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New ‘Micro Plant’ at Furniture Manufacturing Expo
Furniture Manufacturing Expo gives suppliers a platform to showcase their latest products, services, equipment, and innovative machinery, warehousing, technology, financial, and logistics services, for the home furnishings manufacturing industry. The event also offers a two-day educational program developed by top leaders in the industry discussing environmental regulatory policy, the latest innovation, and the 2023 Micro Plant: "How To Make An Upholstered Chair". The Micro Plant – brought to you by Zund America, Inc. – is an interactive journey created and sponsored by exhibitors and the National Upholstery Association. It leads you on a marked path around the show floor where you can follow each step in constructing a chair. You’ll see firsthand the selection of wood, the frame is cut to match the design perfectly, the leather is carefully selected and then cut and sewn to fit flawlessly, and everything in between. The final step of the path is where you will watch it all come together as experts from Domenick's Furniture Manufacturer assemble a completed chair. Exhibiting sponsors include BEA Fasteners, Crest Leather, Fil-Tec, Henderson Sewing Machine Co., Hickory Springs (Atlanta Attachment), National Upholstery Association, Quis Machinery, Domenick’s Furniture Manufacturer, and Zund America; and exhibiting supporters are Lee’s Decorative Showcase/DADS Nails, and Leggett & Platt. Bill Richards, Sales Director with Zünd America, will be giving guided tours through the Micro Plant on July 19 at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm, and on July 20 at 11:00 am. Those wishing to participate will meet 15 minutes prior outside the third entrance by the “Micro Plant Starts Here” sign, located in the lobby next to registration. Two completed chairs will be up for auction on the last day of the show, Thursday, July 20, at 2:00 pm. All proceeds will go to a local organization dedicated to the furniture manufacturing industry. www.FurnitureManufacturingExpo.com
Any shifts in culture, economy and technology have a direct or indirect impact on our daily lives and determine the products consumers want - their functionality, their look and feel – the overall style and design. What applies to our clothing also applies, if not more so, to our immediate environment - our home - which is increasingly also home to workplaces, space for learning, for sporting activities, for growing one's own plants, whether in the garden, on the balcony or on the roof terrace of an apartment building. "The worlds of hospitality and home are merging. As commercial premises seek ways to bring a more homely aesthetic to hotels, restaurants, and co-working spaces, consumers are also borrowing elements from hospitality styling to bring into their own homes," predicts leading trend forecaster WGSN in their most recent Interior Trend Report. As UK interiors tastemaker Laura Jackson explains, "During the pandemic, we have all spent more time enjoying the simple pleasures of home – the satisfaction of setting the table for dinner or putting fresh sheets on the bed. As the pace of life speeds up once again, we find ourselves wanting to hold on to the importance of those things."
Attitude & Awareness In conjunction with the change in consumer attitude, the nature chapter trend creates a link between wellness with natural colors, happily accentuated with colorful eye-catchers. Materials display organic structures (and often provenience) and coziness with wool, cotton, clay, velvet, ceramics, light woods, and terrazzo for a smooth, feel-good environment. “Instagramable Lounge” trendbook.com calls the variant of the hospitality trend for the young target groups - Generation X and Z. The Instagram generation will tend to appreciate more eye-catching interiors for sharing on their accounts. Full of colors and geometrics furniture and decor of this direction appears. “Digital Realism” here is the title of a flow that translates another decisive social influence: The underground digital world applied to interior design, it’ll be mostly seen in specific decor elements, with bright, even neon colors.
Restorative bedroom retreat influenced by the desire for tranquility and escapism: Leading trend forecaster WGSN counted 19 million Google searches for how to create a boutique hotel bedroom: “Travel restrictions but also changing awareness have given rise to interest in hospitality inspired design.“ Source: K.Kong Home Decor
Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring [people] over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines. Henri J.M. Nouwen
The Lewis Armchair by Circu employs fluidity to convey warmth and comfort by combining a soft bouclé for the sitting and back plus a delicate velvet for the back frame. The Portuguese furniture collection runs under the motto: ‘Mom and Dad have dreams too’ and is distributed via the company’s online store. Photo: Circu
Designed by one of the most iconic design legends of our time, the great Karim Rashid, the Karlotta Single Sofa aus der Kasual Collection captivates through the comfort with its ergonomic shape and fun through color. Catalog message to the customer: “Whether you are seen TV or just scrolling on your phone, you will be feeling like you are on a cloud.” Source: Essential Home
Defined by a classic style, the curved Wales Sofa by BRABBU is upholstered in cotton velvet and shows polished nail head trim, a base in matte vintage. Upholstered in velvet and with golden details this piece is capable of creating a warm and inviting space. Source: Covet House – Curated Design
The Cyber Punk or Digital Realism theme transfers a megatrend of our times into interior design. Source: TRENDBOOK