Best Finds from the World’s Largest Furniture Market

High Point Market, based in Central North Carolina, is known for being the biggest furniture trade show in the world and happens twice a year. The Market actually spans 180 buildings, covering 11.5 million square feet, and brings in more than 75,000 attendees from more than 100 countries.

To help us navigate High Point’s colossal display of the latest and greatest, we turned to locally based interior-design blogger Jeanne Chung, who owns one Pasadena’s most inspiring and eye-catching shops, called Cozy Stylish Chic on Dayton Street.

Chung, who was invited to High Point’s Fall 2016 Design Bloggers Tour, made up of 10 of the most influential design bloggers in the industry, including herself, spent six days traipsing around the market.

Below, the former fashion designer of 20 years boils down her favorite three interior-design trends spotted at the show.

A Warmer Side of Grey

Grey has been appearing more predominantly in furniture lately and painted grey has been trending in the kitchen over the last few years, says Chung. But now it seems grey-tinted stains that allow wood grain to show through are becoming all the rage.

“Grey sometimes gives off a cold, impersonal vibe, but the marriage of grey with wood is anything but,” Chung writes in her award-winning blog at www.cozystylishchic.com.

“The grey wood finishes are warm and inviting, and manufacturers are now offering a variety of greys, which reflect the shift toward more casual living.”

Several manufacturers displayed grey-stained wood finish boards to illustrate how important grey has become and how it looks on various species, she reports.

“Even ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturers, which provide cost-effective solutions to wood via laminate, are opting for warmer, grey finishes,” adds Chung.

Bringing the Indoors Outside

With mid-century modern design becoming more prominent in recent years, indoor/outdoor living has clearly followed suit.

“After all, mid-century modern architecture focuses on removing the barrier between inside and outside, and this is why homes built in this era used glass extensively, to blur the lines between the inside and out,” explains Chung.

Outdoor furniture manufacturer Castelle Luxury offers many handcrafted collections and styles, from traditional to contemporary, but Chung’s favorite pieces embody the indoor-outdoor crossover.

“The live-edge finish that is so often seen on tables indoors was simulated out of cast aluminum” for outdoors, she says.

And high-gloss metallic finishes, such as gold and brass, are now finding their way outdoors, too, on elegantly curved frames for an avant-garde feel, she reports.

Performance Fabric

Trending as well has been the built-in stain repellency, soil release, and durability of so-called “performance fabrics.”

“Crypton Fabrics are available through many high-end furniture companies such as Lee Industries”, and now new advances in technology have led to their creation of Crypton Home, which features softer textures that come with the same wearability guarantee.

The company actually staged a mock “slumber party” with theater-size boxes of candy and Coke on hand, then proceeded to dump, again and again, Coca Cola onto their Convertible Queen Sleeper, upholstered in Crypton Home, to demonstrate how harmless spills can be.

“The liquid did not penetrate through the fabric but instead beaded and rolled about, before it was dabbed up with a clean rag,” says Chung, who carries Crypton Home fabrics in her shop and finds herself selling more of it than any other fabric she offers.

“With modern decor on the rise, consumers want to go back to using lighter fabrics (even white) on their upholstery and living spaces, and now they can do so without having to worry,” she says.

To witness it for yourself, you can watch Chung demonstrate the fabric’s resilience herself on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB3XdoKrUv8.

Or simply stop into her showroom, Cozy Stylish Chic, and ask for a live demonstration, though you’ll probably completely forget why you came into the store once you’re caught up in its compelling ambiance.

You don’t need to travel to North Carolina to see some of the best of the best in interior design. You can see it right inside the doors of Cozy Stylish Chic, which offers an eclectic selection of fine furnishings, wall coverings, custom bedding, accessories and vintage finds, all curated with a designer’s eye.

Cozy Stylish Chic is located at 89 West Dayton Street, Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 714-7040 or visit www.cozystylishchic.com.