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Quality furniture is still manufactured in the United States, but to turn a profit one furniture maker is using the Web instead of traditional retail channels.
The retail-marketing model has served the furniture industry well; however, the people who make the furniture never got a chance to speak directly with the consumer. However, all that is changing thanks to the Web and social media.
CarolinaChair.com, is a direct-to-consumer custom furniture manufacturer that takes orders via their Web site and over the phone. The Hickory, N.C., based shop handcrafts one piece at a time and lets customers create the sofa, loveseat or chair that they want. Because the middleman is gone (the retailer) custom is more affordable. This is a smart business model and it’ll be interesting to see if other furniture manufacturers pull up their traditional marketing roots and try something new.
Most people won’t admit where their source of inspiration comes from (it starts with a b and ends with a room).
However, design student, Alix Armour was inspired by a pine cone, created a “pine-scale cocktail table” and won the 2011 Student Design Competition, sponsored by the American Society of Furniture Designers. Armour's table was prototyped and displayed at the High Point Market. According to the designer, she would like to create a furniture line based on the form, shape and colors of the pine cone. Nature is the original artist.
Cecil Higgins Art Gallery and Bedford Museum purchased a rare Zodiac settle designed by a 19th century Gothic Revivalist, William Burges. Designed for his personal residence, the Zodiac Settle (built around 1869) is an ornate canopied bench that combines an Italian Renaissance day bed with a castellated canopy.
The settle is made from painted, stenciled and gilded wood and decorated with rock crystal and vellum. The central panel features the sun on a throne surrounded by the dancing signs of the zodiac. The Settle’s other panels show the planets as musicians and female figures.
The art piece is extremely rare because it was an experiment and the design was never repeated.
More consumers are turning their home into a calm oasis, a respite from the chaos, according to Kelly-Moore Paint’s Top 10 Home Design Trends for 2011.“… Consumers have reached a point of 'frugal fatigue' -- they're ready to spend and take risks again in their homes, with a desire to revitalize, renew and restore their spirits. This shift is demonstrated in today's home design trends as we move towards a cleansing future," says Mary Lawlor, manager of color marketing at Kelly-Moore Paints.
A cleansing future…not sure, where she’s going with that, but here’s my take on her top four home design trends.
1. Home Design Element: Handcrafted goods. Handcrafted goods are experiencing a resurgence.
It’s a true fact that if you sprinkle glitter on anything it looks artsy.
2. Home Design Element: Furniture. Instead of designer couches or tables, homeowners will repurpose garage sale finds and family heirlooms.
Milk crates and lawn chairs they aren’t just for college anymore. Yippe.
3. Home Design Element: Imperfect natural materials. Nature's imperfections, such as wood flooring with knots and color imperfections in leather are now valued.
I believe this is called texture or distressing and people usually pay more for that.
4. Home Design Element: Furniture "Botox" -- or "Fotox". Families will make small upgrades around the home repurposing what they have. Lawlor calls this "furniture Botox" -- or "Fotox." Instead of buying a new piece of furniture, homeowners can upgrade existing ones -- a new slipcover or Granny's bureau painted high gloss black with decorative glittery knobs.
I’m not sure how much paint was huffed to come up with "furniture Botox." I’m guess this is where frugal fatigue sets in and you go out and buy something you really like.
According to the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association’s monthly Trend of Business Survey, participating cabinet manufacturers reported sales totaling $4.5 billion for 2010, down 4.1% compared to total sales for 2009.
According to the survey, stock sales were down 6.7%, semi-custom sales were down 0.5% and custom sales were down 13.2%. December 2010 monthly sales were down 9.7% compared to December 2009. Stock sales for December 2010 were down 5.2%, semi-custom sales were down 13.5% and custom sales were down 9.5% compared to December 2000.
In kitchens, Shaker style has gained popularity, taking over contemporary style as the second-most popular look. Dark was the most specified finish at the end of 2010, and LED lighting was listed by 54% of respondents as the most requested lighting type. Unchilled wine storage, French-door refrigerators, induction cooktops and efficient trash methods like pull-outs, disposals and compactors all increased in popularity in the last three months of 2010.
Quartz countertops in bathrooms are closing in on the more popular granite style and greens were included with whites, off-whites, beiges and browns as popular bathroom color palettes. Vessel sinks and satin nickel faucets (the faucets are also a popular choice for kitchens) both saw an upswing in requests in the last quarter of 2010.
The most recent quarterly MADA/OFI Trends Survey indicated that trends were positive for the office furniture industry. Michael A. Dunlap & Associates, LLC completed the survey in January 2011 to measure the activity of the office furniture industry and its suppliers. The survey's January 2011 overall survey index is 57.01 (all numbers are on a scale of 1 to 100), which is the highest since the July 2007 Index of 58.49. Overall index value in October 2010 was 56.65. Gross shipments measured 65.00, well above the previous survey average of 57.41 and order backlog was 56.47, nearly identical to the earlier survey average of 56.46. The employment index increased to 55.77, which is the highest since the survey began. Hours worked rose to 59.09, the highest since the January 2007 index of 61.30. Capital expenditures rose to 58.24, the highest since achieving 55.75 in April 2006. New product development accelerated to 66.12, the highest since July 2007 at 66.32.
“Although I am very pleased in the results this quarter, as well as the past three quarters, I remain ‘cautiously optimistic’ for 2011 and 2012," Dunlap said.. "The improvements are nearly across the board for office furniture manufacturers and suppliers."
Dunlap said that suppliers and manufacturers both appear to share the same level of optimism, but he is not convinced that the industry can return to the same sales levels experienced in the late 1990s.
The majority of respondents cite increased material costs (steel, copper, and resins), energy costs, and increased health care costs as the “largest threats to the industry."
The January 2011 MADA / OFI Trends survey was sent to more than 600 individuals involved with office furniture manufacturing and suppliers from Asia, Europe, North and South America and from companies ranging from more than $1 billion in sales to less than $10 million in sales. The next survey will be in April 2011.
When you live in a 20,000-square-foot mansion a regular bed is like drinking tap water or flying commercial—it’s just not done!
Stuart Hughes (the British guy that blings out multimillion-dollar iPhones and flatscreens for the uber rich and flashy) and Hebanon by F.lli Basile Interiors of Nocera Superiore Italy have designed the world’s most expensive and exclusive bed, the Baldacchino Supreme. I know this bed sounds like an awesome new pizza creation, but it’s for real.
The bed of all beds is smothered in Italian silk curtains; the canopy bed is a luxe pairing of crème and gold hand carved from chestnut, ash and cherry woods. The Parisian influenced headboard is a capitonnè, button-punctured fabric that can be customized with diamond buttons or another stone for that extra flash.
If you covet gold, I mean COVET gold then hold on to yourself— this bed is covered in gold leaf (107kg of solid 24-carat gold). Only two Baldacchino Supremes will be made at a cost of $6.4 million to start. Anything and everything can be customized on this bed, and one has already been ordered by an Italian businessman.
As you lay in your common bed tonight with no gold leaf or diamonds and dream of the Baldacchino Supreme, don’t be surprised if you wake craving pizza.
Paula Deen, the patriarch of the Food Network, is taking a break from her Southern cooking to create a line of furniture so comfortable it’ll melt you like butter.
Known for her comfort food and southern charm, Deen is expanding her empire by collaborating with Universal Furniture to create pieces that are comfortable and casual with a bit of coastal style. Unlike some celebs who lend their name to a project, Deen helped design the collection and some of the pieces are similar to plantation antiques in her own home.
The Paula Deen Home collection includes furniture for the bedroom, home office, dining room, living room and home entertainment. The line’s wood furniture comes in a distressed tobacco finish, and accent pieces are available in painted finishes such as linen, Spanish moss and sea-oat.
According to Deen, life revolves around family and food—thow in some butter and I couldn’t agree more.
