My sister Leila and I recently spent a few days in Las Vegas at the World Market to see what was new and exciting at this ever growing furniture show in the desert. It has been a few years since I have attended this particular show and I must say I was impressed with the overall experience, the newest building C, and how smoothly everything went at the show.I wanted to share with you some of the insight we gained at the show which could be useful for customers and retailers as they look ahead. I will also be posting a few pictures of the show. Vendors do not allow photography of product, so I managed to capture some other images to capture the feel of the show.
I attended some very helpful seminars with speakers such as Lloyd Princeton, Jeff Hiller, and Rebecca Orlov and Abby Stone of Apartment Therapy. If you are a retailer attending this show in upcoming years, I suggest you give your feet a rest and make time for a seminar or two during your visit.
I had pages of notes, but I just wanted to give you a brief list below of what may be helpful to consumers, designers and fellow retailers:
I saw an expansion of environmentally friendly accessories and furniture which utilized reclaimed wood and other clever materials. This concept is not new, but this year it seemed more refined and appealing in design than before. I hope this means that with better designs, more retailers will start to sell products that are environmentally friendly as more consumers demand these beautiful things.
The “IT” color is Turquoise, more specifically according to Apartment Therapy the color trend is Pantone Color 15-5519. Fore more info go to http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
Natural Glam is in, this meaning some rough organic materials mixed in with your refined items in the home. I personally think that this is partly due to the trend towards green and environmentally sound products which are making their way into the mainstream more and more each year. Many of these items, such as some products Parnian will soon be showing in their showroom, include reclaimed woods that have been formed into furniture.
Regarding the Doom and Gloom about the housing market, all designers and retailers should really be concerned about is the units of homes that sold, not the loss in value of homes. Every home that is sold is an opportunity to sell furniture and the volume of home sales are the highest they have been in several years. As a licensed Realtor in Arizona, I know that the value of homes being sold locally, are slowly starting to trend upwards.
Consumers have a new mindset:
-They want things right away, because many have pushed back their buying needs for years
-People want exiting and new things at a fair price
-People are willing to pay more for something if they know why it costs more. For example, well made furniture will last for generations, and is better for the environment in the sense that you won’t have to buy disposable furniture. This is of value to most people.
The main rooms in order of importance people are looking to buy for are the Family Room, Master Bedroom, Outdoor Furniture, Formal Living Room, and Casual Dining.
That summarizes some of the highlights of the show. Please feel free to register for updates on what is new in design and upcoming events by registering on Parnian’s website. http://www.parnian.com/.
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