Let's Go Shopping
At Home With Merle
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Table Talk.Getting Added Value From Your Salesperson
Mixing Woods and Stains in the Same Room
At least twice a year, the buyers from House of Oak & Sofas pack up and go on a buying trip to find new merchandise for our store. Since High Point, North Carolina is the nearest market, and the oldest and biggest wholesale furniture market in North America, we usually do our shopping there--once in the Spring and once in the Fall. Although High Point boasts many retail furniture outlets where anyone can purchase furniture, the show we attend is for "dealers only" and is sprawled throughout the city in over 180 buildings--the largest being the main IHFC (International Home Furnishings Center) building with 14 floors. We have been attending High Point market for over 20 years and have yet to visit even 25% of the showrooms. The experience is awesome, energizing and exhausting! We shop 'til we drop, and then we come back to our store.
What's New
The most important reason we attend furniture market is "to see what's new." Although we do order most of our prospective furniture selections for the coming six months (some which do not arrive on our showroom floor for another 6-8 months), we also absorb what's new in color, design and style. It's just another reason to make sure you build a relationship with a House of Oak & Sofas sales associate as you go about purchasing furniture, since all these years of exposure to new trends and styles can be helpful in your own home furnishing.
For example, when we visited High Point this past October, brown was a strong color. Although it has gotten more difficult each year to say which one color is trending stronger, as color designers push forward a "new" green, a "new" blue and a "new" almost every color--seemingly to attempt to satisfy everyone--brown was indeed the color that stuck out in my mind as the most "trend-driven." Although brown has been moving up the charts, partly because of the growth in brown leather, now we are seeing brown in rugs and fabrics also. We had brown mixed with kiwi green last market, brown mixed with aqua this market, and then, well, just plain brown. One of the most stunning uses of brown was in heavy, plush velvets which are returning to the fashion scene. Like color, there seems to be something for everyone, and with the explosive popularity of smooth, non-plush fabrics, this return to velvets is a surprise.
Styles of Sofas
Two styles of sofas caught my eye and will be appearing on our showroom floor over the next three months. The first was this two-piece sectional in an incredibly soft leather. I thought the color was almost butterscotch but the catalog description is "buff." It should arrive the week of December 10th and you can stop in our Virginia store to call it as you like. The "hand" (a word we use in the furniture industry to describe how fabric feels to the skin) of the leather was one of the best I have ever experienced with words like "buttery" and "oiled" and "supple" coming to mind as I describe it. In fact, our enthusiasm for this sectional has been so strong that we have pre-sold the sectional from a picture even before it arrives in the store.
The second sofa, which will not arrive until spring, is this 4-piece leather conversational sofa with two storage ottomans. The seat is extremely comfortable and we were able to obtain extra good pricing so this sofa will be a perfect solution for the family room or home theatre. The two storage ottomans snuggle into the v-shape of the sofa and provide ample storage for video games and consoles, blankets and pillows, and of course, provide a great place to put your feet when you are finished with your day.
Casual Dining Set
Finally, the last introduction we chose from market was this small casual dining set. This is pure transitional style but fits the House of Oak & Sofas lineup well due to the solid wood content. The built-up two layer edge, the unusual shape of the backs of the chairs, and the almost awkward positioning of the table and front chair legs give this set something akin to "bungalow charm." As is often the case, I wouldn't be surprised to see the set on some trendy sitcom this winter. We brought the set on the floor in early November and customers are buying it.
Buying is an ongoing experience at House of Oak & Sofas. Sometimes we hit the nail on the head and find just the right piece--other times we strike out. But around this time of year, especially, since December is our busiest month, boxes of new goods arrive almost every day and it's fun to see all those beautiful home furnishings from the High Point showrooms show up on the floor at House of Oak & Sofas.
Until next time, keep asking questions. Send them to mrfurn@msn.com and I will answer as many as I can in person or in my column next month.
