by Officials say they are not taking any specific measures regarding pricing until they know what actions the Trump administration may take next on tariffs
WASHINGTON — This week’s Supreme Court ruling regarding Trump tariffs created a mix of optimism and uncertainty among industry leaders, who are waiting for the administration to take possible next steps that will determine whether imported goods continue to face pricing volatility that ultimately raises the cost of finished goods for consumers.
Sources noted that the Supreme Court decision does not remove Section 232 tariffs on things like upholstery and metal components such as aluminum. Nor does it apply to Section 301 tariffs relating to China’s trade practices.
But it does negate blanket tariffs imposed on countries around the world, including other major furniture-producing resources such as Vietnam, Malaysia and India where tariffs range from 18% on India, 19% on Malaysia and Thailand and 20% on Vietnam.
In an alert to its membership Friday, the Home Furnishings Association broke down key components of the ruling and what it means to the industry.
“Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark 6-3 ruling declaring that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not grant the President authority to impose tariffs,” the HFA communications stated. “As a result, the country-specific reciprocal tariffs implemented under IEEPA are now void.”
“The ruling invalidates tariff rates imposed under IEEPA authority and removes the legal basis for most country-specific reciprocal tariffs tied to that statute,” the HFA alert continued. “That’s meaningful relief for some import categories. While the power is now void, the tariffs remain in effect until official guidance is published.”
The alert reiterated that Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum, copper, upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets, and bathroom vanities remain in place. It also noted that Section 301 tariffs on goods imported from China are unaffected. In addition, it noted, “refunds for IEEPA tariffs already paid are not addressed by the ruling. How that process will work remains an open question.”
“For many home furnishings retailers, this distinction matters greatly,” said CEO Peter Theran. “Relief on some imports does not mean relief across the board.”
Alex Shuford III, president and chief executive officer of Rock House Farm, whose brands include Century, Highland House, Maitland-Smith, Jessica Charles, Cabot Wrenn and Hancock & Moore, voiced a sense of caution about the Supreme Court decision.
“While we are happy to see the IEEPA tariffs get overturned by the Supreme Court, we are apprehensive about what comes next,” he told Home News Now. “Chaos and uncertainty are worse in many ways for the marketplace than even certainty when poorly applied. Smart trade policy needs to prevail, which could and perhaps should include surgical tariffs, but I fear the days of thoughtful and careful application of policy are fading.”
“For Rock House, we will continue to rely on our nine domestic factories while we try and support the dedicated craftspeople that supplement those factories around the world,” he added.
Other industry figures reacted to the news with a sense of caution, not knowing what might happen in the coming days.
“At Sarreid, we’ve been nimble and have adjusted well to each tariff situation due to long-standing vendor relationships,” said President and CEO Brad Cates. “Today’s announcement, while positive on the surface, is for us another wait and see, then adjust to the best of our ability and to the benefit of our distribution partners.”
However, Cates added that if “today’s news stands, it’s a game-changing shift for the industry and for what has started out as a very strong 2026 for Sarreid.”
Jeremy Hoff, chief executive officer at Hooker Furnishings, said that time will tell if the situation ends up being a long-term positive for the industry.
“I think that the whole time they have been waiting to make this decision they have been figuring out what they will do next,” he said of the Trump administration. “We just don’t know where it’s going.”
And as government systems are still being updated in response to the court’s decision, he noted that no pricing will be changed until there is more clarity on what will happen next.
“The worst thing we can do is to set our pricing in response to these unnecessary gyrations,” he said, noting that for retailers, the idea of changing pricing and floors only to have things change again is incredibly disruptive. “It’s a pause until we see what he is going to do. I just feel that as a partner to all these people, the worst thing we can do is throw them into tornadoes with pricing.”
Ed Teplitz, president of Theodore Alexander, said that the Supreme Court’s decision was not unexpected. However, it too is waiting to see what happens next before taking any immediate steps of its own.
“We have been closely monitoring the legal proceedings and the broader policy landscape surrounding tariffs for some time, and while the ruling does provide some clarity, we remain in a holding pattern with respect to any immediate operational changes,” he said. “As always, we are taking a disciplined and measured approach, and we will evaluate next steps carefully as we await further guidance and reaction from the White House.”
Others also were cautiously optimistic about the development including Chris Pelcher, president of Legacy Classic |Modern.
“It is obviously good news about the decision,” he said. “We hope it sticks and that there isn’t a clear path for a workaround to reapply the tariffs. As we have all learned to do, we have to wait and see.”
“It is uncharted territory for everyone involved,” he added. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Another source, told Home News Now that their company may not impacted as it primarily imports upholstery, which is covered by the Section 232 tariffs which stand at 25%.
Flexsteel also said that it is not impacted as its products are covered under the Section 232 tariffs. In a letter it sent to dealers that it shared with Home News Now, it said that these tariffs remain in effect and are unchanged. As a result, it told customers, its surcharges also remain unchanged.
“We will continue to monitor developments and communicate promptly should anything change,” company Retail Sales Vice President Brian DesBiens told dealers.
