Key Home Furnishings Trends for 2010 and Beyond
As a major, long-term investment, trends in furniture evolve slower than decorative accessories. Consumers need to know that what they buy today will be accepted fashion in the future and work with new purchases made in the years to come. Still, furniture trends evolve and are updated to keep pace with trends in smaller and impulse items.
To build a recognizable, successful furniture brand requires more than just hitting the latest design trend. From Kathy Ireland to Paula Deen, there is a plethora of designer furniture brands oversaturating the market. Each claims to represent the personality’s design or lifestyle “point of view”, and vouches all products within the collection work together. In truth, there is very little innovation or difference to drive an unplanned purchase.
Consumers’ decreased spending power means every major purchase has to be thoroughly justified, and meet more than one need. As our lives become less stable and uncertain, furniture will need to be able to meet our changing needs and work in different life situations. Now more than ever we have to create products that address serious social, economic, and global needs. People are relocating for jobs, down-sizing to smaller homes, and moving into apartments in the cities. Furnishings that can adapt to new uses will be key.
Adaptability
Technology and Working at Home
Today, a piece of furniture can’t just be decorative, it has to “do something”. As home offices are being integrated into the main living spaces, there is a need for furniture that can be used for both work and play, and that looks good in the living room or bedroom. All kinds of storage is huge, especially hidden storage, foldaway workstations, built-in chargers and plug-ins, and storage for remotes. We are seeing more functional furnishings outfitted for electronic devices. Case goods have slots to hide electric cords, and house drawers with charging stations for cell phones and iPods. Entertainment centers are now manufactured to house an iPod for integration to the TV. Aspen furniture has developed motorized recliners with a built-in tray. Going forward, the integration of home furnishings and electronics will continue as more consumer electronics will be built into new homes rather than being purchased after moving in.
Multi-Functional and Practical
There is need for furnishings that can evolve and grow with the household, changing functions as needs change. As people down-size or relocate for jobs, furniture will need to become more portable and able to fit through narrow apartment doors and up staircases, and be adaptable for use in different dwelling types. Dining room furniture that can be converted into wardrobes and armoires would be hugely valuable for anyone moving into an apartment without a formal dining room and too few closets. Besides children’s furniture that transforms from a crib into a bed, youth products are becoming less juvenile and more “small adult”, and can be moved to other parts of the home when no longer needed in the nursery. While the trend is towards smaller, less ostentatious furniture, dining tables that can dramatically expand are becoming increasing popular, especially among wealthier immigrant and ethnic groups that value the extended family sharing meals and holidays together.
Home as Sanctuary and Refuge
As our world gets more complicated and the pace of change gets ever-faster, people are responding to this confusion by seeking simplicity. Home is perhaps the most natural place to create a sanctuary from the outside world. Clean lines, simpler shapes and styling, and natural materials are replacing heavy carving and fussy detail. Comfort is all-important. Durable, easy-care surfaces and finishes are critical.
Consumers want to do what they can within their budgets and limited time to protect the environment and eliminate toxins from the home. The easier it is and the less of a price markup, the better. Recycled and renewable materials in high-style design, bamboo, and antibacterial, non-allergen, and organic products will grow in popularity as costs come down. If your company is honestly addressing social issues including worker conditions and child labor and the cost increase is minimal, this is a strong marketing advantage.
Mass Customization
It’s a dichotomy – consumers want what their friends have, but they also want to be unique, and recognized for being hip. There is huge demand for “personalization”. Mass production and container requirements demand simplified homogenized products, but people want to express their individuality (as long as it’s on-trend).
Some suppliers are developing interchangeable components that allow the consumer to customize their purchase. Another emerging trend is buying by the item. Consumers are more reluctant to commit to any one style, theme or color palette. Purchases can be made as money becomes available, allowing for multiple styles to be mixed eclectically together, creating an individual statement.
GenX Takes Over
We are starting to see a seismic shift in the home furnishings demographic focus from the Baby Boomers to Generations X and Y The industry will need to respond to the Xer’s different world views and home lives.
As a father of five and a lover of dogs, I can say it is really hard to keep furniture nice. We are the type of family that is very animated, translation, rough housing expected.
We also let the dog or dog(s) there was a few years when we had two, on to the furniture. They love looking out of the big picture window.
Any way, I’m 50 now and have been married for 23 years. Looking back I would have either done more to include a protective layer over the furniture (I know people hate the clear plastic covers, but perhaps throw blankets for daily use which can be taken off when company arrives.)
The other way is to just plan, and budget, for more furniture purchases over a life time. Maybe even specific timelines for a “New Look”
Any thoughts on how to reconcile an active family life with better furniture care and planning?
Hi Albert,
This is definitely an issue that should be addressed by textile engineers!! There are polyester fabrics that are washable, look great, and are quite sturdy. As a cat owner, I have the same issue – how to have nice things and keep them that way, without obsessing over their care and not enjoying them. My solution was a sofa with a washable micro-fiber sueded slipcover. It looks like a normal upholstered sofa, as the slipcover is tightly fitted and zips on and off. It’s been 5 or so years, and I need to replace the cover and seat cushions, but the body is fine. This also gives me an opportunity to change the look if I want.
Throw blankets are quite popular and work for your situation. But you’re right, the industry should do more to develop animal-safe furniture!!
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Key Home Furnishings Trends for 2010 and Beyond « Vicki Lederman … | NurseyAids.Com said this on July 27, 2009 at 3:05 AM |
Great idea, but will this work over the long run?
These ideas will only work if manufacturers are willing to invest the time, effort, and costs necessary to develop them. Few concepts are ready to go into production without being developd, tested, refined, and adjusted. And, once approved, it’s time to start work on the next advancement!!
Take any breakthrough product, and trace it’s development history, like – the iPod, which was really made possible by the Walkman. We only saw the initial one offered for sale, but there were lots of models that led to it. And how many newer models have been introduced since the first, with more on the way!! Or look at the evolution of computers, from the guarantuan earliest computer, to notebooks, $100 laptops that recharge in the sun, to cell phones that run applications.
Vicki, as a professional furniture designer I can assure you that many of us are working hard to include technology function in our designs. It just makes sense from a marketing and profit perspective to provide product that meets the needs of consumers. The furniture industry tends to be stodgy in their approach to innovation and it is difficult to get them onboard with a new idea (that isn’t proven to be profitable). Yes there is considerable cost involved in developing such product, and often by the time the product hits the market technology has moved beyond the function. However, I am lucky to be working with manufacturers that are seeing the big picture and the necessity to quickly develop new ideas and take risks. Just some thoughts.
Morgan, you are right on all counts. Business-oriented designers understand the need to develop new, relevant products that get consumers excited and address current and future market needs, yet they are often held back by executives because of the costs, uncertainty, and time involved. Until we modernize our methodology, the time and expense involved in strategic product development is the nature of the business.
The lack of timely innovation, among other factors, has led to the demise of countless suppliers and the industry as a whole. A recent report outlines the challenges the industry faces; “The American Furniture Industry: What Will It Take to Survive?” which you can read here – at http://abtv.com/furniturewatch.pdf
We are literally talking about the survival of this industry. Clearly the old ways of doing business, including new product development, are not meeting the needs of consumers or suppliers. If we don’t revamp our industry now, it will soon be too late to save it. Already the bulk of manufacturing has moved offshore, and there is little to stop other functions, from design to sales, from following.
The natural inclination in difficult times is to conserve resources, yet, if we don’t invest now it will soon be too late and the American-based furnishings industry will be obsolete. You are indeed lucky to be working for a management team that is actively working to innovate!!
This is a very interesting post…Thank you.
[...] the fashion of the moment. (for my thoughts on long-term trends, please see my July 9 blog post, Key Home Furnishings Trends for 2010 and Beyond.) Leave that to accessories, which can be purchased more frequently to update and customize the [...]
The End of Trends? « Vicki Lederman: home furnishings design & product development strategy said this on January 25, 2010 at 1:24 PM |