POPULAR TENDENCIES OF AMERICAN FURNITURE
Recent Trends
1970s – “busy” & “gaudy” 1980s – big, but functional 1990s – modern-looking Currently – modern-looking with functionality & simplicity
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G A U D Y
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F U N C T I O N
& S I Z E
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M O D E R N
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RECENT
MODERN
SIMPLE
FUNCTIONAL
What’s Important to Americans?
Functionality! – who cares if it looks nice but has no practical use Quality! – if it looks nice, but will break / look old too quickly, then it’s worth nothing Style! – for younger generations, simple and modern are appealing
What’s Important to Americans?
Comfort! – much more important than looks Space! – Americans have lots of stuff, and want furniture that is storage-friendly and not to large Design! – big flowers, Victorian, childish, and “busy” styles are NOT popular for adults
Functionality
Ask yourself: “What’s the purpose of this furniture?” “Can this furniture be designed so that it can serve 2 or 3 different purposes (the more the better!)
Quality
Ask yourself: Is this furniture “made to last” or just made to look good for the first few months. (example: real wood, quality handles)
American Furniture Buyer:I just came from the furniture show in N.C. … People were walking into showrooms and asking if the product was made in China and were walking right back out if it was.  It is sad to me when I see that people think that keeping a piece of furniture for 10 years is considered a long time. We have clients that bought quality furniture 25 years ago and aside from slight wear it still looks beautiful. They are changing the room because they are bored with it...not because the arm fell off or the cushions are on the ground.