Twice a year, spring and fall, we go to High Point, North Carolina to see what is going on in the furniture industry. 75,000 designers, furniture dealers, manufacturers and buyers all meet in North Carolina for the High Point Market.
There are 12 million square feet of showroom and exhibit space with 2,000 manufacturers showing their products, new introductions and designs. It is by far the world’s largest home furnishings market in the world.
Why do we go? To see the latest trends and what will be out in the next six months. Much like the fashion industry shows its fashion six months before it is available, many of the new design we’ve seen will not be available until fall.
What we can tell you now though is that we are seeing certain color trends emerging. Here they are fresh from High Point Market.
GRAY
Gray is still big. It should be here a while. It really shows well in a showroom environment since the color does not overwhelm. It has been a strong color for some time and there is no sign of it slowing down, if anything everyone has finally caught up.
CELADON
This pastel green is making a comeback. It has been popular many times and for centuries but it seems to be having another revival. It goes well with gray and the next color we are seeing.
PINK
We have not seen a lot of pink for a while but with gray and celadon pink is a great compliment. In fact pink and celadon are one of the most classic color combinations, based on their stronger hues of green and red. Look for more pink in home furnishings and maybe fashion.
GOLD and BRASS
We have talked about how popular gold and brass were at the last market and they are continuing to go strong. They seem to be in the majority now and the whiter metals (chrome, nickel, pewter) are disappearing rapidly.
Not everything we see at market is put into production or becomes a part of a manufacturer’s line, but when you see so many manufacturers showing the same color palettes you can be pretty sure they are going to influence design and fabric, wallpaper, rug, furniture, accessory and lighting manufacturers.
