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