The weather couldn’t be more perfect as I plowed through the pollen towards North Carolina.  (Did you hear that the pollen count is somewhere around 6000?  A high number is 120) I always look forward to market and my mind was swimming with questions.  Is it going to be busy this year?  Will the eco rage still be the focus?  What new color would start bubbling up throughout all the showrooms, and how do they do that?  Most importantly, with the economy showing signs of life, will the manufacturers loosen up with the food and drinks?  Offering Chex mix and directions to the drinking fountain was a real mood crusher last year.

(The answers to the previous questions were; yes, sort of, navy blue, don’t know, and YESSSS!!!)

I checked into the Wyndham Garden, the word ‘garden’ being a bit of a stretch unless your definition of a garden is looking up at a freeway.  For the price I should have no complaints, especially considering the staff was unusually chipper and helpful, but for a newly remodeled hotel, especially in the center of the furniture and design universe, you would have thought they’d have remembered to put a toilet in the room.  Well, there was one, and it was remarkably short, but I am sure it was put in after they realized they forgot to do so because the sink counter actually hung over the porcelain.   My key card took so many attempts to work I began counting.  Eighteen swipes was the winner.  I asked for help twice at the desk.  Darrell, sharp guy, looked up at me and said “Room 119?”  My room was notorious.  He showed me a special trick, involving bending the card up and pushing down as I removed it from the lock while standing on one foot, which worked like a charm.

By the way, Wolfgang Puck’s Signature Estate Grown Coffee tastes just like Folgers, IMHO.

So, what does this have to do with furniture and the upcoming trends in design?  Nothing, but I assume you are reading this because you want to know what its like to go to market.  It’s one a.m., no more questions.

The next morning I met up with a couple of friends from Austin, Jared and Mary, and we drove to our first stop in style in their rented brand new Dodge Charger.  Jared has a nasty habit of sitting in the chair I am trying to photograph and flashing the “hook ‘em Horn’s” hand signal that all depraved University of Texas fans love to make, but I wouldn’t tour a showroom with anybody else.  His hind end is a highly calibrated furniture tester, with the ability to detect the slightest flaw deep within the construction.  I swear he has sonar pinging from his glutes.  Watching him ‘test drive’ a chair is like watching a sommelier thoughtfully evaluate a glass of wine.  Someday I will video his process and you will understand how funny it is to watch. 

Our first stop was at the Miles Talbott and Michael Thomas showroom, lines I was considering for my store provided they offer the look, value, and service I require, but my secret intent was to see the Joe Ruggiero collection because Joe is following ME on facebook!  Can you believe that?  For those of you not in the know, Joe Ruggiero is of “Homes Across America” fame on HGTV.  My designers nearly passed out when they saw him on our facebook page.  (http://www.joeruggiero.com/joesbio.html)

We were greeted warmly by Rhonda at the front desk and once we showed our credentials and flashed the secret handshake, we were welcomed in.  The FIRST people to greet us were the owners.  Tom Jordan is the President of Michael Thomas, and his son George is the President of Miles Talbott.  The two companies operate separately (you can use fabrics from one to the other) and compliment each other perfectly.  Both gentlemen oozed classic Southern charm and impressed me immediately as they demonstrated an understanding of the challenges of today’s retailer and a focus on personal relationships.  As George said to me, “there’s a lot of great furniture manufacturers out there, and the big difference is the service provided by the people in the office and the reps.” I couldn’t agree more.  All the styling in the world won’t make up for poor service and there have been many times I have been at war with a manufacturer on behalf of a client without their knowledge.  That’s frustrating and unnecessary in today’s economy.  Take care of me as a customer or I walk.

Tom and George effused a ‘can do’ spirit in a lighthearted manner and if one got called away for a moment the other stepped in, effectively engaging us in a friendly tug of war between the two lines.  It was really fun.  Tom told me his team could do anything I wanted to a piece of upholstery.  “I’d upholster the propeller of a moving plane if you asked…provided you paid me.”  I believe him, too. 

Miles Talbott has a traditional look yet with the cleaner lines many people are looking for today.  Options are plenty and the construction is very good, facilitated at the plant just blocks away.   They will provide my clients a great product at an attractive price point. 

Michael Thomas is the higher end product line and the showroom boasted their varied finishes, creativity, and customization capabilities.   After walking enough vendor spaces it becomes a rare thing to be impressed and Michael Thomas stopped me in my tracks with stunning vignettes on a couple of occasions. 

One effective display technique was that they took the same sofa or chair and showed it twice somewhere in the showroom with completely different fabric combinations.  So different that it was sometimes hard to recognize that I was looking at the same basic frame.  That just goes to show you the impact that can be made with a skillfully selected pattern and color palette.

The two tones of leather on this chair are actually from the same leather.  The darker tone is accomplished by using the underside of the hide.  Clever!

Check this out, a swivel settee!  And yes, orange is still a color of note…tangerines and burnt oranges were in a lot of showrooms.

Look at the level of detail on this skirt. 

Fully impressed with what we had already seen, we reverently entered the Joe Ruggiero collection, only to find that Joe himself was there, and his wife Barbara too!   Elegant was the word that came to mind to describe the two of them and yet with all their fame they are just the nicest people.  Hailing from California, Joe’s style is simple, clean lined, and tends towards the monochromatic.  I loved the custom 8’ screens, and the winning Tribeca sectional, but the most amazing thing was that ALL of his fabrics are Sunbrella.  Yes, you heard me, the outdoor fabric.  Guess what? Sunbrella isn’t just outdoor fabric anymore.  This is going to revolutionize our industry, by the way. Sunbrella has been known to be the best in outdoor fabric because it won’t fade and can be easily cleaned.  It is as close to indestructible as you can get and yet it feels just like upholstery fabric!  I had no idea I was sitting on outdoor fabric indoors.  Even Jared’s backside sensors failed to detect the difference.  What about the fabric on the screens, curtain panels, bedding, and lampshades?  Yup, Sunbrella.  Do you know what this means?  You don’t have to wait for the kids to go to college or join the army before you get nice furniture.  THEY CAN’T RUIN SUNBRELLA.  Spills are a non issue as you can clean it, even with diluted bleach.   How awesome is that?  Way to go Joe.

Just in case you were thinking about investing in Sunbrella, it’s a private company.  I asked.

So, if that wasn’t cool enough, we walked across the hallway to the B. Smith collection and guess who was there?  B. Smith!  What a sharp person she is.  Very engaging, and very focused on business.  She showed me her collection and used the word ‘Afrasian’ to describe the look.  The fabric selections are rich and warm and the furniture design will have a hint of Asian elegance here or an homage to an African mask there.  Very cool.  We talked about her restaurants, her cookbooks, her furniture…prompting me to ask what she does in her spare time.  By the way, did you know she came from Western PA and was once crowned Miss Three Rivers?  We had such a good time.  Then I met her husband and we started laughing together, mostly about the three guys in the room being bald.  He even gave me a good look over and pronounced my dome worthy of a clean shave.

After a nice lunch on the patio (notice the Sunbrella fabric sandwiched between layers of glass on the tabletop?) with George and Chrissy, the VP of Sales, we went upstairs to their new Shabby Chic collection.  Weren’t Joe and B. enough?  This isn’t your copycat Shabby Chic, mind you, and notice that I am capitalizing it?  That’s because the folks at Miles Talbott are presenting a new collection from Rachel Ashwell who basically invented Shabby Chic.  And let me tell you, Shabby Chic is BAAAACK!  Monday night they had a party with Rachel and all the relevant media were there.   The sofa chaise was so ridiculously comfortable we were calling it the stupid chair because our IQ dropped thirty points just sitting in it.  I am telling you, it was so comfortable we became unable to complete a sentence, or plan what to do next.  Completely catatonic.  Always looking for fun, the folks at Miles Talbott had a facebook competition to name the cushion.  ‘Asstastic’ and ‘Butterific’ were frontrunners, but more tasteful heads prevailed and they agreed on The Ultimate or something like that.  

The Shabby Chic collection comes with a choice of over 40 fabrics.  A few points of interest that indicate authenticity of the style are the slipcovers always touch the floor, the cushion will always leave a print of your tushie when you stand up, and the white or pastel linen/cotton fabric will always be wrinkled.   Don’t mistake that for poor craftsmanship, however, because you might suggest it would be easy to create that look, it is another thing to maintain it.  The fibers in the back cushion channels are made by Nike Dri-FIT, which will not compact like other fibers.  It will stay nice and cushy and hold its shape.  Very Shabby Chic.

After four or five hours I felt like we might have worn out our welcome, but really didn’t want to leave, and only did so when I was told that Marge the margarita machine was going to be in full churn at five.  These guys have it going on.   I love it when a company allows and promotes a fun culture.  Think of Southwest Airlines.  That is a top down formula for success and it was evidenced by the energy throughout the place.  The only slacker in the bunch was Jeff, and that’s an inside joke.

Over margaritas at five (yes, we came back) I asked where we might find some good North Carolina barbecue.   You would have thought I asked an inflammatory question about religion or politics.  The size of the group swelled as the intensity of the debate flared.  Voices were raised, aggressive postures were taken, and that wasn’t just Chrissy.  Attempting to leave before a riot broke out, we said our goodbyes and turned right on business 85 to head to an old barn that is Lexington BBQ.   What I didn’t expect was that old barn was surrounded by a sea of cars.  The line of hungry patrons snaked out the front door.  I started chatting with the guy standing behind me to determine if the place was worth the wait, only to find that he eats there twice a day.  Normally a BBQ order is not complicated, but when I asked him what he recommended, the level of detail in his standard order prompted me to say to Norma, our server, “I’ll have what Max is having.”  Excellent recommendation.

Yes, we did go visit some other showrooms, but I will save that for another blog post.  Next up will be spring market trends and something for Bubba.  I’ll post more photos on my Facebook page by the end of the week.  So long from High Point.

By the way, some of the shag rugs out there right now are really cool, and there are countless choices in color and texture.  Adapt and improvise, they say.

The manufacturers put the same amount of effort in both the spring and fall markets, displaying new product to impress their accounts.  The difference is that the warm weather gracing a North Carolina May makes that market feel like an invitation only outdoor party while October is the time the buyers get serious about placing orders in anticipation for the following spring decorating frenzy.

I arrived in High Point with the temperature reading 57 degrees with light rain and a stiff breeze.  It was chilly.  I had to chuckle as I strolled past an outdoor furniture showroom that was set up for a warm weather soiree on the patio.  The one man band was doing his best Jimmy Buffet as a few hearty patrons sat bundled up in their comfy outdoor chairs, trying to have fun.

The decline in the housing market over the past couple of years has certainly been felt in the furnishing and décor business and it has been interesting to watch the evolution of an industry as manufacturers try to make adjustments to maintain market share.  Because of the downward price pressure from Chinese imports, the US companies either had to become more custom or more efficient in an attempt to buck the trend or keep pace, respectively.  Last market the green movement was in full force as every showroom, it seemed, touted the real or perceived earth friendliness of its product in hopes of opening wallets. 

This past week I noticed a couple of things in particular as I spoke to reps and executives.  One, there was a little teensy skip in the step of the merchants.  A ray of hope.  The bartender at the Embassy Suites told me, and you can always count on getting the real scoop from the bartender, this was the first time in a long time they had sold out their rooms for market.  Orders across the board were up slightly over last fall, but as one rep told me “that might be more indicative of how bad last fall was”.  Party killer.  What I did see was that rather than a collective movement towards a similar style and color direction, this year many manufacturers started doing their own thing again.  Some who presented color like a Barnum and Bailey circus in spring went all neutral for fall.  Others who were trying to cut corners to keep up with negatively trending prices decided to get back to doing what they did best and returned to crafting top quality products.  However, as I mentioned before, the transitional look with its clean lines was consistently a winner wherever it was presented, and classic retro was a show stopper. 

Check out these chairs.  Don’t they look like they came from the set of The Jetsons?  Fun, huh?  There was a whole room full of these chairs and a lot of them spin around! 

How about these office chairs?  These are from a classically traditional manufacturer that decided to try something for shock value. 

Swivel chairs were everywhere.    Wives don’t like recliners, but they must be ok with swivels.  This one was my favorite.

When people ask me what color trends I saw, the answer was it really depended on the showroom I was visiting.  I would say that in the mainstream upholstery lines, the word “spice” comes to mind.  Paprika’s and cinnamons accented the neutral and natural settings, but before you go change all your pillows, I saw a lot of apple green fabric and leather, too.  Classic bright yellows, tomato soup reds, and rich sky blues were prevalent.  The one color consistently shown, but due to it’s very nature didnt catch the eye right away, was gray.  Gray fabric or leather in the right application is sophisticated and elegant.  A common accent color to gray was yellow. 

Vignettes were not necessarily organized by product lines, but rather by color.  What this said to me was, “we are not going to try to predict a trend, putting all our eggs in one basket this year, nor steer you towards one.  So, what’s your favorite color?  Great!  Mine, too!”

The drive from Atlanta is pleasant, taking you across three states in the old South.  The landscape doesn’t change much other than the gradual evolution of fast food signs.  Waffle House gives a little room to Mr. Waffle and Biscuitville.  Chick fil A is replaced with Mrs. Winners.  There’s the giant peach on the side of the road in South Carolina and a hundred billboards for Abbot Hill Farms fresh produce and fireworks, cross promotion at its finest.  There’s something for everybody there at Abbot Hill Farms.  Jams, jellies, strawberries, peaches…and explosives.

For some reason Judy and I had a craving for Mexican food and when traffic slowed us down on the far side of Charlotte we took advantage of a convenient exit that was bursting with major food chains.  It was the exit for Lowes Motor Speedway which illustrates the hilarity of the situation.  We are on our way to see some of the finest furniture made in the world and are completely surrounded by NASCAR and tobacco.  Judy spotted a little place tucked behind a gas station.  It had the obligatory happy hour banner and if that weren’t tempting enough, they had a sign with a painting worthy of the cover of a Harlequin romance novel; a busty Latin woman enthusiastically offering cerveza.  What more could you want?  I expected a cloud of smoke to pour out when I opened the door but we were relieved to smell grease and a hint of ammonia.  Perfect.  I love it when my expectations are low and subsequently blown away.  These folks could cook.  Judy had stuffed poblanos en mole, and I had the tacos carnitas, complete with a grilled jalapeno. 

Where were we?  Oh yes, furniture. 

I had a few things on my agenda, one of which was to check the mood of the manufacturers and see if the downturn in the economy had any impact on their offerings.  I was expecting to see more natural and muted colors as a continuation of last year and further progression of the clean lines and contemporary casual styling that dominated the previous market.  I also anticipated a continuation on the buildup of eco friendly products.

Given the crash of the housing market and its effects on the home furnishing industry, the overall market was in a bit of a somber mood, evidenced by the long stares of some of the reps, the relative dearth of promotional giveaways, and the unusual difficulty in getting a cocktail.  Drinks are normally thrust into your hand upon entering a showroom, whether you want one or not.  This year you had to feign being a player and then mention your thirst after a long day of buying.  Cough cough.  How much is that if I order a full container?  Thirsty.

I was right about the projected environmentalism.  Upholstery fabrics were made with thick weaves that screamed bohemian earth lover, whether they were eco friendly or not.  The craziest thing I saw was a sofa covered in a fabric made entirely from recycled tee shirts.  My friend Paul wants one.  Go figure.

The area rug manufacturers are having a field day with the green movement because they get to make trendy fun rugs out of recycled plastics and offer them at a lower price.  This is a double win as production costs are down and the likelihood that today’s fun rug will be replaced with a new fun rug tomorrow.

I was wrong about the colors.  Color was everywhere!  Maybe the manufacturers were trying to pep the market up with a spectral infusion.  Last years neutrals were accented by intense jewel tones.  This year the ruby’s and sapphire’s were gone but replaced by colors that were less intense and, well, a lot more fun!  Orange creamsicle, daffodil yellow, deep Gulf of Mexico blue, reds that were the tone of brick but with a hint of orange.  Paprika, maybe? 

Pressure from a tight economy extrudes innovation from the better companies.  I was happy to see that some top lines were offering lower cost alternatives in addition to their traditional excellent product.  The downward price pressure has been in place for a number of years due to the competition from overseas, primarily China, so efficiency has already been a focus.  What I saw this year were manufacturers of quality furnishings, typically boasting lots of custom options, introducing lines that focused on simplicity and fewer options which reduces cost without sacrificing craftsmanship.

Pressure from a tight economy extrudes innovation from the better market shoppers, too.  Texting was at a fevered pitch this year as my friends scattered throughout the market and reported on their findings.  Hooker is serving lasagna!  The bar at Uttermost is open!  Oysters at Stanley!  Blood Sweat and Tears is about to start playing in front of the IHFC!

Our store is in the beginning stages of a transformation and we will be unveiling some of the new product in the next couple of months.  I am really excited about it.  More choice, more fabric, more price points.  Stay tuned!

Look for a full report next week!