The movement towards eco-friendly home furnishings is gaining momentum.

Using either wood from sustainable forests or recycled materials, eco- friendly home furnishings reflect our growing desire to protect and care for the future of our planet.

Sustainable forests are managed, renewable forests that provide commercially grown wood, usually rubberwood, mango wood or bamboo.
The use of commercially grown wood cuts down on deforestation, illegal logging, habitat destruction, water pollution and displacement of indigenous peoples.

Salvaged lumber is also a popular eco-friendly material. Wood from old buildings, barns, ships, warehouses, river bottoms and old orchards is being reclaimed and repurposed. Reclaimed wood is typically high quality, and with its unique, weathered beauty, is well-suited for use in tables and tabletops, barstools, benches and shelving.

Other eco-friendly furniture materials include soy based foam in cushions, recycled steel in springs, recycled carpet materials in paddings, and wood stains with low VOC (volatile organic compounds).

Trademaster 2840 Hampton Bedroom

Often time in the furniture industry we play follow-the-leader.  But this was a fresh and affordable look that came across our desks:

 With the Hampton bedroom, you can create a stylish retreat you will love coming home to. This contemporary collection features clean lines for a modern urban style with Louver-style drawer fronts and a Chesser  (Dresser with additional chest) with a leaning mirror for a simple yet eye-catching touch.

 Finely crafted of hardwood solids and cherry veneers, the collection features dovetailed drawers and metal drawer guides for strength and durability.

A gorgeous rug makes any room more comfortable and helps bring all the elements of a room together.  Through both color and texture, a rug adds depth and richness to a room. And because a rug’s color pops from underneath it’s more subtle than color on walls, making it easier to go with brighter colors and patterns. Rugs also pamper the feet, protect and warm floors and reduce noise. When choosing a rug, look for a stye and color that will complement the room’s walls and decor. For a traditional room, look for Persian, Oriental and Native-American styles. Complex traditional patterns and rich colors are typical of this style. For a contemporary room, look for bold geometric designs, abstract patterns and unique textures like braids or shags. For a room that’s less ornate than traditional but not as severely basic as contemporary, look for a transitional style. Rugs in this category are more open in pattern than a traditional rug and softer in color and line than a contemporary rug. Whatever the style, with the right design in the right combination of colors, a rug becomes more than a rug, it becomes a work of art!

As furniture design looks forward, we’ll begin to see looks that celebrate the end of the recession with splashes of cheerful colors in a variety of bold and unusual color combinations. While not straying too far from tradition and familiarity, classic designs are being re-worked with touches of exuberant, exotic colors and large scale, childlike patterns. The resulting looks are fresh and upbeat, adding depth and interest to otherwise neutral upholstery, walls and flooring. Designs to look for include geometric jacquards, Ethnic-inspired patterns, heavily patterned, handcrafted textiles, super large floral blossoms, snowflake patterns and candy stripes. Primarily seen in use on pillows, accent chairs, rugs and wall art, they’re easy additions that quickly add a pop of happy color to any room.

One of the keys to an uncluttered, modern living space is incorporating stylish storage solutions, especially in the bedroom. Not only are the newest dressers and night stands designed with increased storage, there’s a multitude of choices in built-in bed storage. There’s underbed drawers, footboard drawers, footboard benches with storage as well as headboards with open shelving and covered cubby holes. Often these storage options are customizable, with as little or as much storage space as is necessary. And the use of technology is influencing bedroom storage options as well. As the bedroom becomes more of a personal retreat, bedroom designs are being made to accommodate televisions, computers and phones. Power strips for electronics are built into many night stands now, and most bedroom designs now have a media center instead of an armoire. The new bedroom media center places the television at the perfect height for watching TV in bed, and includes additional storage drawers and open spaces for DVD player and other gadgetry.

The newest trend in contemporary furniture is a movement toward a more natural, calming style, a reflection of our desire to make our homes places where we find rest and renewal. As our lives continue to get busier, more “plugged” in, we need our homes to be open, uncluttered places where we can relax and re-connect with nature and family. Contemporary furniture has always been characterized by uncluttered, clean lines, but now its cool ultra-sophistication is evolving toward a warmer, nature-inspired blending of textures. In dining rooms look for the blending of glass and steel with elements of wood, rattan and leather. In bedrooms look for lighter woods in curved designs and simple wood or brushed aluminum hardware. In living rooms look for leather sofas accented with textured cotton or linen pillows and accent chairs in bright geometric patterns.

Continuing in the conservative trend of 2010, designs for 2011 will remain conservative with a focus on practical comfort and neutral colors. And while there’s no radical changes, the trends exhibit a deepening understanding of color and functionality. Greens continue to evolve in support of the environmental focus, now mixed with natural tones of blue, rose and camel. Plum now leans toward the bluer tones, and finds a refreshing lift when mixed with lilacs and neutrals. And that futuristic new neutral, gray, gets paired with steel blue and celadon for looks that allow the use of soft, natural colors in sleek, ultra contemporary surroundings. Overall, colors have just a bit more energy, more eye appeal, achieved through thoughtful blending of harmonious tones, with brights reserved for the occasional splash of color.

When looking for a new sofa it’s important to understand the seating options that will be available to you and the performance you can expect from each. There are 3 different options that you may choose from when selecting a sofa. These are: Pirelli or industrial webbing, Sinuous no sag and 8 Way hand-tied. These support systems add longevity to your sofa life by preventing the wear and tear you would see if you would place a cushion on the floor, for example. Although fabric selection or cover, foam density and quality, frame construction and padding are equally important in your consideration, today we will address the hidden support aspect of sofa construction. I have always likened the support system on a sofa to the box spring in a mattress set, this support takes the brunt of the wear and tear of a sofa and helps provide the long term seating comfort that you will be looking for.

The first seating option is Pirelli or industrial webbing. This webbed support provides support without the expense and weight of steel. This webbing is attached directly to the frame and is woven together, much like a basket weave. Quality manufacturers will gauge the tension of each unit to insure an overall consistent seat. The best example that comes to mind is the old fold up lawn chairs that wove the seating surface and backs together. This provided a light, durable and transportable chair that virtually every American home had several of under the nearest shade tree. Although the concept is the same, the quality of the webbing today is far superior those chairs, and certainly not exposed to the elements of an “outdoor” chair, can easily provide many years of use.

The most often seen option in the marketplace today is sinuous no-sag wires. These wires are made of tempered steel and are in a zig-zag  or “S” pattern. This tempered steel will return to its original shape once compressed. These wires run from the back to the front of the sofa and are spaced no more than 5 inches apart and will be joined together by a connecting wire that attaches to the frame of the sofa. The reason for this border wire is to tie the entire seating surface together and to help pull tension from other wires to provide a better overall support. We all have our favorite spot on a sofa, you know you do, normally next to an arm, often referred to as “my spot”. This helps that single or double wire spread the work out with its neighbors so it doesn’t wear out. The “deck” of the sofa, or what you place your cushions on, helps extend the life of your cushion cores by allowing this metal do most of the moving and absorb the compression and distribute weight throughout. Pretty smart, huh?

The final and oldest proven system is 8 way hand tied. These springs have a wide range of movement and provide a very even and individual “sit” because of their ability to move up and down, side to side. During the construction of these systems, craftsmen individually tie these heavy-gauge coils from front to back, side to side and diagonally (hence the term 8 way, hand-tied) to provide the best quality, comfort and durability. It’s the most expensive due to the time consuming nature and can only be done by hand. It’s not unusual to hear of a sofa with this seating lasting 50 or more years. The comfort and durability comes from the fact that individual coils pull tension from surrounding coils and share the stress of weight more evenly throughout the seating surface. This quality feature adds durability and recognized value to any sofa that includes this feature.

Hopefully this explanation has helped educate you regarding your sofa seating options. We all want to understand exactly what we’re buying and sometimes the hidden aspects of buying a sofa can be a bit confusing. The entry level and least expensive option is the Pirelli webbing. This webbing will offer a firmer support and is more utilitarian than comfort oriented. Sinuous no sag seating is the dominant option you will find in most stores. Far and away the superior seat, although mainly found in the better end sofas, is the 8 way hand-tied. All the other seating options are attempting to emulate this quality. If all things are equal and you find a comparable price on an 8 way hand tied sofa. Always go with the 8 way hand tied. You will thank yourself later.



Have you bought a leather sofa recently? Are you planning to buy one? If so, this may be an article you might want to read. A majority of leather-upholstered furniture is made in Asia. For the most part these leather-upholstered pieces are of very high value. These Asian countries, especially China, have combined their low cost of capital with skilled workers to create some of the best values the furniture industry, and you the final consumer have seen in years. After reading this, you would think now is the time to buy leather furniture. YOU ARE RIGHT.

Now is a great time to buy leather-upholstered furniture, IF YOU KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. Recently, the cost of leather has gone up dramatically. The furniture has kept prices low by moving most products overseas, thereby reducing overhead and labor costs. However, it is becoming more and more difficult to keep prices low, so now some are sacrificing quality to keep a low price. Some are sacrificing frame construction, foam, seating and other not so easy to see attributes. All of these sacrifices will cost you in the long run. A lower density foam, means a seat cushion that will not hold up for years to come. A frame without corner blocks will be less stable. Although the manufacturer saves a little money on all of these short cuts, the main cost savings is in the leather.

In the past leather was simple. It all came from a cow, but just had different levels of correction, which directly effected the cost. In general, the less correction, the higher the cost. Over the last year, everything has changed. Because the price of cow leather is going up, manufacturers are scrambling to find other low-cost alternatives. These alternatives vary from exotic animals to man-made synthetic products.

Pig, llama, yak and buffalo just a few of the cow substitutes being used these days. All of these products are fairly new on the market. As always, with a new product, the future is unknown. How long will they hold up? How will they wear? Will the sun fade them more than cow leather? These and many other questions about “new generation leathers” are left unanswered. We probably won’t have a good answer until these products have been in the market for 5-10 years. Not only have these products not withstood the test of time, but some are just gross. Who wants to invite their friends over to sit on their new sofa made of pig?

At this years High Point furniture market, buyers found great values on bedroom furniture of all styles.  However, there were some new twists to traditional bedroom furniture.  The color black has taken off in bedroom furniture over recent years, but this year it was seen heavily featured in traditional bedrooms.  From clean hand-rubbed finishes, to painted pieces, black was shown at all prices and in all styles.  Some new looks that were featured heavily included black traditional bedrooms and black and cherry combinations.  So in 2011 it is fair to say, Black is Back.

A second look that was very popular this year in the bedroom category was multi-material headboards.  Several traditional beds now have leather panels on the headboard.  Microfiber is also a popular material on headboards this year.  Both of these add color and texture to the bed while giving a fresh look to classic styles.