has four stores spread across the Boston area, and has always taken a fun approach to selling furniture. The company was founded by Tatelman's grandfather about 80 years ago, and was sold in 1999 to Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway.

Two of the Jordan's stores have IMAX movie theaters, and yes, school groups take field trips there. Another store has a motion simulator movie ride.

Oh yeah, and Jordan's is also the "official furniture store of the Boston Red Sox."

Lots of Couches Sold

Tatelman refused to say exactly how much furniture Jordan's sold during the "Monster Deal" promotion, but did say it was just short of 30,000 orders. He would not give a dollar figure.

"They're large orders. There were a lot of dollars involved in this," Tatelman said. "We're not selling $100 items. We're selling $1,000 sofas and $600 pieces, and so forth."

If each order was just $500 a pretty conservative estimate then Jordan's might end up giving away more than $15 million.

But generally, most people bought more than one item. Tatelman said that one customer could get $40,000 back after they furnished their whole house. He also said a motel in New Hampshire bought a large amount of furniture during the promotion.

So, how much did Jordan's Furniture spend on the prize insurance?

Tatelman wouldn't say, but the cost was in the millions.

Mark Gilmartin is president of Odds On Promotions, a Reno, Nev., company that underwrites such insurance policies. While he didn't do a policy for Jordan's, the furniture store did seek a quote from him.

Gilmartin would have insured the contest for 30 percent of the value of all the furniture given away. Using the conservative $15 million prize tally, that means the insurance would have cost Jordan's $4.5 million.

Whatever the cost, Tatelman said it was worth it. Not only did he get customers in the store, but they bought furniture. And a lot of what they purchased is not covered by the promotion.

If somebody bought a couch and a loveseat, only the couch would be free. If they bought a dining room table, chairs, and maybe some china to go with it, only the table would be free.

"The Red Sox winning a world championship, and free furniture I mean, it doesn't get any better," Tatelman said.

A Free Car For a Hole-In-One

Gilmartin's company insures all sorts of promotions like this. These conditional rebates where customers get back the money spent on purchases could be pegged to anything. For instance, if a local sports team beats a rival, all those pickup trucks purchased last week at a local dealership, could end up being free.

Another popular promotion might involve a rebate if six inches of snow happens to fall on Christmas day.

Such sales gimmicks "are designed to increase traffic, and ultimately increase sales," Gilmartin said. "It's an excellent sales promotion, in addition to being able to show your community support, and back your local team."

Besides furniture stores, these promotions often show up at car dealerships and electronics shops. Gilmartin's company just insured a promotion for a Boston-area jewelry shop that will rebate purchases if the New England Patriots go undefeated this season.

Odds On Promotions also has a sister company that insures hole-in-one giveaways typically, a hole in a tournament where a golfer wins a free car if they get a hole-in-one.

Such promotions also appeal to Americans' enjoyment of gambling on sports.

Even Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper are getting in on the action, making a friendly wager.

If the Colorado Rockies win the baseball championship, Menino will send Hickenlooper New England clam chowder from Legal Sea Foods, coffee and Boston creme doughnuts from Dunkin' Donuts, "Curse Reversed" ice cream bars, and "Boston You're My Home" ice cream from Brigham's Ice Cream.

If the Red Sox win, Colorado will send over Quiznos sandwiches, Celestial Seasonings teas, Great Western tortilla chips, Epic Valley salsa and Liks Rocky Road ice cream.

The winning mayor might end up needing a larger desk chair after eating all that food.

Which brings us back to Jordan's Furniture. While this whole promotion might have been designed to sell furniture, Tatelman said it means a lot more than just some sales.

"All of a sudden, everybody is a Red Sox fan," he said. "All summer, they're watching games, because the sofa they are sitting on, they can have for free if the Red Sox win the World Series."

Source: ABC News, 10/25/07

Furniture makers eyeing green with eco-friendly furnishings

HIGH POINT, N.C. - The promotion possessed all the subtlety of a Victoria's Secret fashion show. And, much like a catwalk full of lingerie-clad models, it also proved immensely popular.

The Vaughan-Bassett furniture showroom at the massive High Point Furniture Market was filled with 40 live trees to introduce the company's new initiative: Vaughan-Bassett plans to plant one tree for every tree it uses to produce its furniture. The company estimates it will pay for 150,000 saplings a year to replace trees that are harvested for headboards, dinette sets, and dressers.

"We don't know what we can do to be more environmentally friendly than replacing every single tree we use in the production of our furniture," said Vaughan-Bassett president Wyatt Bassett. "You have other companies trying to get a stamp or seal of approval for doing much less to help the environment."

The eco-friendly edict was echoed throughout 12 million square feet of showrooms in this town, as companies from across the country rolled out new designs at the furniture industry's semiannual, weeklong showcase. Of course, some office furniture-makers have been touting eco-aware products for years, while smaller, independently-owned companies have been making earth-friendly furniture for just as long. But for the first time, large furniture manufacturers such as C.R. Laine, Precedent, Rowe, and Bernhardt are publicly jumping on the green bandwagon, introducing lines of furniture they say are more environmentally conscious.

Industry analysts see the introduction of environmentally-friendly furniture by large companies as an attempt to lure younger shoppers away from specialty stores such as IKEA, which has been drawing customers with chic, inexpensive designs while touting its environmental awareness.

"The furniture industry is slumping because baby boomers are downsizing, they're not furnishing new homes," says consumer researcher Jerry Epperson of Mann, Armistead & Epperson. "The industry needs to reach out to younger customers, and what people like my daughter and her friends care about is the environment and sustainability. This is clearly a way of trying to draw in younger people by focusing on an issue that they care about."

The construction of this new crop of environmentally-friendly furniture is remarkably similar across manufacturers. Most frames are built from wood collected from certified sustainable forests. Cushions, usually constructed of 100-percent petroleum-based foam, are being made from a mix of 80 percent petroleum and 20 percent soy. Steel springs are made of 50 percent recycled metal. The glue is formaldehyde-free. Several companies are even replacing polyester filling in sofa backs and throw pillows with fibers made from recycled plastic soda bottles.

And dressing up those eco-conscious innards are fabrics made from hemp, as well as bamboo-cotton blends and organic cotton dyed according to the Global Organic Textiles Standard, a 20-page list of rules establishing standards for organic fabric. The wood finishes are water-based.

"Everybody's introducing a green program this year," says Peggy Burns, an owner of local chain Circle Furniture as she inspected the environmentally friendly offerings in the C.R. Laine showroom. "You can see it in low-end all the way up to high-end. Everybody who is taking a little bit of chemical out is suddenly saying they're green."

Currently, any company can now claim that their eco-conscious line or initiative is the most green. There are no guidelines or rating systems spelling out what makes furniture environmentally friendly.

But changes are in the works. Some industry members have recently formed an organization called the Sustainable Furniture Council. At the moment, membership in the group is obtained by paying the $1,500 corporate dues ($125 for individuals) and agreeing to promote sustainable practices within a company. Eventually, however, the group hopes to set up standards and a ratings system to help inform consumers about how earth-friendly their love seat truly is. Such standards are at least a year away, according to council members.

Green furnishings - like hybrid automobiles - come with a price. In most cases, these new lines of furniture, with names such as Ecollection, down2earth, and Naturals, cost about 10 percent more than pieces constructed through conventional methods. Initially, C.R. Laine was only planning to offer its down2earth eco-package in its cottage line of furniture. But a C.R. Laine spokeswoman said reaction was so strong among retailers, that Laine now plans to offer the eco-package in all four of its furniture lines. Manufacturers say it's too early to tell what percentage of overall sales will come from green furniture, but consumer interest is growing.

"What's really driving consumers' buying habits right now is the whole green movement," says Woody Williams, CEO of Precedent furniture, which sells to retailers such as Crate & Barrel and Room and Board. "We really got on this about six months ago, and decided to make a real commitment to it. Now that we're all becoming more aware of the environment, it's become a priority for us."

Some smaller furniture-makers that adopted eco-friendly practices several years ago are not entirely convinced that larger manufacturers are going green out of the goodness of their hearts.

"Unfortunately, I think they're using it purely as a marketing tool," says Trevor Webb, owner of California-based furniture company Urban Woods.

Instead of harvesting trees from forests, Webb's company makes tables, dressers, and headboards from wood that has been salvaged from demolition projects. At the High Point show, he was sitting at a table built from timber that was once part of a soundstage at MGM studios - the same soundstage where "The Wizard of Oz" and "Citizen Kane" were filmed. He's also developed a stain for his furniture he claims is so safe that humans can drink it without worry.

"It takes a lot of research and a lot of work to truly make sustainable furniture," says Webb, who's a member of the Sustainable Furniture Council. "What these companies are doing is a step in the right direction, but they still have a long way to go. If you're using 20 percent soy in your foam cushions, that means 80 percent is still petroleum-based."

So how long, if ever, will it take the big furniture manufacturers to go completely green? The challenges lie in how the industry currently operates. According to Epperson, 50 percent of furniture is made from imported wood. A single piece of furniture can be made with wood that comes from multiple factories, making it much more difficult to determine whether elements were harvested from a sustainable forest. Cost is another factor holding back a fully eco-aware furniture industry. Many processes involved in making green furniture require more time and, in some cases, more expensive materials.

How quickly those changes become more widespread across the industry will depend on how consumers respond.

"Right now, it's a monetary choice. You have to pay a little more for the green furniture," says Circle Furniture's Burns. "People will say 'I care about the environment.' But people also love bargains. It's all about the dough. The question is, do people care enough to pay more?"

Source: Boston Globe, 10/18/07

Musical Furniture

Home appliances and furniture are filled with the sound of music. I'm betting that soon you won't be able to turn around in your own home without bumping into a hidden docking station. Here's a look at some of the new arrivals.

Soundolier Duo Lamp: Pronounced like "chandelier," this floor lamp has a built-in set of surround-sound audio speakers. A dimmable lamp and set of speakers in one tall column makes for a terrific space-saver and wire-hider. And the sound quality is not bad either. I got to play with the lamp at a recent demonstration and heard a surprisingly rich and full sound.

Drawbacks? It's a bit on the expensive side ($360) and you also need to buy the wireless transmitter ($80) to send the signal to the speakers. And the lamps won't accept compact fluorescent light bulbs yet. Still, it's a real light and sound show!

Atech Flash iCarta Stereo Dock with Bath Tissue Holder: I'm not sure I wouldn't rather have a magazine rack, but if you're going to sit on the throne for any length of time I suppose a good song helps. The unit has four moisture-free integrated speakers. The stereo speakers are housed inside the toilet paper holder's arms. It's only $79, and the opportunity to create a bathroom playlist is enticing, isn't it? Read more at iLounge.

The iPod Bed: Lullaby yourself with this iPod-compatible bed. Called Pause, the bed has an integrated iPod dock and can accommodate a Bose speaker system. The bed is crafted from New Zealand rimu hardwood.

The Concerto Table is a dining table shaped like a baby grand piano. It's only natural that this mixture of music and company would stash an iPod dock in it too. Listen as you eat. Pricing is available from the manufacturers.

Source: Yahoo, 10/10/07

Consumers rock on with iPod-ready furniture

What's Happening

* To keep up with today's media-savvy consumers, furniture is morphing into what we'll call FurnTech.
* Pottery Barn offers customers a way to "work smart" through shelving and bulletin boards that are iPod- and speaker-compatible. PB Teen lets the kids tune out in style with beds, chairs, bags and lap desks that are "iPod friendly."
* In Summer 2007, Target started offering kids headboards with speakers and a pocket to hold an MP3 player. Skyline, the manufacturer, says that if the headboards are a hit with kids, they'll continue this FurnTech direction with chairs and benches (Washington Post 8.23.07).
* Even high-end furnishings are playing with this consumer desire. New Zealand's DesignMobel created the Pause bed with an inconspicuous iPod dock and Bose speakers. Designers Lovegrove and Repucci offer the Concerto Table, which resembles a grand piano but replaces keys with an iPod docking station.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

* Consumer demand for connectivity, convenience and a continuous life soundtrack requires brands to think inside the pod for ways to keep their audience tuned in.
* FurnTech is about seamlessly integrating the media component, both in terms of look and use. Think streamlined, uncluttered furniture that allows for easy use of tech accessories. Consumers want their music to be loud, not their furniture.

Source: Iconoculture, 9/26/07

Room & Board shows how consumers really live

What's Happening

* The Minnesota-based Room & Board furniture chain dropped a Fall 2007 mini-catalog that uses actual consumer homes to illustrate how R&B furniture fulfills real space and design needs.
* Each decor profile includes the homeowner's personal style tips and inspiration, so readers aren't left wondering how to make eye candy actionable.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

* Consumers want to know the furniture details before a piece arrives on the doorstep. How will that computer desk help organize my 500-sq.-ft. walk-up? How will that sofa look once my pillows, kids and pets are sitting on it?
* In the home space, many consumers view their peers as reliable sources of information and inspiration, so the advice included in promotional material shouldn't be limited to certified experts.

Source: Iconoculture, 9/20/07

Discounting trend great for furniture shoppers

It may seem odd to mention now, with a housing slowdown upon us and recession fears suddenly real, but it is a great time to buy furniture.

Even before the housing bubble burst, the furniture industry was in the throes of consolidation, as an influx of imports from the Far East spurred price competition that cut profit margins and forced many mom-and-pop stores to close and discount retailers like Costco to jump in.

For consumers, that means lower prices at the big-box furniture store.

“Discounting is the name of the game today,” said Leonard B. Lewin, author of “Shopping for Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide.”

Three decades ago, he said, consumers could count on sales twice a year, in July and August and in January and February. “Now there are sales every day of the week,” Mr. Lewin said. “There isn’t a store in town that isn’t routinely discounting 40 percent off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.”

Last year, the top 100 furniture stores posted a 6.6 percent increase in sales, to about $32 billion, according to Furniture Today, an industry publication. That was down from an 8.3 percent gain in 2005.

Ashley Furniture HomeStores supplanted Rooms to Go as the top store chain in 2006, according to the ranking.

The government reported yesterday that sales at furniture stores rose 0.5 percent in August from July as overall retail sales edged slightly higher on the strength of auto sales. Economists are keeping a close eye on consumer spending, which has slowed this year in the face of higher gasoline prices and the cooling housing market.

The discounting trend is even more pronounced in the home furnishings market, according to a recent report from Morgan Keegan & Company, a brokerage firm based in Memphis. Sales have remained weak this year at companies like Pier 1 Imports, Bombay, Williams-Sonoma, Kirklands and Cost Plus World Market. Discounting is likely to continue through the end of the year, the report said.

Even Bed Bath & Beyond, which has gained market share at the expense of competitors, is feeling the ill effects of recent economic trends.

Source: New York Times, 9/17/07

Top 10 Furniture Trends in 2007

Peace and serenity are themes that will be at the top of the wish list when it comes to home decorating in 2007.

1. Hand-Crafted Furniture Be on the lookout for hand-crafted furniture pieces, with the hottest items featuring intricate detailing and scrollwork, hand-woven finishes and unusual materials.
2. Leather with Fabrics Leather will retain its popularity as an upholstery fabric, but we'll see it making even more of a statement as it intermingles with various fabrics.
3. Back to Nature Getting back to nature will take on new meaning as the colours of 2007 are rolled out. Palettes will incorporate more relaxed tones, incorporating earthy hues with an emphasis on shades of brown, green and blue. Furniture will naturally pick up on these tones
4. Ethnic Trends Never before has the furniture and accessories market been so influenced by so many ethnic trends. It's now possible to go shopping in your neighbourhood and bring home fine, hand-crafted items from as far away as Asia or Africa.
5. Artistic Mix The hottest looks in 2007 will incorporate an artistic mix of items from a variety of cultures.
6. Indigenous Materials Furniture will be best complemented by accessories made from indigenous materials - textiles, hardwoods, reeds or bamboo.
7. Simple Yet Elegant If there's one mantra for decorating in 2007 this has to be it! The emphasis in furniture design will be on what styles make consumers feel the most comfortable and relaxed. The idea of the home as a stylish but simplistic haven will be at the forefront of home décor and design, from fabrics to paints to furniture.
8. Homemade Accents Anything homemade, hand-crafted or traditional - or at least anything with that kind of look - is going to make a comeback.
9. Space Conservation Aunt Ethel's formal dining room set may be a massive relic of the past. Today's dining room furniture is being designed with space conservation in mind. Scaled back tables, narrower buffets and small curio cabinets are popular with families who may have smaller dining rooms or choose to use that room for some other purpose altogether.
10. Counter-Height Dining Sets Today's sit-down meals are definitely less formal, a trend evidenced in the popularity of counter-height dining sets. Although families may be moving away from formal dining, they obviously still have an appetite for sharing meals in a more casual, relaxed setting. Bon appetit!

Source: W Network

Furniture Trends

Mouthwatering Colors

Twice a year in High Point, North Carolina, in the heart of furniture country USA, home furnishings manufacturers reveal their new collections to the world. Store buyers come to stock their inventories with the latest and greatest. And decorating editors like us investigate what's new and what's coming -- so we can report the trends to you.

We searched high and low at the furniture market in High Point, N.C., and turned up these trends to spend our pennies (or, in some cases, blow the bank account) on. The upshot: Color is hot, Australia is cool. Furniture goes glam, and Asian style reinvents itself. Classic patterns -- toile and checks -- look fresh and new again.

You Say Tomato, I Say Persimmon

The return of color is the big story this spring. At Baker Furniture, the Lexus of home furnishings, the showroom looked like it had been colored from the small crayon box: primary blue, green, red, yellow -- plus ivory for contrast. Irridescent lavender silk at Hickory Chair was reminiscent of the frocks seen at last year's Academy Awards ceremonies.

But the season's hottest palette is straight from your parents' 1970s earth-toned den: persimmon (think burnt orange) paired with brown or alternately, shades of green mixed together for an eco-friendly look. Milling Road (Baker's more affordable line) used the orange/brown palette to give a modern twist to traditional French furniture. Mitchell Gold, which supplies upholstery to retailers such as Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel, offered persimmon on a velveteen club chair (see Photo 1); Italian leather manufacturer Natuzzi presented the color mix on a trim leather sofa (see Photo 2).

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

Lavender is finding its way into the living room

What's Happening

* Beige is always safe, but some homeowners think the shade is plain blah! Now DIY and pro decorators have another safe color choice that comes with more pizzazz and still plays well with just about everything: lavender.
* Until now, lavender was mostly hidden in the bathroom. But the hue is increasingly found throughout the home on walls, floors, fabrics and furniture. Designer Jamie Drake showered his 2007 Kips Bay Decorator Show House bedroom in lavender, while designer Anne Coyle calls it the new neutral (WashingtonPost.com 5.3.07).
* Home-furnishings retailers are also fond of lavender. Crate and Barrel puts the color on stemware, while the color shows up on Restoration Hardware paint, towels and shower curtains.
* Why lavender? Interior designers may be taking a cue from apparel designers who are showing more lavender on runways. Compared with beige, lavender also hands homeowners a livelier, more chic neutral: a color that stays in the background and comes in various shades.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

* Homes nationwide are awash in beige, but it’s a hue that doesn’t always resonate with the homeowner's unique lifestyle. Lavender paints the home with personalization, putting the owner’s style on display while still coloring within the safe-shade lines.

Source: Iconoculture