by With the war in Iran, high oil prices and uncertainty regarding tariffs, the event created a sense of stability and community much needed in the industry right now
HIGH POINT — The spring edition of premarket got off to a strong start this week as case goods and upholstery resources gave dealers an early look at new collections that will be seen in showrooms here during next month’s High Point Market.
In some respects, the event could be considered a welcome reprieve from the challenges in the world today ranging from the war in the Middle East and high oil prices to ongoing and persistent uncertainty caused by Trump tariffs.
In typical fashion for the start of the market cycle, the introductions aim to freshen floors later in the year, offering a boost in business that industry observers hope will coincide with lower interest rates and a rebound in the housing market.
The introductions also showed how many companies are willing to take on new initiatives that offer their customers something beyond the expected, whether in new pieces, new materials, new finishes or new styles.
Case goods resource Avalon Furniture, for example, showed several new solid wood bedrooms being sourced from Bangladesh, featuring a mix of species such as suar, mango and rubberwood. Priced to retail around $1,999 for a four-piece group, these offer a new materials and design story beyond its core veneered bedrooms.
“We went all in because we liked what we saw, we saw a value and because there is a solid wood customer,” Avalon President Mike Bradshaw told Home News Now of the new bedrooms being shown at premarket. Together, they represent nearly half the bedroom mix the company is showing this week.
Chromcraft showed its next evolution in seating with its new Chat Chair accent chair program, which features its upgraded CraftTilt 360 swivel-tilt mechanism that combines with its advanced nano spring technology to deliver “fluid movement, exceptional support and durability,” the company said in a news release.
“Chat Chair isn’t just another accent chair — it’s a comfort-driven, utility-forward innovation designed to change the way people interact with their living spaces,” said Scott Kruger, executive vice president of sales and marketing. “We set out to challenge the static nature of accent seating, maintain the Chromcraft legacy and create something that truly performs.”
The company also showcased its expanded Flexion Home concept, which it describes as a proprietary modular indoor and outdoor furniture collection featuring reconfigurable designs for both segments. It also offers special-order customization including slipcover and performance fabric options, direct-to-consumer shipping and an e-commerce platform that aims to help drive traffic to individual dealers.
“With Flexion Home, we are redefining what modern furniture can do,” Kruger said. “Our patented modular system allows customers to create personalized spaces that move with their lifestyles, while our SharePoint dealer program ensures retailers are fully integrated into the sales experience.”
Others offered whole-home collections that create a unified design approach to bedroom, dining, occasional and home entertainment. Some of these offered lighter finishes on clean-lined forms, while others presented a more familiar traditional approach featuring darker wood finishes that showcase wood grains ranging from oak to walnut.
Bernards showcased its 70-piece Tapestry collection, its latest collaboration with award-winning designer Stephanie Lena. Part of its upper-end Apex line targeted toward designers, it mixes midcentury modern and French design influences.
Made with American maple veneers, it also infuses various mixed-media elements into pieces such as Italian marble on the tops of case pieces, a leaf pattern in resin on the doors of case pieces, top-grain Italian leathers on dining chairs and solution-dyed performance fabrics on sofas, chairs and other seating.
“This will be our premium offering,” company President Micah Swick told Home News Now, noting that design details were “softened and modernized for today’s consumer.”
Bernhardt’s two new collections offered two distinct looks that appeal to different segments of the marketplace. Its 20-piece Asana collection, made with ash solids and oak veneers, merges minimalistic Asian and organic Scandinavian design influences. It also incorporates mixed-media elements such as faux travertine stone tops and woven abaca on the drawer fronts of select case pieces.
Its 28-piece Dilworth collection features more updated traditional design elements such as bow-front shaping on dressers and a buffet, while also incorporating unique looks such as hand-hammered metal accents on a glass-top cocktail table and a blue-stone top on a console.
“In the marketplace, traditional is resonating,” said Heather Eidenmiller, director of brand development. “People like to return to familiar forms.”
It also showcased seven new seating groups and six new accent chairs in its Bernhardt Living program and five new groups along with five new recliners in its Bernhardt Motion line.
Hooker Furnishings’ 39-piece Cashiers collection also showcased familiar traditional forms that incorporate English and French country design influences. Made with European oak veneers, it comes in two finishes, Chestnut and Almond, effectively doubling the SKU count and allowing pieces to be mixed and matched in the same collection.
In addition to three dining tables, the collection features two beds, including six nightstands, and a mix of other pieces including a large-scale 64-inch-long cocktail table designed in proportion to 90-inch-plus sofas. Other signature pieces include a display cabinet featuring built-in museum lighting and a bookcase with asymmetrical shelving. It also showcased additions to its Mélange, Archives and Commerce & Market collections, effectively rounding out the mix in each with standalone pieces that can be mixed with other pieces throughout the line.
Universal Furniture showcased two main collections, including its 39-piece casual transitional Velora collection made with oak veneers in a light taupe finish and featuring stone tops on some case pieces and champagne and antique bronze metal accents. Another key design element is rounded bull-nose edges on dining tables, for example, that soften the aesthetic.
Its 40-plus-piece Fenwick collection made with flat-cut birch veneers in a darker brown finish, has modern traditional design elements seen in the apothecary drawer fronts on a credenza and the fretwork detail on a door chest, for example.
A|R|T Furniture offered an extension of its Haven collection from two markets ago with its 30-piece Marina collection that combines traditional Mediterranean and English design elements. Meanwhile, its Avenue collection is a line extension from its Boulevard collection from last market, both of which have Hollywood Regency design elements.
Company President Roger Turnbow told Home News Now that both collections have received positive early response from dealers, including those who have not been to its showroom in some time.
“We have some customers coming in who have not seen the line for seven or more years,” he said. “It is nice to bring some old friends back into the fold.”
Others Home News Now visited between Sunday afternoon and later afternoon Monday included FD Home, which showcased two new veneered bedrooms and two melamine groups in its New Beginnings mix and Vaughan-Bassett, which showcased a new bedroom called Mercer Street made with pecan veneers, its first venture into this wood species in 25 years or more featuring two wood beds retailing at $999 and an upholstered bed retailing at $1,299. It also showcased new finishes in its Dovetail, Tide & Timber and Bonanza bedroom collections, freshening the looks on familiar and top-selling collections.
Solid wood case goods resource A-America also had much of its product planned for the April market, including four new bedrooms, three new dining sets and four new occasional groups.
While noting that premarket was a little lightly attended, President Christian Rohrbach told Home News Now that the company was pleased to be here this week.
“We get to test out new designs and dial in our product lineup for April,” he said. “It’s a very useful tool for us.”
