for your
home
A look ahead
Buyer’s
pıck
FRANCE FREEMAN
Hot decorating trends for 2008
Brett Jackson
Furniture Buyer
By Anita Thompson
IF YOU WANT to be in the know about
home-furnishings trends, the place to hang
out is at the big furniture trade shows held
twice a year in High Point, North Carolina,
and Las Vegas. Interior designers and buyers,
including those from Costco warehouses and
costco.com, regularly attend these shows.
Besides miles and miles of showrooms
and displays, these trade shows feature some
of the best trend trackers in the industry.
Here’s a look at some of their predictions for
2008 and 2009.
The latest in colors
Michelle Lamb, founder and chairperson
of Marketing Directions Inc. and senior editor of The Trend Curve (
www.trendcurve.com),
told those attending the World Market in Las
Vegas last July, “When I talk about trends I
always start with color, because it’s so significant to everything else that is going on.”
Lamb said that she’s been thinking about
not only the direction of color but the direction of color combinations. Blues, for example, “are never truly out of fashion, but
different types and different personalities
cycle back and forth.”
Water-based and saturated mid-values of
blue have the potential to be bestsellers in
every category from bed and bath to upholstery. Navy blues are being pushed to the red
side, along with denim-inspired blues.
While browns and oranges will stay the
course for 2008, Lamb said consumers should
get ready for a very different green-cast yellow
to pop. “It isn’t horribly edgy—just enough
green to make a difference,” she said. “We will
also see neon-flavored yellows in 2009. This is
going to be a parallel trend with ready-to-wear. It also looks great with gray and silver.”
Lamb pointed out that home décor and
apparel are coming closer together all the
time. One of the biggest trends for both is
metallics. Other trends that are popping up in
both worlds include:
Warm grays. Look for a mixture of
warm-temperature grays in 2009.
Neutrals. Shades of pink and peach will
make way for desert neutrals, such as khaki
browns and golden grays, perhaps accented
with white and black.
Paisley. Bohemian or Moroccan themes
will update this traditional pattern.
Stripes. They’ve been off the trend radar
STEP INTO NEARLY any Costco and one
of the first sights you are greeted with is
an assortment of high-end electronics:
notebook computers, digital cameras,
iPods and, of course, televisions. The TVs
are getting bigger, the high-definition
images are getting sharper and, because
you’re at Costco, the prices are becoming
more and more economical. It makes
sense, then, that my Buyer’s Pick complements this exciting category.
Buyer’s
pıck
Valerie
Van Valkenburg
Furniture Buyer
FRANCE FREEMAN
lection, available at Costco warehouses now,
fits right in with the finest high-definition,
flat-screen, surround-sound entertainment
systems. Each oversize padded chair in this
three-piece collection features both
PowerRecline® and Wallaway®, allowing you
to fully recline into your favorite position
with the push of a button, even if the chair
is just inches from the wall. The seats are 100
percent top-grain leather, and the sides and
back are matched, easy-to-clean vinyl.
Oversize cup holders that can cradle a variety
of container sizes are built into the armrests.
Will these seats fit around your television? The overall size of this collection,
when all three chairs are connected, is
about 112 inches long, 44 inches wide and
41 inches high. It’s a good idea to measure
your room first, because it’s difficult to get
an idea of the scale of the furniture in a
warehouse setting.
Best of all, Costco offers this posh experience at a savings of 45 to 55 percent below
other retailers’ prices. And, if you purchase
through the Wallet Full of Savings coupon
promotion, which runs from January 8
through 13, you will save an additional 20
percent on this collection. C
The Alpha Flat Screen 3-in- 1 TV
Stand will help you get the most out of
your flat-screen TV. The black glass-and-wood frame harmonizes with any décor.
And, as its name suggests, it can be used
in three different ways, according to the
layout of your home.
NOT LONG AGO, the term “home theater”
was practically a synonym for high-end electronics. But just as the sights and sounds
available in this category have developed at
a dizzying rate, the furniture industry has
responded with an impressive range of
home theater products for every lifestyle
and budget.
The Berkline Home Theater Seating col-
< As a standard TV stand, the Alpha
can accommodate a 32- to 50-inch
plasma, LCD or DLP television. The
10 mm glass shelves can support a
TV up to 240 pounds, as well as manage components.
< The swinging mount elevates the TV
and allows it to swivel 170 degrees in
either direction for optimum viewing.
This option is capable of holding most
32- to 60-inch plasma or LCD TVs up
to 165 pounds.
< The universal mounting bracket can
hold the same sizes and weights as
the swinging mount, but allows you
to suspend the TV on the wall, using
the stand for your components.
The 52-inch-wide Alpha TV stand
combines versatility and style, is easy to
assemble and features a concealed cable-management system. One of the three
options is sure to fit your particular viewing needs. C
