The High Point Furniture Market in North Carolina finally returned for designers to attend in June of this year. Our principal designer, Sarita Simpson and senior designer, Hannah Goldberg were excited to attend to meet with vendors, see new furniture releases, shop for our clients, and feel generally “normal” for the first time in 18 months! We have identified some furniture and furnishing trends to share with you.

New Ironsides

Sculpted, iron furniture was ever present at Market this year. There is a long history of wrought iron furniture (the modern era dates to the 1700s with the invention of manufacturing processes that used water instead of charcoal). Flash forward to 2021. Consider layering iron furniture with soft textiles, rugs, wood tables, and the results are timeless and modern.

Just Round the Corner

Think “Material Girl”, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, and padded shoulders; the 1980s are back! A furniture trend from the 80s that still works well today is curvilinear furniture. (*Warning: Don’t make the bodacious mistake of doing this yourself. The results could be gnarly.) Please consult your design professional to incorporate this trend carefully and in an edited, tasteful way. Enjoy these gorgeous rounded pieces.

Burl Power

First popular in 1920s Art Deco furniture, burl wood typically comes from stressed parts of tree trunks made more beautiful by insects, viruses, and fungi. The height of the use of burl in furniture design was during the 1970s. Think disco, bellbottoms, Donna Summer, and the Bee Gees. A design professional can help you pepper burl furniture into your overall design for a layered, warm, individualized look. No two pieces of burl are the same, and neither are two rooms we design.

Peek a Bouclé

Bouclé textile is woven or knitted with bouclé yarns. Bouclé yarns are produced from a number of different loops – some feature large circlets and others feature tiny curls. When two strands are combined, the weaver must keep tension on one strand, with the other strand kept untaught as it is plied. From there, the loose strand forms new loops, allowing the second strand to act as an anchor. And it was EVERYWHERE at Market.

Built-in to Last

For our #IMLivingOnTheEdgemoor project, we are planning for the den off of the foyer to have four walls of custom millwork including a bench seat, record storage, and a place for a turntable.  All of the millwork will be shop-painted in a dark, saturated color enveloping the whole room.  The overall look will be warm and cozy with a fireplace and seating perfect for listening to music with drinks in hand.  Stay tuned for more!