Hooker Furniture's goal with its new Charleston collection was to give a fresh take on traditional designs.
HIGH POINT – Despite never truly going out of style, traditional furniture made a comeback at the fall furniture market in High Point.
This isn’t to say modern and casual styles took a back seat. But going from showroom to showroom, it was clear that traditional had gained an elevated focus, particularly on the case good side. Almost universally, suppliers introduced new lines focusing on traditional looks, with many opting to inject their own modern flair.
One of those suppliers went so far as to say the industry had been “neglecting” traditional looks.
“Over the past several years, the traditional style category has been a bit neglected with the popular casual modern style coming in strong over the past three to four years,” said Mike Harris, president of case goods and upholstery at Hooker Furniture.
“There’s always a place for classic styles and traditional design, and we see the industry gravitating back toward that now but with a fresh spin for the new generation.”
Spanning two major collections, Hooker unveiled more than 100 new items for market, many of which featured traditional and transitional styles.
“Our largest collection launched at the October Market – Charleston – has an heirloom nature to it but was designed through the lens of a new generation of consumers that are redefining what ‘traditional’ really means,” said Harris. “Pieces in the new collection offer a fresh take on classic forms, finishes and materials.”
But to redefine traditional, it’s important to know what it is in the first place.
According to Bassett Furniture, traditional furniture is European-inspired furniture deriving its look from the Victorian period. Features often including carved and dark wood, arched backs and ornamentation. Other hallmarks can include luxe upholstery, bun feet or ball and claw foot legs, and scallops or shell designs. Wood species often used are mahoganies, maples and cherries.
The “fresh spin” or “modern flair” that some companies are adding to their more traditional designs is harder to define. Hooker’s Charleston collection combines design inspiration from the West Indies and the Traditional South, with features including botanical carving, woven cane, string inlays and hand skiving.
Universal Furniture recently debuted its Newstalgia furniture line, which was designed “with today’s traditional customer in mind” but updated with modern finishes. Items include spindle beds and trifold vanity mirrors in blues, dark greens and natural wood tones.
Other suppliers to recently ramp up their traditional offerings include New Classic with Royal Classic and Magnussen with its Thirty One Twenty One brand.
Some seem to be incorporating it for the sole reason of having greater variety, as retailers have been more selective in what they’re buying.
Let us know what you think. Is traditional back? Email Senior Editor Bobby Dalheim.
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