The High Point furniture market doesn’t start until Monday, but The Trend Curve was already out trend-spotting today. I had a full schedule of appointments, including a quick hello at Rowe Furniture, where I will present The Trend Curve Colors™ 2008 color forecast tomorrow at 5:30pm.
Three companies stood out among all the great products I saw and photographed for the April issue of The Trend Curve. Italiana Slaotti was the first. This northern Italian company already shows in Milan, Moscow, Belgrade, Madrid and Brussels. For the first time ever, they have added High Point to their schedule.
(l-r) Standout companies: Italiana Slaotti; Red Egg; Revco
They had several great pieces in their Design Center showroom, but what really caught my eye was a bronze colored metallic leather that they showed two ways: paired with a lustrous chenille jacquard on a sofa and as a quilted solid on a sleek chair (pictured). Michael Bowen, who represents the product, informed me that these pieces came straight from the Russian market to High Point. Italiana Slaotti liked metallic influences in gold and silver as well (all metallics are on-trend, but the warmer, the better), and had beautiful pieces that featured them on their floor. But the bronze was so rich and unusual that I couldn’t help but make it my favorite.
Red Egg is a company I have known for years. I always stop to see them because they have such a wonderful approach to color. For this time, Carol Gregg developed a collection of saturated pastels she says are inspired by the garden. Her color names confirm the inspiration: Magnolia, Petunia, Jonquil, Eucalyptus, Morning Glory, Periwinkle and Poppy. I took a picture of Petunia and Jonquil because Jonquil has a bit of a Green cast, just like Light Lemon from The Trend Curve Colors 2008.
Carol let me know that customers can get their finish to order in her colors or theirs in only 4 weeks. How does she do it so quickly? In a counter-trend to the race to China, Red Egg decided to move their wood manufacturing to North Carolina—after 10 years in Asia. Even their wicker pieces, which are made in the Philippines because the material is found naturally there, are now slated to be finished in the US. Why the switch? There are three easy reasons:
– Shorter lead times on customization
– More control over the paints and finishes, so they can be assured that low VOC finishes are standard
– Fewer resources expended in shipping wood, creating product and sending it back to the US
Now Red Egg products have an environmental story to tell. I like that and think consumers will, too—at least as much as they like customization with shorter lead times maybe more.
Revco’s stand is not far from Red Egg’s in the Interhall area of the Hamilton Wing. They had a new collection of decorative accessories that I loved.
Busts made from authentic, 100 year-old plaster molds included Caesar and George Washington. These were among several new busts done in matte finished White plaster or in plaster with a high-gloss Black enamel finish. Greg O’Neal (his commercial design and visual merchandising company, Philosophy Design, created the vision that is the Revco stand) did an amazing job of making these busts look quite up-to-date. Look left for a row of little George Washingtons.