If you’ve started to think slipcovered upholstery—or the look—is showing up more often, you’re onto something. At the recent High Point furniture market, slipcovers—and loose upholstery to suggest them—were seen from a number of companies. They confirmed that this look is no longer reserved for coastal vignettes. Going forward, traditional, transitional and even modern styles are all fair game, and slipcover looks are dressing up in ways that help them fit right in.
At Burton James, a waterfall originating under a bench seat and leather tabs at each corner evoked a slipcover look on a lady-like sofa frame. A coordinating ottoman also debuted. Suzanne Kasler’s slipcovers at high-end Hickory Chair were secured with three ties down each back corner, giving her Nanette chairs a cozy-and-livable vibe. Lexington’s new Coventry Hills collection was inspired by the casual sophistication of country manor living. Upholstered seating in this group included a new tailored slipcover program, which reinforces the theme of casual comfort.
Slipcovers are not completely new for outdoor living, but they are beginning to reach for a new level of design and sophistication. Candice Olson is taking the lead. Her just-released outdoor collection for Century Furniture includes the Oasis Lounge Chair. This piece, which has on-trend swivel capabilities, comes standard without the slipcover, but is a showstopper when it is added. That’s because it has been designed with grommets and rope lacing up the back, a unique embellishment that reveals just a peek of the base fabric below.
Dressing up slipcovers in broader range of styles and unexpected details will fuel growth in this category for both indoors and outside. Expect slipcovers to move past the typical 10% share of upholstery that they always maintain, doubling their presence through 2016.
Here is a gallery of some of The Trend Curve’s favorite slipcovers and slipcover looks from Bernhardt, Century Furniture, CR Laine, Hickory Chair and Lexington (click thumbnail for larger view):
