The biggest events in the furniture and home furnishings industry are the Spring and Fall shows in High Point, NC.  An annual award is given for excellence in showroom design which honors the most creative and innovative exhibitors.  We’re very proud, here at ccino to point out that several of the nominees (and both of the top winners!) are vendors of ours that we love to work with.  Here are the top award winners and the remarks that the judges made about them:

Best of Market:

Four Hands

“Known for providing an eclectic mix of products collected from different countries, expressing the aesthetic ideals of numerous cultures, Four Hands has established itself as trend-setting leader in the home furnishings industry.  Judged as the very best at the Fall 2009 High Point Market, this showroom… makes exceptional use of color, lighting and textures to create a visually rich and emotionally engaging experience.”

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Best of Market first runner up:

Global Views

“Global Views… vignette’s suggest ways consumers can use the products in their homes while color pulls the whole ensemble together into a cohesive concept.  As exemplified in their competition entry photo, Global Views’ displays are organized by color, function and design, focus on interesting furniture and lighting pieces, and use striking colors to capture attention.”

People’s Choice Award:

Global Views

“Launched this year to honor the voice of our customers, the High Point Market People’s Choice Award takes showroom competition to a whole, new level.   Global Views, winner of the High Point Market’s 2009 People’s Choice Award, excelled in both aspects of the competition.  Their showroom design was so creative and compelling that it earned Second Runner Up status in our juried Best of Market contest .  On top of that fine performance, the Global Views team also did an exceptional job of promoting their display.”  (Global Views used social media Twitter to before and during market to create excitement about their display.)

To read more about these winners and other nominees or about past winners click here.

In the constant search for the new and better, furniture manufactures are looking again at ultra suede.  Ultra suede (used as a generic term for a type of fabric) became very popular some years ago and then faded from favor.  There were many reasons, but chief among them were the proliferation of cheap products calling themselves ultra suede.  Since the high quality versions have such desirable wear, comfort and color characteristics, manufacturers would like to include some offerings in their fabric options.

UltraSuede brand

What does this mean for you?

1. Huge fabric color selection.
2. Great wear quality.
3. Comfort

Those are compelling arguments for this fabric.  But the million dollar question (as always) is “What do you, the consumer, think of the new UltraSuede?”

Comparison points for you to consider:

UltraSuede is actually a trademarked name for a particular manufacturing process owned exclusively by Toray Industries.  To better educate consumers to the differences between the legitimate Ultrasuede and the pretenders, Toray has issued the following information:

PRODUCT COMPARISONS
**Three categories of types of suede products
Non woven polyester, non woven nylon, woven/knitted polyester

ULTRASUEDE® IOO%POLYESTER ULTRA MICROFIBER NON WOVEN

1. Trademarked brand name, the original. Toray Industries, in the 70’s, invented the first microfiber. Apparel Designer Ralston introduced into the USA as the first machine washable/dryable designer garment. The benchmark product.
2. Manufacturing process is unduplicated and proprietary. Millions of tiny microscopic microfibers in each square inch. These microfibers are needle punched together. There are no threads. The microfibers are needle punched around an interior scrirn. This is one of the reasons why this product is so durable. Ultrasuede® microfibers are 50 times finer than cotton and about 200 times finer than wool. The suede look and feel are inherent and are achieved during the manufacturing process.
3. Exceeds all light fastness and color fastness testing. This product is used extensively in the automotive industry where color and light fastness testing have much higher standards.
4. Passes over 200,000 double rubs on durability upholstery test.  Residential standards are 15,000 double rubs, contract heavy duty standards arc 30,000 double rubs.
5. Machine washable and dryable.  Does not shrink, stretch, fade or pill.  Most any stain comes out with mild soap and water.

OTHER POLYESTER BASED MICROFIBER PRODUCTS – NON WOVEN

1. Only 1 or 2 other non woven micofibers in the market — no recognizably trademarked products.
2. Density per square inch of microfiber is substantially less due to inferior manufacturing process.  Usage of water jets to mingle fibers which cause force during process.  Less microfibers mean less durability, cleanability, etc.
3. Due to water jet process less surface effect and a dry feel, more like brushed cotton vs. suede.

OTHER POLYESTER BASED PRODUCTS – NON WOVEN AND KNITTED

1. Most microfiber in the market today is either woven or knitted.
2. A woven or knitted product does not have an inherent suede” feel.  To create a suede feel the product has to be sanded. This procedure immediately weakens the thread, leading to an inferior product. In most cases these products need to be backed for stability.
3. Poor durability and color fastness. Barely meets standards for residential furniture.
4. Product weight is about half of Ultrasuede®.

NYLON BASED PRODUCTS – NON-WOVEN

1. Nylon is inherently hydrophilic (absorbs water), can easily absorb its equal weight in water. Leaves water rings
2. Unstable color migration (crocking with other fabrics).
3. Permanent deformation under weight (stretches with poor recovery).
4. Extremely inferior abrasion resistance.

In the home furnishings and interior design world the High Point, North Carolina market is widely acknowledged to be the largest, most important event of the year. And it happens twice a year!

Each April and October 85,000 buyers, manufacturers and members of the press descend upon this small city. They walk the streets between over 100 buildings showcasing every imaginable piece of home furnishings: upholstered furniture, wood furniture, steel furniture, living room, dining room and bedroom furniture.  Area rugs, cocktail and end tables, mirrors, wall art, bedding, botanicals, accessories and much, much more!  At over twelve million square feet of display, we know that we’ll never see all of the companies or merchandise displayed here.

Here are some of the exciting things that we discovered in the High Point market this April:

The Malibu leather sectional has a wonderful attitude. It has a unique adjustable back that is both simple and elegant. Just slide the back cushion up and back, put your feet up and relax. Combining plush lines and cushioning, the Malibu is a fabulous design.

Gray has been emerging as a powerful and functional design color. One of the best ways to accessorize grays is with silver and mirror finishes. A great example is the Metropolis round striped-base table. Deco-like lines finished in a polished pewter look make this a great accent piece in your room. It’s like adding a bit of jewelry!

The new curvy Tousley sectional adds dynamic lines to a room. It is a sophisticated design with thin track arms, tufted back cushions and tapered feet. A great design like this brings amazing drama and fun to a room. Never underestimate the value of either fun or drama.

These vases have a bright pewter finish with a black matte textured base. These great finishes and interesting shapes add texture, detail and personality to your room.

Dull brass is an emerging finish. It brings back the warmth of brass without the dated look of polished or highly antiqued brass. We loved the Miami Horn end table with its tapered, flaring legs and functional size. It’s a great accent piece.

We like the Breonna table lamp for its interesting shapes as well as the beautiful textured shade and great finish.

The Bellucci buffet lamp combines an elegant shape with unusual metallic shade and handsome design details.

Specialty fabrics often add the flair or punch to a fabulous room design.  At the recent fall High Point market those specialty fabrics frequently came from ikats and susanis.  There are furniture grade designs in these fabrics available.  Most often, fabrics with designs and colors this strong will be used as one of the accent fabrics in a room.  Perhaps on a chair or on some of the accent pillows.

Ikat Designs

The word “ikat” means “to bind.”  It is a very ancient way of creating designs in fabric by resist-dyeing (a bit like tie-dying) the threads before the fabric is woven.  In Thailand, villagers take the weft (crosswise filling threads) and tie tiny bits of plastic onto the threads.

The tightly tied areas of thread, when put into the dye pot, resist the color and create a pattern, once the plastic ties are removed.  Traditional Thai ikat cottons are often indigo-dyed in lively and engaging motifs representing the village life and beliefs of the people.  Modern Thai ikats in cotton and silk are brightly colored with good imported chemical or natural dyes.

This time-honored process creates a fabric that appears highly detailed, complexly woven and hand-crafted.  Ikats often have an ethnic look or feel to them.

In fact, Carole Sloan writing in Furniture Today said that many of the new ikats “in their latest interpretations evoke almost a Native American feel”.  Using this process with newer fabric design and fresh colors can provide a wonderful mix of traditional feel and contemporary fashion.  Take a look at the incredible black lacquered chairs shown here with a vibrant ikat fabric.  Wow.

Susani Textiles

Susani (sometimes spelled “suzani”) is the word for “needle” in Farsi, and the large embroidered dowry textiles of Turkic groups are so named because of the many hundreds of hours of needlework required to produce them.  Susani textiles originate in Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and other countries where Uzbeks and Tadzhiks share similar textile traditions with the Turkmen and other neighboring peoples in Central Asia .

Susani from the Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand and Tashkent have larger, bolder patterns than susani from their sister city of Bukhara, known for susani with smaller, very intricate flowers and tendrils reminiscent of certain Indian textiles.

Used in Central Asia primarily as bed covers, susani in the hands of Western collectors often are framed and hung as wall art.  Modern fabric designers are bringing this wonderful textile into our homes as accents and even core fabrics.  But… take a look at susani used in an upholstery application.

You can see why designers love to use this vibrant design and color to add excitement and personality to a room.

Specialty fabrics often add the flair or punch to a fabulous room design.  At the recent fall High Point market those specialty fabrics frequently came from ikats and susanis.

The word “ikat” means “to bind.”  It is a very ancient way of creating designs in fabric by resist-dyeing (a bit like tie-dying) the threads before the fabric is woven.  In Thailand, villagers take the weft (crosswise filling threads) and tie tiny bits of plastic onto the threads.

The tightly tied areas of thread, when put into the dye pot, resist the color and create a pattern, once the plastic ties are removed.  Traditional Thai ikat cottons are often indigo-dyed in lively and engaging motifs representing the village life and beliefs of the people.  Modern Thai ikats in cotton and silk are brightly colored with good imported chemical or natural dyes.

This time-honored process creates a fabric that appears highly detailed, complexly woven and hand-crafted.  Ikats often have an ethnic look or feel to them.

In fact, Carole Sloan writing in Furniture Today said that many of the new ikats “in their latest interpretations evoke almost a Native American feel”.  Using this process with newer fabric design and fresh colors can provide a wonderful mix of traditional feel and contemporary fashion.  Take a look at the incredible black lacquered chairs shown here with a vibrant ikat fabric.  Wow.

Susani (sometimes spelled “suzani”) is the word for “needle” in Farsi, and the large embroidered dowry textiles of Turkic groups are so named because of the many hundreds of hours of needlwork required to produce them. Susani textiles originate in Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and other countries where Uzbeks and Tadzhiks share similar textile traditions with the Turkmen and other neighboring peoples in Central Asia .

Susani from the Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand and Tashkent have larger, bolder patterns than susani from their sister city of Bukhara, known for susani with smaller, very intricate flowers and tendrils reminiscent of certain Indian textiles.Used in Central Asia primarily as bed covers, susani in the hands of Western collectors often are framed and hung as wall art. Modern fabric designers are bringing this wonderful textile into our homes as accents and even core fabrics.

But… take a look at susani used in an upholstery application.

Ottoman in blue susani

You can see why designers love to use this vibrant design and color to add excitement and personality to a room.