Glamour, curves, spacesaving
ideas on tap for coming year
One good thing about the furniture business – people’s tastes
constantly change, creating a renewed source of interest in your
products. And you won’t get bored selling the same thing year
after year.
Of course, there will always be a market for traditional
country furniture, but tastes are
changing. Here are a few of the
things that leaders in the industry
say will continue to stay strong or
increase in popularity.
Glamour will be popular
One trend for the coming
year will be more glamour.
What is glamorous to one
person may not be to another
but in general people will
be looking for something
out of the ordinary.
Sharp contrasts are
one component of glamour. For example, one
web site showed a picture of a dresser with
mitered drawer fronts
in curly maple and a
natural finish with
the frame painted black.
Extremes also are a symbol of glamour, such as chairs with
either extreme curves or extreme straight lines. Upholstered
chairs with hardwood frames, especially those that feature
plenty of curves, appear to be popular.
There is also a growing interest in furniture styles found in
other countries, which are often considered more glamorous
simply because they’re different than traditional American
styles.
Bold is the trend for fabric colors and materials (see box below). Pleated materials for cushions and other upholstered areas is also expected to trend high.
Dining tables will be big
Statement dining tables are also projected to be popular. By
“statement” the experts mean a big, in-your-face style. This
doesn’t necessarily mean bigger than the standard widths and
lengths, though.
Instead, the styles trend toward massive tops three or four
inches thick and heavy legs, or even hardwood tops combined
with metal legs. Unique styles, with glass tops or a raw plank
look, are also considered statement tables.
The tables can’t be too big, though, to take advantage of another trend – small space solutions.
Saving space will be a priority
Spacesavers that still seem big are trending well. Tables
with drop leaves or extensions are popular for people with
Bold colors will be the choice for 2013
Bold will be considered
beautiful in furniture for
2013, according to some
experts.
While different experts
have varied expectations
for colors, most believe
furniture will trend toward
some brighter colors, often
as the main color rather
than as just an accent.
One color predicted to
be hot is orange. This may
be a bright hue, like a tangerine, or a deeper tone
like russet.
6
Blues will also be big, especially lighter and brighter shades, as well as navy.
Dark turquoise is another
color that some experts see
trending for 2013.
In greens, those with
more yellow in them will
be more popular than
darker and deeper greens.
Red will remain popular,
although moving more toward magenta.
Dark purples, such as
eggplant or berry, will
also have their place in
homes in 2013.
Among neutral colors, beige is giving way
to browns that are more
leathery in color, or more
whitish, such as cream.
Neutral grays will pick
up more blue in them for a
steel-like color.
And some experts even
predict that colors like
eggplant will be used as
the neutral shade.
Traditionally,
home
owners have preferred the
neutral colors, like beige,
Heartland Directory of Wholesale Furniture Manufacturers 2013
to be the main color with
the bold colors for the accents like pillows and rugs.
But some experts predict a
reversal in that, with neutrals serving as accents to a
bold primary color.
While much of this color will be seen in fabrics,
painted furniture will also
reflect the move toward
bolder hues. Some may
choose to mix the bright
colors in the same piece,
such as a cabinet in navy
with yellow knobs.