Cabinet sales decline 28.3% in 2009

Cabinet manufacturers reported sales totaling $4.8 billion for 2009, down 28.3 percent compared to total sales for 2008, according to the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association’s monthly Trend of Business Survey.
Stock sales were down 24.1 percent, semi-custom sales were down 30.2 percent and custom sales were down 37.2 percent.
December 2009 monthly sales were down 9.8 percent compared to December 2008. Stock sales were down 16 percent, custom sales were down 25.8 percent and semi-custom reported a slight 0.5 percent increase compared to December 2008.
Survey participants include stock, semi-custom and custom companies whose combined sales represent more than 60 percent of the U.S. cabinet market.

Give the gift of wood next Valentine’s Day

OK, so I’m a day late and a dollar short for Valentine’s Day 2010. However, you can give your partner the gift of wood next year.
A marketing savvy Vermont woodworker has created The Naked Table Project, a Valentine’s weekend couple’s retreat that makes a contemporary heirloom-quality family table, designed by Charles Shackleton.
Six months before the event, 80 to 100-year-old sugar maple trees are harvested from a local sustainable forest. The wood is logged, sawn, dried and machined by various local artisans. Assisted by several ShackletonThomas furniture makers, 15 couples spend their first day assembling, smoothing and finishing the tables.
The weekend also includes a nature hike through the woods with a professional forester to see the actual source of the lumber and to indentify a replacement seedling tree. The GPS coordinates of each tree are recorded and attached to the base of the signed and numbered Naked Table. The weekend ends with a feast around the completed tables. All the tables are lined up to create a 75-foot-long table adorned with locally grown foods.
All tables come with a certificate stating the origins of the wood and a list of the chain of people who helped create the table.

Mardi Grape is the color of 2010

Nothing says classy like a room that looks like it was sprayed down with Purple Drank.
Color Marketing Group has predicted the hot decorating color for 2010 will be Mardi Grape, a sophisticated crossover between purple, brown and gray.
According to CMG, look for these additional color trends in 2010:
Red – Reds are strong with pink intuition; bright and clean with energy and excitement -- a
clean pop to go with neutrals.
Orange – A rich, sophisticated color that moves away from earth-based colors to an optimistic
orange, seasoned with a touch of gray.
Yellow – A greener, more natural yellow, softened with gray.
Green – Optimistic and uplifting, a clear and bright accent green with a slight shift toward blue.
Blue – A saturated blue with gray influences; rich without being too luxe.
Beige-Brown – A true chameleon to complement darker hues, it can be either matte or metallic.
Neutral-Gray – Gray with a touch of purple, drawing inspiration from mineral, concrete and
steel.

Where furniture meets fashion?

Celebrity fragrances are so 2009.
Apparently “designing” a furniture line is the new must-have side project revenue stream for wannabe celebrities. Case in point: Nancy O’ Dell, former host of Access Hollywood launched her outdoor furniture line, Red Carpet at 2010 Las Vegas Market. She describes her line as high-end and A-list—similar to a beautiful woman on the red carpet.
Are you buying this?

Nov. '09 furniture orders increase over Nov. '08

The latest Furniture Insights study from Smith Leonard shows new orders for November 2009 increased 10 percent over new orders in November 2008. Also, 51 percent of participants reported increased orders in November, up from 41 percent in October, 33 percent in September and 20 percent in August.
Year-to-date, new orders were down 14 percent compared to the same period a year ago, down from 16 percent last month. Last year at this time, new orders were down 13 percent year-to-date. Some 89 percent of participants have reported lower orders compared to the same, eleven-month period last year.
The study said while many companies are still hurting, most have made adjustments to current volume levels.

Office furniture study results 'mixed bag'

Michael A. Dunlap & Associates recently released the results of its quarterly MADA/OFI Trends Survey, designed to measure the business activity of the office furniture industry and its suppliers. This survey was completed in January.
Survey results include:
*Gross shipments have improved, but order backlog has declined
*Employment is steady (but below 50), while hours worked has increased above 50 for the first time since October 2008
*Capital expenditures and tooling expenditures declined significantly in the 4th quarter of 2009
*New Product Development has increased significantly
*Raw material costs and employee costs have risen, but not to alarming levels
The Personal Outlook Index remains below 50, but with little change from the October 2009 Survey
“I’m a little disappointed in the results this quarter. It’s a real 'mixed bag.' I was expecting to see improvements in order backlog and personal outlook. I am surprised in the decreases in capital expenditures and tooling expenditures, but I think this will bounce back in the next quarter. The low Personal Outlook index puzzles me, but I think that OFM’s (office furniture manufacturers) are more optimistic than suppliers or service providers. That’s the norm,” said Michael Dunlap.