Article Number : 1055 |
|
Article Detail |
|
 | |
| Date | 5/16/2006 10:42:45 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=1055 |
| Abstract | By Deena Bouknight High Point, N.C.—The International Home Furnishings Market has always been the show in which the industry’s economic climate and emerging trends are evident. This latest market, held April 27 to May 4 and in its 97th anniversary year, was no different... |
| Article | By Deena Bouknight High Point, N.C.—The International Home Furnishings Market has always been the show in which the industry’s economic climate and emerging trends are evident. This latest market, held April 27 to May 4 and in its 97th anniversary year, was no different. The person who has his pulse on the industry, analyst Jerry Epperson, with Richmond, Va.-based investment banker Mann, Armistead and Epperson, reported consumer spending on furniture grew 3.5% in the fourth quarter of 2005, and that an increasing amount of new furniture designs are aimed at the “echo boom” generation—defined as the children of the baby boomers. And, the American Home Furnishings Alliance, based here, pinpointed the youth market as a growth area this year. The organization’s vice president, Jackie Hirschhaut, pointed out that parents and their offspring desire an abundance of quality choices. And, even though imports continue to grow, according to Epperson, consumers seem to be vocalizing a renewed appreciation for Americana. Long-time trend expert Kim Shaver, vice president of marketing/communications for Hooker Furniture, explained that Americans are in a similar place as they were at the turn of the last century when industrialization was rampant. Today, though, “we’re overwhelmed with technology. “This reaction to the de-personalization of our society resulted in the Arts and Crafts movement,” said Shaver. “The desire for simplification in our lives is again causing the pendulum to swing back that way. There are magazines devoted to it and shows devoted to it-—simplification.” Although these specific emerging home furnishings trends are not as clearly evidenced in area rugs, those exhibiting in High Point reported that the American consciousness toward the product is that quality is conveyed with weight and texture. “The American consumer perceives value with a thick rug,” said Marlys Giordano, director of marketing and new product development at Momeni. “The meatier, the better.” Wes Jenkins, sales agent for Sphinx by Oriental Weavers, said consumers often like to feel texture under their feet. The company’s Evolution is a textural, knobby shag offering multiple colors at an affordable price—$299 for a 5X8-ft. product. “Evolution’s yarn system is dense and bulky and has the look of shag, but is easy to maintain and vacuum,” said Jenkins. “It is a casual, textural look that came out last fall and is starting to do well at retail.” According to Brandon Culpepper, vice president of sales for Dalyn Rug Co., a one-year-old custom program is all about texture. The Splendor Collection, introduced last year, enables consumers to choose either a solid 100% premium nylon shag rug or customize their design, size, and color and then view their virtual rug before they buy it. The customized versions allow for up to six colors. “When they see and feel texture, it makes a better impression,” said Kami Navid, executive vice president of sales for Jaunty Co. One of the company’s collections, Capistrano, offers piles as well as hard twists. “We feel that combination of textures is good for the consumer.” Some area rug suppliers do seem to be in tune to the echo boom and tween needs. Dalyn has a Tween collection of colorful machine-made print rugs which feature 14 designs—seven to appeal to girls and seven for boys—in either a 3X5- or a 5X7-ft. size. Ideal for display at home furnishings and floor covering stores alike, according to Culpepper, the collection includes such patterns as quilts, sports images and surf boards. And most all of High Point rug exhibitors presented this season’s hot colors —pumpkin, rust, fuchsia, apple green and silver blue—in traditional, transitional and contemporary designs. Throughout High Point’s wood and upholstery showrooms alike, these colors were often paired with chocolate brown or a paler tobacco. “Even though it’s important to Americans how a rug feels, it’s mostly about how it looks,” said Giordano. “There is a lot of interest in rust and pumpkin colors. Chocolate brown is still big, as is purple. But it has to be the right shade of purple.” “First, it’s about color,” said Navid. “Rust is really hot, but some consumers want a true red.” Contemporary remains strong in area rugs, and the current color palette is complementary to this style. However, Giordano said that new colorways added to Momeni’s existing New Wave line are softer, “more muted. Some in our line are blatantly contemporary, but for those consumers who are not traditionally contemporary in their tastes, we are offering these shades, which are not as bright or specifically contemporary.” This was one of the largest roll-outs of new products for Momeni, ranging from updated printed indoor jute rugs with a $299 price point for a 5X8-ft. to hand-knotted wool and silk rugs with a “sophisticated contemporary” look, according to Giordano. Sphinx by Oriental Weavers introduced designs in direct response to licensee National Geographic’s new focus on a softer, more French-inspired edge. For a collection that was all about a transitional-to-contemporary look of African, South American and West Indies prints, it developed new machine woven and hand-tufted introductions which feature a soft, floral look. These retail for around $599 for a 5X8-ft. The next International Home Furnishings Market is scheduled for Oct. 16 to 22. |