A High Point Of Interest For Shelter World Enthusiasts

Looming over the flattened suburban-scape of High Point, North Carolina, the enormous, ominous, windowless, steel boxes of the annual Furniture Market hardly welcome attendees with Southern hospitality, at least not visually. It has now been 10 years since I attended the event, which still stands as North America’s largest gathering of furniture, accessories, textiles and carpeting purveyors, and I report back that, although it has definitely grown larger, it has not grown any prettier.For two weeks in the autumn and two weeks in the spring, this somewhat down-in-the-mouth enclave hosts thousands of the shelter world’s enthusiasts, who travel from the four corners of the United States, Canada and even as far away as the Far East. The pulsing heart of this trade show is the International Home Furnishings Center (IHFC for short, though there’s nothing short about it.) Twelve stories tall, and linked to six other 12-story behemoths, the windowless structure sucks in participants through a singular revolving door. The Calatrava-esque parking structure, intending to lighten the foreboding appearance, directs enormous motor coaches to marked locations as people scurry around them, trying to avoid being run down.

Surrounding the IHFC now are newer structures reflecting each decade’s architectural preferences. It is a somewhat incongruous mélange of brick, factory-like buildings squeezed up against a white Richard Meier “wannabe,” squished next to a glass tower, wedged next to a strip mall, and plopped next to a Vegas theme park. However, despite this architectural medley, there exists a palpable excitement in the air and a profound desire to explore and discover.

And that desire, no matter how profound, needs to be accompanied by a comfortable pair of shoes, because the High Point Market is not organized into categories and has spread haphazardly over its many square miles. For instance, located next to a distributer of porcelain garden stools was an outdoor wood swing manufacturer, who was poised next to an Italian leather upholsterer, who was next to a pillow and trim shop, and adjacent to that was a California rustic coffee table maker. You get the gist. This dizzying assortment demands your laser-like focus, as your attention is easily ensnared by the cacophony of some sumptuous selections.

Through the market’s designers guide, one can narrow down one’s destinations and suppliers, but to reach those particular destinations, one must pass by hundreds of other tantalizing suppliers, who are seductively decked out with their brightest and newest introductions, many of which one cannot pass up. Along with the alluring home furnishing displays came the charm of Southern hospitality, as the sales reps would draw you into their exhibits with an infectious warmth and charisma. You are offered meals of chicken casserole, grits, pecan pie, peach cobbler, cheese spread and of course, any blender drink you can imagine. In fact, these tantalizing goodies encouraged us to uncover a myriad of designs and accessories we might otherwise have missed. Not too distracted by the glasses of champagne and country rock music, we wound our way through the latest styles and trends coming to a store near you.

All this aside, through the miles of foot traffic one endures, common themes thread their way into one’s consciousness. Especially given that I have not attended Market for 10 years, the distinct absence of English, French and Italian reproductions—High Point staples a decade ago—was remarkable. Though upholstery maintains a few of its curves, square arms, back cushions and legs were most of what I saw, and they were displayed with linens, leather, geometric patterns and a distinct lack of chenilles, velvets and plusher fabrics. The upholstery sported steel or darkened bronze legs and frames.

Still in a cerusing phase (where white is rubbed into stained wooden surfaces), tables showcased wire-brushed textures. White lacquer was ubiquitous, but not nearly as popular as grass-cloth-wrapped, linen-wrapped and vinyl-wrapped furniture. With indestructible surfaces sealed in glossy lacquer, texture-wrapped coffee tables, side tables, chairs and chests of drawers frequently punctuated by brass hardware have now swept the market.

And speaking of brass, get ready for a 1980s redux of polished brass infiltrating every corner of the market. Polished nickel has bowed to satin and brushed steel, while nearly every lighting fixture offers a brass or gold option.

And how fortuitous was the author’s title of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which predicted this middle of the decade obsession with the gray color (or lack thereof). The “color tsunami” has drenched the market in gray. Fabrics, wood finishes, stone, metal, paint, wall coverings—everything is in gray. If there exists an antique reproduction (the most likely to be found would be Swedish), it is washed in gray. If it is a Japanese altar table or a Baltic armoire, it is bleached to gray and rubbed with driftwood dust. For the time being, the gray trend is definitely here.

To attend the market is also to develop a tremendous respect for our local dealers of home furnishings, who sift through acres of offerings to select edited quality collections to present in their stores. Though a necessary pilgrimage for a designer or retailer, the North Carolina Furniture Market is not for fragile, indecisive, nor attention-deficit personalities. Focus, stamina and determination are the admirable traits our local retailers exhibit, and we benefit from their persistence in finding the perfectly selected trends and offerings they bring back with them.