Furniture Trends

Mouthwatering Colors

Twice a year in High Point, North Carolina, in the heart of furniture country USA, home furnishings manufacturers reveal their new collections to the world. Store buyers come to stock their inventories with the latest and greatest. And decorating editors like us investigate what's new and what's coming -- so we can report the trends to you.

We searched high and low at the furniture market in High Point, N.C., and turned up these trends to spend our pennies (or, in some cases, blow the bank account) on. The upshot: Color is hot, Australia is cool. Furniture goes glam, and Asian style reinvents itself. Classic patterns -- toile and checks -- look fresh and new again.

You Say Tomato, I Say Persimmon

The return of color is the big story this spring. At Baker Furniture, the Lexus of home furnishings, the showroom looked like it had been colored from the small crayon box: primary blue, green, red, yellow -- plus ivory for contrast. Irridescent lavender silk at Hickory Chair was reminiscent of the frocks seen at last year's Academy Awards ceremonies.

But the season's hottest palette is straight from your parents' 1970s earth-toned den: persimmon (think burnt orange) paired with brown or alternately, shades of green mixed together for an eco-friendly look. Milling Road (Baker's more affordable line) used the orange/brown palette to give a modern twist to traditional French furniture. Mitchell Gold, which supplies upholstery to retailers such as Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel, offered persimmon on a velveteen club chair (see Photo 1); Italian leather manufacturer Natuzzi presented the color mix on a trim leather sofa (see Photo 2).

Source: Better Homes and Gardens