Didn’t make it to market? Not to worry. The editors of Furniture, Lighting & Decor did, and we are sharing a comprehensive gallery of some of the new and unique things we saw this last week. Even if you did make it to High Point, it’s impossible to see it all, so there could be something here you missed along the way. We certainly didn’t see it all either.
While this month’s market, which ends October 21, 2020, was a little different than usual — nine days to allow for social distancing, masks across the city campus, and fewer visitors than usual as expected — exhibitors brought their A games to High Point with new introductions, products and large-scale collections. Universal Furniture entered the outdoor living category in a big way, for example, with more than 100 SKUs in its new Coastal Living outdoor collection. Jonathan Charles presented a new showroom layout with lifestyle collections including the new extensive Toulouse and Cambrio collections; and Spectra Home showcased its new Christina Anstead collaboration. Libby Langdon expanded her collection with Fairfield Chair and Stacy Garcia's new home furnishings line launched at Klaussner this market. There were far too many new collections and introductions to name them all but you can see at least some of them in our gallery here.
The Coronavirus Effect
Home is an important place to be right now in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and exhibitors we spoke to said they have seen upticks in sales and were busy across the board. Trends, as always across the market, spanned the spectrum — designers and retailers could pretty much find anything they were looking for if they spent enough time browsing showrooms — but there was a notable focus on comfort, convenience and durability.
As performance fabrics continue to make their mark further into indoor upholstery with beautiful textures, designs and a comfortable hand, lighter colors (think white) were apparent in seating. On the flip side, blacks, navy and sapphire blues, mid-tone and spicy browns and of course, pattern accented the more neutral tones. Greens were still abundant as well, but with slightly warmer tones, as furnishings continue to pull from nature.
Other notable prevailing materials included natural materials such as roping, wicker and rattan, warmed up metallics — particularly golds and bronzes — and washes on woods that lightened those surfaces up as well. From Currey & Co. to Pacific Coast Lighting to Crestview Collection, IMAX Worldwide Home and beyond, natural materials continue to expand in unexpected and exciting ways in home furnishings.
Of course, the coronavirus pandemic also lends itself to surfaces that are more streamlined and easy to clean. We saw an abundance of acrylic and lucite in design — clear, white and black — in accessories, accent furniture and even seating. Wildwood showcased black and white acrylic chairs that were surprisingly comfortable, while companies such as Howard Elliott and Global Views featured acrylic accents that were as elegant as they were durable.
Color was abundant across High Point Market — from pinks to blues to golds and more — sometimes in abstract design, sometimes as accents to the warmer neutrals, sometimes in standalone pieces that caught the eye.
Overall, visiting High Point Market in this pandemic time helped to re-energize home for those who could attend, and for those who couldn’t be there, hopefully Furniture, Lighting & Decor coverage can provide a little bit of what’s new and what’s next!
