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Furniture Trends Emerge at the Annual Fall Market

Twice a year, retailers, manufacturers and the media converge on High Point, North Carolina, for the International Home Furnishings Market, a furniture bacchanal showcasing the latest offerings for the home. It’s also an opportunity to scope out the latest furniture trends and try to predict the Next Big Thing in the ever-changing world of home décor. Last October, tens of thousands of visitors made the pilgrimage to High Point. Here are some of the trends that emerged from that show; look for some of these looks to emerge on retailers’ floors throughout 2006:

The Tuscan Look
Moviegoers may have not paid much attention when Diane Lane went traipsing Under the Tuscan Sun in 2003, but furniture makers were watching. A number of companies introduced collections inspired by the Italian countryside—a look that’s European, but more relaxed, with a definite country feel.

In collections such as Thomasville’s Hills of Tuscany, Hickory White’s Italian Country and Century’s Caperana, the mood is curvaceous and the finishes often distressed.

Size Matters
Someone’s gotta furnish all those McMansions sprouting up around the country, so manufacturers responded with collections of large-scale pieces designed to fit all those two-story entry halls and vaulted living rooms. Bed posts that top 7 feet, gathering tables as high as counters and even extra-tall desks were shown at the fall market.

Greatest Hits of the 20th Century
Manufacturers are looking to the last century for period styles that will pique Baby Boomers’ interest, from the art deco look of Hammary’s Deco Collection, to Thomasville’s expansion of their Humphrey Bogart Collection, which conjures recollections of Hollywood’s Golden Age. This is a vein that Barbara Barry has also mined successfully in her collections for Baker and Henredon.

The Big Finish
Dark wood finishes continue to dominate the furniture market, reflecting a 1990s move away from the previous decade’s emphasis on bleached floors and pale woods. Hard to know when the pendulum will swing back again, but given the furniture industry’s nostalgia for midcentury glamour, don’t expect pickled pine to be showing up anytime soon.

Mail-Order Furnishings Can Be Fun, Fashionable and Surprisingly Varied

Furniture catalogs let you select from an outstanding array of products at every price point--withough leaving home. Furniture catalogs are especially useful for consumers who are short on time and don't want to drive all over town looking for just the right piece, or for people who may not have access to a wide variety of furniture stores. And sometimes you'll find things you'll never see at any retailer.

Of course, there are downsides to furniture catalogs. You can't test the comfort of a chair or sofa, get a sense of a piece's proportions, examine the construction or run your hand over the fabric or finish. Given this risk, it's a good idea to study the return policy before you buy, and decide whether the potential for finding the perfect item outweighs the inherest risks. And don't overlook shipping costs: they can sometimes spell the difference between a bargain and a rip-off.

Here are 10 of my favorite furniture catalogs. I haven't included any of the hundreds of specialty catalogs, preferring to focus on companies that sell a broad range of general merchandise. Each catalog I've chosen offers a good selection, fair prices, an excellent reputation, and the chance to score a piece that is stylish and well made.

Pottery Barn Sure, you can scoff at the way it has saturated America with a steady stream of "safe" good taste, but it's hard to refute the fact that Pottery Barn has made good design accessible and affordable for millions of people. Their products are almost always well designed, their prices are reasonable, the service is generally good, and the furniture catalog is fun to flip through--which is a good thing, because sometimes it feels like there's a new one every week. I have heard criticisms about the quality of their upholstered pieces, but have never had a problem with the (non-upholstered) items I've purchased from them.

West Elm Pottery Barn's little brother, West Elm is designed to appeal to a younger, hipper and less affluent audience, with affordable modern design that--to paraphrase Henry Ford--comes in any color you want, as long as it's brown. Actually, they offer other colors, too ... but not a lot. (I've always considered West Elm's ubiquitous brown wood the furniture world's equivalent of "mystery meat"--you don't quite know what it's made of, but the taste is good.) This isn't heirloom-quality stuff you'll be handing down to your grandchildren, but it's fun, it's fast, and it should tide you over until you're ready to graduate to Pottery Barn or the company's upscale brand, Williams Sonoma Home.

Crate and Barrel Comparable to Pottery Barn in its selection, styling and ubiquity, Crate and Barrel has a slight edge on quality, and the prices reflect that. Crate and Barrel's furniture catalog is a bit more fashion forward, too. The company has been around for more than 40 years, so when you purchase a product from them, you can be assured that it will be well-made and smartly designed, with a clean, contemporary look and nice choices of materials. I purchased a pair of armchairs from them a decade ago, and they look great and sit comfortably.

CB2 Crate and Barrel also has a little brother, called CB2. The vibe is youthful, contemporary and fairly monochromatic--full of good foundation pieces awaiting your personal touches. The prices are higher than its Pottery Barn counterpart, West Elm, but the aesthetic is a little more sophisticated, too.

Room and Board With the demise of Storehouse, Room and Board has the middle-American field to itself. I don't mean that disparagingly; this is a great source for attractive, well-made furnishings at moderate prices. There's nothing here to scare Great Aunt Esther, but nothing dowdy or dated, either. It's a good place to shop when you want to build a foundation of classic, timeless pieces.

Ballard Designs I've always liked this furniture catalog, despite the fact that some of their merchandise is a bit on the twee side. (Anyone for decorative lighthouses or bunny sculptures?) The catalogs are attractive and the merchandise is fun, with a decidedly feminine slant. (This is the furniture catalog equivalent of a chick flick.) And some of the prices are so good you might find yourself doing a doubletake. Definitely not for modernists, but a good choice for homes with a traditional, country or cottagey flair.

Freshen a Room Without Spending a Fortune

Any room can get stale after a while. So why not treat it to a makeover? It doesn't take much--a new accessory, new lighting or an inexpensive slipcover can freshen your decor without requiring a major investment. The tips that follow can cost less than a hundred bucks, and they'll help you see your home in a whole new light.

Slipcovers The same chairs you see day in and day out will look brand new with the addition of a slipcover. Although sofa slipcovers look great--until someone sits on them--dining chair slipcovers don't get as much use, so they'll stay fresher longer. And they're extremely affordable. Target's Casual Dining Chair Slipcover is just $14.99, and comes in several color choices.

Mirrors
Add a little sparkle to a room; introduce a mirror.It will amplify light, reflect a view, and add a bit of movement to the space. There are a lot of great mirror designs out there at all different price points. Are you a renter, or simply wary about making holes in your walls? Try propping a mirror on a mantel or console table, or setting a tall mirror on the floor.

Carpet Tiles
New carpeting is a major investment. But new carpet TILES are an easy, inexpensive addition that can really transform the look of a room, and can be removed if you change your mind or simply want to refresh the look. InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles are easy to install, and come in a terrific array of patterns and colors. (In fact, they've just introduced a new collection designed in tandem with Martha Stewart; some of the samples I've seen are stellar.) Cover the whole floor, or--even better--design your own area rug. Prices start at less than $10 for a 20-inch square.

Throw Pillows
If you barely even notice your sofa anymore, maybe it's time to trade in your pillows. New throw pillows will transform the whole look of your couch, and cost considerably less than reupholstering or buying new. Pick a fabric that complements the upholstery but contrasts with it--a pattern on a solid sofa, a shiny fabric on a nubby sofa, etc.

Lighting
Lighting can totally transform the look of a room, and needn't be costly. Place an uplight on the floor behind a chair or plant. Install wall-mounted lights beside a bed. Buy a new table lamp. And most impactful of all: Replace a conventional wall switch with a dimmer. If you're at all handy you can do it yourself. Afterward, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

Window Treatments
Window treatments can get pretty costly. But they don't have to be. IKEA is a great source for inexpensive curtains. (I just bought a whole passel of their Bomull curtains for my vacation home--just $14.99 for two panels!) Pier 1 and Target are also great sources for inexpensive roll-up shades in natural-looking finishes like split bamboo or woven fiber. For years I've have some freakishly inexpensive plastic miniblinds on the windows of my guest room, and they really enhance the look of the space. I couldn't have spent more than $12 each for them at one of those big-box hardware stores.

Create an Outdoor Room and Enjoy Garden Living All Year Long

We all crave time in the great outdoors, but most of us don't have the luxury of living outside 365 days a year. The good news is, you don't have to give up the serenity of a garden once winter rolls around or the dew point rises--simply bring the garden indoors. With some creative design work, you can make any room feel alfresco--no matter what Mother Nature has in store.

Windows
To help bring the garden indoors, try to establish a visual connection between the two. French doors and sliders extend your eyesight beyond the boundaries of a room, while lowering windows to seating height, wrapping them around corners or installing bay windows can help draw a room into the landscape. To strengthen that connection, forgo heavy window treatments in favor of sheers or shades made from natural materials such as woven grass or bamboo.

Floors
If the room abuts a patio, extending the flooring into the landscape will help bring the garden indoors, making the two flow together. (Saltillo tile, slate, bluestone, bricks and concrete are ideal for this purpose.) Or cover the floor with terra-cotta pavers or painted wood for an outdoorsy look.

Walls
Consider painting the interior walls to match the dominant colors in your garden, or echo the color of blooms or leaves in pillows, lamps or other accessories. You might even consider wrapping exterior siding such as shingles or clapboard around the inside walls--a great way to make a sunroom or den feel like an old porch that's been enclosed.

Furniture
Furnishings made from natural fibers such as wicker, rattan or woven water hyacinth instill an air of instant informality; pair with cotton or linen fabrics in stripes, solids or large florals to bring the garden indoors year-round. You could even use one of the sophisticated new outdoor fabrics on the market.

Rustic bent-willow furniture and Adirondack chairs are another great way to bring the outdoors in, as are vintage wrought iron or wire garden chairs. You can find old metal garden furniture at antiques shops and yard sales. To complete the setting, use a distressed painted bench for a footrest or side table, or make your own table from a planter or urn topped with a piece of glass or stone.

Hammocks inspire instant relaxation. So why confine them to the great outdoors? Hang one across the corners of a room and bring the garden indoors all year long.

Accessories
Accessorize the room with garden implements: tin watering cans, concrete statuary, birdhouses, weathervanes, whirligigs, armillary spheres--even something as simple as a glass bowl or hurricane lamp filled with rocks or shells will look great displayed on shelves and table tops.
Crave the sound of water? Consider installing a recirculating fountain. Just don't go overboard: You want your accessories to underscore the decor, not overwhelm it.

Plants
Don't overlook the most obvious accessory of all: houseplants. Large, lush flora such as palms, umbrella trees and weeping figs will help bring the garden indoors. Unless you're running a plant hospital, avoid spindly little specimens or plants grouped on shelves or stands--the 1970s are over, it's time to move on.

Got a brown thumb? Fill a bowl with lemons, green apples, dried pomegranates or even acorns or leaves. And unless you suffer from allergies, leave the fake plants to fast-food restaurants and hotel lobbies. Nobody should have to live in a house that looks like Denny's.

Although interior designers spend years learning how to arrange furniture, there are a few basic guidelines that any layman can master. Here are 10 basic principles for arranging furniture.

• Draw a floor plan of the room, noting the location of windows, doors, heat registers and electrical outlets. Measure the major pieces of furniture you’re planning to put in the room, then either sketch out a scale drawing of the space on graph paper and begin arranging furniture using templates or—easier and more fun--take advantage of one of the free room planning programs available online.

• Before you start arranging furniture, consider how the room is used and how many people will use it.
Identify the focal point in the room—a fireplace, view, television, etc.--and orient the furniture accordingly. If you plan to watch television in the room, the ideal distance between the set and the seating is three times the size of the screen. Therefore, if you’re watching a 32-inch screen, place your chair 96 inches away.

• Place the largest pieces of furniture first, such as the sofa in the living room or the bed in the bedroom. In most cases, this piece should face the room’s focal point. Chairs should be no more than 8 feet apart to facilitate conversation.

• Unless your room is especially small, avoid arranging furniture so it's all pushed against the walls.

• Symmetrical arrangements work best for formal rooms. Arranging furniture asymmetrically will achieve a more casual look.

• When arranging furniture, think about the flow of traffic through the room—generally the path between doorways. Don’t place any large pieces of furniture in that path if you can avoid it, and allow 30-48 inches of width for major traffic routes, and a minimum of 24 inches of width for minor ones. Try to direct traffic around a seating group, not through the middle of it. If traffic cuts through the middle of the room, consider creating two small seating areas instead of one large one.
• Vary the size of furniture pieces throughout the room, so your eyes move up and down as you scan the space. Balance a large or tall item by placing another piece of similar scale across the room from it. Avoid putting two tall pieces next to each other.

• Combine straight and curved lines for contrast. If the furniture is modern and linear, throw in a round table for contrast. If the furniture is curvy, mix in an angular piece. Similarly, pair solids with voids: combine a leggy chair with a solid side table, and a solid chair with a leggy table.

• Place a table within easy reach of every seat, being sure to combine pieces of similar scale. Coffee tables should be located 14-18 inches from a sofa to provide sufficient leg room.

• In bedrooms, allow at least 24 inches between the side of the bed and a wall, and at least 36 inches between the bed and a swinging door. In a dining room, make sure there’s at least 48 inches between each edge of the table and the nearest wall or piece of furniture. If traffic doesn’t pass behind the chairs on one side of the table, 36 inches should be sufficient on that side.

By Fred Albert