Top 10 Furniture Trends

What are the latest furniture trends for the home? Find out in this article from furniture.about.com. 

Comfortable white double sofa
Photo from NTY Franchise Company

Top 10 Furniture Trends

New Directions for Furniture in the 21st Century

By Abe Abbas

Furniture trends are dictated by who is buying what and why they’re doing it. Trends should not be confused with fads, which are fickle. Trends are the undercurrents that drive the results.

Some of the forces working behind furniture trends of the 21st century include younger buyers and technology. Women have more buying power than ever and are more involved in choosing and buying furniture. The globe seems to be shrinking, and there’s a rising concern for the environment. All this has resulted in some furniture riding a wave of popularity in the millennium.

1. Furniture Going Green

Furniture trends are dictated by who is buying what and why they’re doing it. Trends should not be confused with fads, which are fickle. Trends are the undercurrents that drive the results.

Some of the forces working behind furniture trends of the 21st century include younger buyers and technology. Women have more buying power than ever and are more involved in choosing and buying furniture. The globe seems to be shrinking, and there’s a rising concern for the environment. All this has resulted in some furniture riding a wave of popularity in the millennium.

2. Furniture With a Smaller Profile

Our living spaces are shrinking, and large and ponderous furniture pieces seem out of place in many of today’s smaller homes. The shift toward smaller pieces goes hand-in-hand with a preference for furniture that’s less ornate and more contemporary.

More streamlined furniture seems to be the logical choice for consumers trying to make efficient use of their available space. Recliners and chairs with smaller profiles are increasingly available as women tend to want to buy furniture that’s more suited to their preferences.

3. Multifunctional Furniture

Multifunctional furniture is not a new concept, but it has come into its own — perhaps as a result of those smaller living spaces. You need furniture that can perform multiple tasks when space is at a premium.

A lot of buyers look for extra storage to reduce clutter. You can find storage in tables, under beds and in entertainment consoles. Multifunctional furniture can serve any number of additional uses other than its main function. It can be used for sleeping guests — or even pets.

4. Technology-Driven Furniture Design

Modern technology has an effect on furniture design as well. This is most apparent in the design of entertainment centers.

Entertainment centers are obviously made to accommodate our entertainment paraphernalia, but bedroom sets, accent tables and other furniture pieces are also being made to accommodate gadgetry. Even a traditional piece such as a roll top desk can be updated to accommodate laptops and peripherals. The nightstands in the Hooker bedroom collection pictured here have pull-out shelves, outlets and USB ports for charging laptops, iPods and phones.

5. Popularity of Vintage Furniture

Vintage furniture is enjoying a surge in popularity. Yes, nostalgia is involved, but the search for green furniture also contributes.

Vintage furniture is green on many counts. Although the finishes weren’t originally non-toxic, they’ve finished off-gassing so they’re safe for indoor air. When you buy vintage furniture or use furniture you’ve inherited, you’re rescuing it from going to landfills. It’s already survived a lot of years so it’s probably well-made and durable. Hard economic times also make buying vintage furniture a feasible choice — it’s often less expensive.

6. Globally-Inspired Furniture

The globe seems to be shrinking and other cultures no longer seem quite so distant and foreign. The idea of bringing the world to our homes is catching on.

This isn’t just confined to bringing in furniture from other parts of the world but from their bygone eras as well. In the case of Asian-inspired furniture, it could be a search for a more Zen-like interior space or drama. Whatever the reason, the lure of travel has made globally-inspired furniture very popular.

7. The Growing Importance of Outdoor Furniture

Sales of casual and outdoor furniture have grown leaps and bounds. Consumers are discovering that they can significantly add to their existing spaces by utilizing outdoor areas as well. Outdoor rooms have become very desirable, and the quality and design of outdoor furniture has developed tremendously. Many furniture pieces can be used either indoors or outdoors.

Outdoor fabric has improved, too. The colors, textures and patterns can just as easily be used indoors, and they’re typically easier to maintain and keep clean.

8. Custom-Made Furniture

Customization of furniture seems to be a trend that continues to develop and evolve. While some manufacturers, such as Norwalk, have been offering it for years, the growing demand has made more manufacturers take notice. Smaller studios have offered customization for years, but more mainstream manufacturers such as Ethan Allen and Thomasville are offering an increasing amount of customization as well.

It can vary from fabric color or pattern to changing the style of an arm or leg on a sofa. Many manufacturers let the customer provide his own fabric. There are choices in finishes, colors, veneers and hardware options in casegoods. It depends on the manufacturer, but customization seems to be a trend that’s catching on.

9. Specialty Sleep Surfaces

The interest in specialty sleep surfaces began with waterbeds and it’s grown and developed over the years. Specialty sleep products now make up a sizable share of the sleep market.

With our hectic lifestyles, a night of perfect and comfortable sleep seems like the ultimate reward. Although it’s possible to find your perfect sleep surface, it’s not the easiest of tasks and it might require a great deal of research before you settle on the product you want to buy. There are a lot of options out there as this trend takes hold.

10. Leather Furniture

Leather furniture has discovered a newfound popularity because it now comes in so many different shapes and colors. Leather is an old favorite, but now it has a new face.

American Leather is one of the leaders in leather furniture, but other manufacturers offer plenty of choices as well. Leather is easy to maintain and to clean. It retains its appeal much longer than fabric. One downside is that some stores offer bi-cast leather, also known as by-cast leather. This is not leather. This wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t classify it as such, but it can be misleading for consumers.

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NEW USES: Franchisee Hoon Featured in Entrepreneur

New Uses franchisee Mark Hoon with family standing in New Uses store with purple walls

Learn about franchisee Mark Hoon and how he manages multiple resale stores in Minnesota. Read the Franchise Players article below or click here to see it on entrepreneur.com.

What’s Old Is New Again for These Two Resale Franchisees

Mark Hoon has never been an employee. He was only 16 years old when he started selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door, 18 when he opened his first vacuum cleaner distributorship. His wife, Barb, has been by his side professionally for more than three decades. And, together, the Hoons owned businesses ranging from cleaning appliances to real estate before finding their calling as resale franchisees in 2008. Today, they are pioneers in the resale home furnishings market as owners of one of the nation’s first New Uses franchises.

Name(s): Mark and Barb Hoon

Franchise owned: New Uses, in Maple Grove, MN; and Clothes Mentor locations in Maple Grove, St.Cloud, and Woodbury, MN. Both brands are under the umbrella of NTY Franchise Co., an upscale consignment/resale company.

How long have you owned a franchise?

[Mark responding] I’ve been a franchise owner since 2008. [New Uses dates back to June 2013.]

Why franchising?

Both Barb and I are great copiers, but not great inventors. We bought into the fact that a person can take years to invent and perfect a model. Franchising takes years off the time, expense and risk that comes with opening a new business. Franchising also allows us the lifestyle of being in business for ourselves with a system in place to give us direction and accountability.

Finally, having our daughter and son involved and preparing them to take over one day is very rewarding. Our children are earning the right to take over the business, and that makes us very proud.

What were you doing before you became a franchise owner?

Both Barb and I began our professional lives as independent contractors working as a distributor for Kirby Vacuum.

Why did you choose this particular franchise?

We were already familiar with the parent franchisor, NTY Franchise Company. We had initially purchased three Clothes Mentor stores, another of their resale franchise brands, and were pleased with the model. We decided on a New Uses store because it offered the same proven system, with a different product base. We also wanted a new business for our son to grow into, since he was graduating from college.

How much would you estimate you spent before you were officially open for business?

The total cost was $224,000. The breakdown was: franchise fee, $20,000; buildout, $100,500; inventory, $40,000; deposit and rent: $13,500; labor, $10,500; advertising, $15,000; and miscellaneous, $24,500.

Where did you get most of your advice/do most of your research?

Mentors! My father, Carl — for raising me with ethics and care. Gene Windfeldt, business owner and entrepreneur — for work ethic, discipline, focus and big thinking. My wife — for teaching me structure, honesty and follow-through.

What were the most unexpected challenges of opening your franchise?

Barb and I really didn’t have any unexpected challenges. We went into the business having done the research and understanding what we were getting into; and we had a comprehensive three-year business plan. There were some tweaks we had to work on, but not anything I would call a challenge.

What advice do you have for individuals who want to own their own franchise?

Buying a franchise is not “buying a business”; it is buying an opportunity to own a business. Your actions, attitude and work ethic are what will make it a business. You are not a business until you are able to be paid and make a profit. Until that happens, it is only an expensive hobby.

What’s next for you and your business?

Winters in Florida!. Over the next five years, we will be working with our kids to help them to understand what entrepreneurship is, the lifestyle it creates and how to manage the two. Both Barb and I expect to be active in the business for years to come. Our business is like a child to us. You can’t just kick it out of the house and never see it again. Years of both physical and emotional work will keep us connected in some capacity, even as we transition out of full-time operation.

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NEW USES: Woodbury Store Showcased in Pioneer Press

New Uses Woodbury was featured in a colorful article  about the growing popularity of reuse stores. Check out the article by Bob Shaw with Pioneer Press:

Reuse Stores Popping Up in the Twin Cities

By Bob Shaw

Deb Hauer plopped a box of plates onto the store counter.

“Ooof!” she said. “I am downsizing, big time.”

Hauer is near retirement and moving into a townhome, a move that requires shedding a lifetime of accumulated stuff.

Instead of donating the plates to Goodwill, she was selling them at a for-profit store in Woodbury — New Uses.

The store is one of a wave of new used-goods stores, which sell almost everything that can be owned.

They are popping up in malls, often replacing stores that sell new merchandise. Three used-clothing stores are open in Woodbury — Once Upon a Child, Plato’s Closet and Clothes Mentor — in a mall with no other clothing shops except shoe stores.

“I would say the growth is increasing exponentially,” said Louise Kurzeka, chapter president of the National Association of Professional Organizers, which monitors household recycling stores.

Used goods in America are now a $16 billion industry, according to the data-generating firm First Research. This includes sales from 20,000 thrift stores, antique dealers and consignment shops but not sales at pawn shops or used car or boat dealers.

Kurzeka said the used-goods industry has been increasing by 7 percent annually for the past two years, far more than the retail industry overall.

She said that’s because the Great Recession put financial pressure on homeowners, who are selling their belongings to ease the crunch.

“People are brushing off their bruises and saying: ‘I am in financial trouble. I need to sell my stuff,’ ” Kurzeka said.

In addition, baby boomers are retiring and downsizing. This means selling off the contents of big suburban houses.

“They are moving out of a 3,500-square-foot house into a 1,200-square-foot condo,” Kurzeka said.

Established charities such as Goodwill have long accepted donations of clothing and housewares. Pawn shops pay cash for items with high resale value.

But they have been facing competition from stores selling used books, computers, musical instruments, exercise machines and sports equipment.

Also competing for used goods are the more than 200 consignment shops in the metro area, according to the website Yelp. These shops usually pay the donor when the item is resold.

There are new stores operated by other nonprofits. Savers has opened three warehouse-size stores in the Twin Cities metro area.

Another newcomer is the Found It Estate Store in Bloomington, a used furniture and household goods store. That store, which opened in August, and two others are run by Bridging, a nonprofit group that helps people living in poverty.

A unique type of used-goods store is the ReStore in New Brighton. It sells donated home construction materials such as lumber, tile, cabinets and carpet.

“It’s what you would find in a Menards or Home Depot,” said Pete O’Keefe, ReStore operations manager.

Only one item is not accepted. “We do not take used toilets. We could have filled the old Metrodome with old used toilets,” said O’Keefe.

He said ReStore saves money for consumers and helps the environment.

“This is a green solution to keep things out of landfills,” he said. “About 10 years ago, contractors did not care. Now, they have a green mind-set.”

ReStore is owned by Habitat for Humanity, and O’Keefe said revenue from one year of sales at the New Brighton location pays for the construction of five Habitat homes.

The biggest used-goods presence in suburban malls are the for-profit businesses. Many, including New Uses, pay customers cash in advance for their household items.

“We have a lot of people coming in and saying they are moving their parents into senior housing,” said Valeta Cornwell, co-owner of the Woodbury store.

In her store, about a third of the floor space is for furniture. The rest is devoted to small appliances, rugs, artwork, slow cookers and home decor items.

Store customer Hauer said she was downsizing, but she couldn’t resist buying a fireplace insert and a wooden stool before she left.

Before she left, she looked around appreciatively. “What a fun place!” she said.

New Uses franchisee and store manager organizing the showroom floor plan by moving furniture and artwork to different areas
Valeta Cornwell co-owner of new uses, a home resale store in Woodbury, moves items around on Wednesday, November 25, 2015. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)