Color on cue

CAROLE SLOAN, founding editor-in-chief -- Home Textiles Today, 5/7/2001 12:00:00 AM

It looks like all areas of the home furnishings business are listening to the same drumbeats.

It took a while, but the various marketplace segments, from home textiles, to furniture, to rugs, tabletop, lamps and accessories, all heard the word — COLOR!

After the marathon of markets that were shoehorned into the month of April (and the marathon seemed even more intense for many players this time around), the summary word identifying product trends was color.

One of the more telling signs was the closeness of the color directions in the upholstered furniture segment at the High Point market with the color directions shown in New York at the home textiles market across all product categories.

It already has begun, but the big surge will be across all home lines with reds, purples, bright greens, oranges and yellows duking it out for favored position.

Not only was the color story a key trend direction for the business, but it served a second purpose. As I walked the miles of showrooms in the various markets, it was clear that buyers were perkier, peppier and more responsive in the spaces that moved away from the seas of sage, beige and brown.

Looking at the pages of our sister newspaper, Furniture/Today, in its market product wrap-up color outmatched browns, beiges and sages on every page.

Looking across the various market segments, the kids biz was one of the definite winners in an economy that is giving pause to many suppliers and retailers alike.

In home textiles, this was most evident in the non-licensed segment where the license of the moment took a back seat to stuff that kids and parents could live with.

In furniture, the kids biz was less kitschy than ever, again offering a simpler design viewpoint and a more colorful approach to furniture that will grow up with kids.

And following through the other home areas, lamps and accessories were simpler. Cutesy was not the operative word. Simple, clean and focused design and color were the keys to this decade's approach to kids stuff.

And if the FAO Schwarz Baby segment that launched last week is any indication, there will be a new level of sophistication and streamlining of kitsch in the kids biz.