Last week I travelled to High Point Market. If you are unfamiliar, High Point Market is the largest home furnishings trade show in the world with 12 MILLION square feet of exhibition space over 130 buildings. It happens twice a year in High Point, North Carolina where designers and buyers descend on this otherwise sleepy town to find new vendors and see new introductions from vendors we’re already familiar with. There is so much to see and digest - and I don’t just mean all of the complimentary food and drinks! I have designer friends from all over the country it is so nice to connect with and share challenges, ideas and lots of laughs. I want to share with you a few things that were trending at the fall market.
Cerused Wood
Last season showed a lot of cerused wood and it continued this market. If you’re unfamiliar with what that is, it is done by putting liming wax on the wood which turns the grain white. Then you can add any stain, you can see the variation in these photos. I’ve also attached a photo of my daughter’s crib which I limed myself in 2005.
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is nothing new, it’s been around since the 18th century. It’s a composite material, poured in place or precast and chips of marble or granite are added. Terrazzo has been popping up in flooring and countertops lately and this market it’s creeping more and more into furniture and home goods.
Oversized Lighting
I saw tons of oversized pendants, unfortunately it’s not always easy to understand the scale in a photo! Seeing the scale of these pieces is why as designers it’s important to go to High Point and see things in person. Adding statement lighting can add a lot of drama to a room.
Petrified Wood
This is not new this season but there was a lot more of it at market this year. Basically it’s wood that has been fossilized. The cracks are filled with a colored epoxy to create a smooth finish. it’s a great way to give new life to wood that would otherwise not be used. Each one is unique and can be a conversation piece.
Woven Leather
This showed up in just about every showroom in blacks, whites and camels.
Feathers and quills and hides, oh my!
Lots of feathers in lighting, accessories and artwork. For furniture and designers animal print was huge. If you weren’t wearing leopard print did you even go to market??? This is just my excuse to throw in my pic with Kelly Wearstler.
Caning, Rattan and Woven
Again, not new to this market but these finishes used to be reserved for tropical climates. Now they’re popping up everywhere. There was more than last fall and with the addition of more blacks and colors. It showed up in blues, pinks, reds and metal versions of caning.
Fun Sofas!
The general public either picks a straight sofa or a sectional. Sofas come in all shapes and sizes! Mix in a wood piece into the middle of a sectional, mix up the fabrics. Don’t be the least interesting sofa to look at. Here is some sofa inspo fo you including some fun edge details.
Color
Blues and greens are still trending, including in painted casegoods. Beige is back, blushes got more pink. This market was heavy on rusty oranges and yellows varying from mustard to neon. No question that color dominated. Buh-by gray!
There were so many more things to show you but I’m exhausted. Please disregard my ametuer photography, I just get so excited in every showroom. If you want to see more, chick out my HPMKT19 Instagram story. Like what you see? Call me, I’ll hook you up!