HIGH POINT – With poorer business over the past couple of years, specific design trends within the case goods sphere have been harder to discern.
Nevertheless, there are still trends happening. The most dominant has been the shift toward natural wood tones and finishes. Others include more clever ways to incorporate storage and a wider use of natural materials, like rattan and cane.
But there are more. Chelsy Helton – vice president of product at Parker House and longtime product design veteran, having led development teams at Dorel Home, Lane Furniture and Standard – elaborated in a recent interview with Furniture Today.
“Lighter wood is still one of the strongest trends,” she said. “People are really looking at how to incorporate technology. In case goods, people are trying to figure out how to hide more storage.
“Natural light finishes are strong, but dark woods and tones are coming back,” Helton added. “But also, bigger furniture, like longer dressers, higher headboards, and there are more footboards. In bedroom, it’s statement headboards; it’s upholstered headboards. People want furniture that feels lived in.
“We call it casual comfort and quiet luxury,” she continued. “We want to merge those trends together, and we’re doing it through technology, functionality and sustainability.”
In dining, key trends are expandability and comfort. Performance fabrics remain popular.
“I don’t think formal dining is going to come back, but people do want the ability to make tables larger,” she said. “Dining is about making an essential hub of the home. Comfort is going to be more of a focus. Round and organic shapes are important. The Scandinavian looks, like chairs with lower backs, I think could decline as people are realizing these chairs aren’t as comfortable. Going forward, the seats and overall shapes will get more focus.”
Bedroom, as is the case for many cross-category suppliers, is struggling as a category, says Helton.
“There’s a dining season around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but bedrooms don’t have that,” she said. “It’s been like this for some time. Even when people move into a new house, they’re buying dining first over bedroom.”
There’s a caveat to that: Dining takes more work.
“Dining takes more effort in being innovative and staying on top of trends,” she said. “You also have to think about size more as everyone’s space is different.”
See Helton and Parker House at the upcoming High Point Market at the company’s showroom at 309 S. Elm St.
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