The Furniture Market According to Mark : Interior Design Blog

Over 75,000 designers and buyers from over 100 countries shopped 10 million square feet of showroom space at the recent High Point Furniture Market. But no one saw the Market quite like Robb & Stucky Creative Director Mark Stuart.
In our view, Mark is the ultimate style arbiter. We snagged him to find out what’s new and next in the world of design. So just between us, here are Mark’s top five emerging trends:



FULLY UPHOLSTERED SOFAS
In the world of unskirted upholstery styles, we’re accustomed to seeing exposed wood. Fully upholstered looks are just that. Every inch is upholstered. “It’s a great look. Clean and fresh.
It requires precision tailoring,” says Mark. Fully dressed, these sofas leave everything to the imagination.

RED ALERT
Everyone has been touting green. Pantone even ordained emerald the color of the year. Mark Stuart saw red at Market. “You couldn’t miss,” Mark cites as an example, “the new Scalamandré Maison collection at Eastern Accents.” Red never really fades out of style. “It’s the ultimate primary,” says Mark.

GRAY HAS ITS DAY
“This is not what you may be expecting,” Mark cautions. He notes that organic driftwood, gray-tone finishes have been popular for quite a while. The new gray wood finish trend is less rustic, less thirsty. “These are polished and elegant grays,” Mark concludes, “really at home in Florida.”

ALL THAT BRASS
Nickel metal finishes have reigned supreme for quite some time. But, there’s a new not-so-precious metal on the block, according to Mark Stuart. “Brass is coming back in a big way, but oxidized and subtle, not shiny.” Mark further notes that there are “no rules” about mixing metal finishes: silver, nickel, brass, copper can interplay beautifully, especially in lighting.


SHERPA ALERT

“There’s been a trend toward very textural fabrics and finishes for the past few seasons,” Mark observes. It may be reaching new heights with Mongolian sheepskins from Tibet. “Or so they say,” notes Mark with a caveat, “I endorse only the faux variety. These sheepskins are over-the-top wonderful.” Perhaps sheepskins are the next must-have for every Florida home? We’ll wait for the next update from Mark Stuart!