Trend Viewpoints: High Point Market
High Point Market, Fall 2022 was a blast! I had a wonderful time exploring the manufacturer’s showrooms and seeing what new and exciting product they created this season. Mushroom shapes took a forefront in design aesthetics, while gaming furniture was elevated using sustainably sourced woods. I also had the honor of announcing two of the Pinnacle Awards at this year’s celebration.
Check out some of my finds below.
There is fungus among us!
After traveling to High Point Market Authority in North Carolina, and overseas to MAISON&OBJET in Paris, it is apparent that the “Magic Mushroom” trend is here to stay. Not only are we are seeing the shape of mushrooms throughout product categories, but also products made from actual Mycelium (mushroom fiber).
Companies like Sebastian Cox Ltd, Stella McCartney, Hermès, and Watson and Wolfe are just a few that are using mushroom fiber to create their products. Other brands like Currey & Company, John Derian, and Aleksandar Lazic for Menuare are creating home decor objects that emulate the fungus form.
We have been bringing the outdoors inside for years now, and mycelium production is taking it one step further by initiating biomaterials into the mass marketplace.
I am inspired by Biodesigner Danielle Trofe, who believes in harnessing innovative technologies and material sciences to create functional and accessible design. You can read more about her process here: https://danielletrofe.com/
Seeing both the home decor and fashion industries taking a deeper dive into experimenting with more sustainable and meaningful materials is wonderful and a necessary step towards mitigating the climate crisis.
A Real Game Changer!
Gaming culture is on the rise with everything from Chess to Poker being inlayed into furniture. The pandemic made gaming furniture an essential item in the home, and it was one of the biggest lifestyle trends that I saw at High Point Market in North Carolina.
Most of the games were designed in beautiful wood finishes, showcasing wood grains and the mixing of different wood species. Sometimes the wood was left very natural and raw, while other times there were polished surfaces that created a beautiful luster and sheen.
It is wonderful to see people invest in these sophisticated pieces for their homes. Not only are these pieces beautiful to look at, they also serve a function by creating timeless memories between family and friends.
Creating Tomorrow’s Homes
This years theme of the International Society of Furniture Designers Pinnacle Awards was “Creating Tomorrow’s Homes,” focused on the styles, forms, finishes and functionality of furnishings that will be part of consumers’ future lives.
I would like to take this idea a step further and touch on the sustainable designers in our industry that are challenging the way traditional furniture design is viewed. 🌱
This next generation of sustainable designers are full of innovative ideas and new production techniques. At the Pinnacle Awards, I had the honor of announcing the Green Leaf Award and the Maker/Designer Award. Both of these winners bring their own unique sustainability viewpoint to the table and I look forward to seeing what else they produce in the future!
This years Green Leaf Award winner was awarded to the Hanna Console by Jim Liu for Greenington Fine Bamboo Furniture. Expertly crafted from solid bamboo, the console’s sleek tailored design celebrates the beauty of nature-inspired wheat finish. Sustainable and earth friendly, Wheat finish is not a surface stain, the color is the result of an innovative process using heat, steam, and pressure to transform the solid bamboo material into Wheat’s variety of tones. The environmentally safe finish displays a beautiful grain pattern with continuous color throughout the material.
You can find out more here: https://lnkd.in/e345kKgH
This years Maker/Designer Award goes to Shelf of Drawers by Jeremy Kamiya, ISFD, for Kamiya Furniture. Jeremy uses No Nails, No Screws, and No Stains in his pieces. The piece is finished with the plant-based oil “Rubio Monocoat”: a durable, non-pigmented, non-toxic, sustainable, 0% VOC, wipe-on finish containing no solvents.
You can find out more here: https://lnkd.in/ecZ425Aq
