HIGH POINT, NC – While the banners at the High Point Furniture Market stated Made in the USA in many showrooms, it could have easily been changed to Made “from” USA hardwoods, according to the results of one survey.
The 2011 Furniture Styles and Material Use Survey found that American Cherry was the top species in four categories of wood furniture that was recorded. Bedroom groups and home office categories had twice as much American Cherry solids and veneers over next species, a dramatic increase from one year ago.
The survey is administered by Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. (AHMI), a trade association of hardwood lumber suppliers from the 12 states of the Appalachian Mountain region. The analysis began in 1934 to track wood species and design style trends in home furnishings at the High Point market.
The material use survey is completed on the final days of market with crews visiting showrooms to record wood bedroom and dining room groups, wall units, entertainment centers and home office on display. The results are measured against previous markets.
“This is the only survey of its type at the world’s largest home furnishings market to determine what wood species and furniture styling is on display at market,” said Tom Inman, AHMI president. “This information is very valuable in tracking trends for future wood supply needs.”
An estimated 1,200 manufacturers and their representatives show in High Point making it the largest exhibition of its type in the world. More than 50,000 manufacturers, sales representatives, furnishings buyers, interior designers, suppliers, and news media attended the 2011 fall market.
Manufacturers boosted introductions at the fall market to generate interest from retailers who have reported poor sales. Most exhibitors said market traffic increased 10-20 percent from one year ago and buyers were again looking for new product to get consumers into stores.
More than 90 percent of the bedroom and dining room furniture groups surveyed at market were an identifiable species of solid wood or veneer over solids. That is a slight improvement over the previous year.
Other findings were:
1) American Cherry continued to be the species of choice with 18% of bedrooms; 15.5% of dining room; 19% of the home office; and 14% of entertainment cabinets.
2) American Walnut increased its share from 2010 with 9% of bedrooms; 11% of dining rooms; 10% of home office; and tied for the top spot in entertainment cabinetry with 14% of product on display.
3) American Red Oak maintained second or third place in most categories with 9% of the bedroom; 8% of the dining room; 10% of home office; and 12% of entertainment cabinets.
4) Rounding out the top five in bedroom were mahogany and American White Oak; in dining room were mahogany and birch; in home office were American White Oak and mahogany; and in entertainment centers were mahogany and rubberwood.
“Designers used an array of color for the American Cherry from the traditional deep red to clear satin finishes that showed off the beauty and character of the wood,” said Tom Inman, AHMI president and survey director. “American Cherry has many looks from the formal dining room to the casual bedroom and all denote quality.
“That was important to almost everyone at this market, quality furniture at reasonable prices,” he said. “The retailer repeated it over and over to the manufacturers.”
American Walnut was on the rise this market with an emphasis on the finish. “Like the Cherry pieces, more manufacturers were using a clear, satin finish on the walnut that gave a casual look but really brought out the grain,” Inman said.
Medium tones and softer finishes seemed to be a trend in all categories.
The balance of furniture was made up of other American species like Maple, Ash and Birch and other international species like wenge, acacia, and linga. Each of these accounted for 1-5% of the furniture on display.
Painted, printed wood and other materials saw declines for the second year in a row as they accounted for 10% or less of the pieces. In 2010, 12-14% of the products were painted, printed or overlays.
“That has been trending up for the past four years and drives the demand for high quality solid wood and veneer,” Inman said.
The style count found traditional looks gained ground on contemporary styles in three of the four categories. In bedroom, traditional increased to 63%, up from 51% in 2010. In dining room, traditional styles were increased dramatically to 71%, up from 51 percent the previous year.
The same was true in home office with traditional styles up from 64% in 2010 to 80 percent in 2011. Contemporary styles increased its share of the entertainment center pieces on display, rising from 36% in 2010 to 38% in 2011.
“This is very good news for American hardwood producers because we have an increasing hardwood forest, especially in the Appalachian Region where a ratio of 2.3 trees are growing for each tree that is harvested or is dying combined,” Inman said. “We can assure furniture manufacturers that these species will be available from this sustainable forest for a very long time.”
AHMI represents 200 hardwood lumber producers and distributors from the Appalachian Mountain region. Its mission is to promote Appalachian hardwood lumber and products around the world. For more information, contact AHMI at (336) 885-8315 or visit online at AppalachianWood.org.
The percentage of species and styles are represented in the various tables:
Bedroom Furniture Wood Species
|
Wood Species |
2011 share |
2010 share |
2000 share |
|
American Cherry |
18% |
15% |
20% |
|
American Walnut |
9% |
6% |
2% |
|
Red Oak |
9% |
10% |
11% |
|
Mahogany |
8% |
5% |
6% |
|
White Oak |
7% |
7% |
6% |
|
Rubberwood |
6% |
9% |
3% |
|
Maple |
5.5% |
6% |
9% |
|
Pines |
5% |
3% |
10% |
|
American Ash |
4% |
5% |
4% |
|
Birch** |
3.5% |
6% |
0% |
|
Alder |
2% |
3% |
3% |
|
American Pecan |
1% |
1% |
.5% |
|
Poplar (Tulipwd.) |
1% |
2% |
2% |
|
Parawood |
1% |
1% |
0% |
|
Primavera |
1% |
1% |
.5% |
|
Other [1&2] |
9% |
9% |
5% |
|
Subtotal |
90% |
89% |
81% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other Materials |
|
|
|
|
Overlays |
0% |
1% |
6% |
|
Painted on Wood |
7% |
7% |
4% |
|
Brass/Glass/Metal |
1% |
1% |
2% |
|
Printed on Wood |
1% |
1% |
4% |
|
Recon. Veneer |
0% |
0% |
1% |
|
Misc. Other [2] |
1% |
1% |
2% |
|
Subtotal |
10% |
11% |
19% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
100% |
100% |
100% |
Bedroom and Dining Room Furniture Styles
|
Style |
2011 |
2010 |
2000 Share |
|
Traditional |
63% |
51% |
84% |
|
Contemporary |
37% |
49% |
16% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
100% |
100% |
100 |
A bedroom unit must include bed, night stand, and dresser. A dining room unit must include table, chairs, and hutch or server.
[1] Other woods include: acacia, Indonesian pine, petrorcarpas, riato, chu, boroa, mindi, sycamore, peroba, pulai, rosewood, teak, wenge, hickory, zebrawood.
[2] Includes other wood species or materials not readily identifiable.
Dining Room Furniture Wood Species
|
Wood Species |
2011 share |
2010 share |
2000 share |
|
American Cherry |
15.5% |
15% |
20% |
|
American Walnut |
11% |
6% |
2% |
|
Mahogany |
9% |
5% |
6% |
|
Birch** |
8% |
6% |
0% |
|
Red Oak |
8% |
10% |
11% |
|
White Oak |
7% |
7% |
6% |
|
Maple |
5.5% |
6% |
9% |
|
Rubberwood |
5% |
9% |
3% |
|
American Ash |
3.5% |
5% |
4% |
|
Alder |
3.5% |
3% |
3% |
|
Pines |
3% |
3% |
10% |
|
Poplar (Tulipwd.) |
1% |
2% |
2% |
|
American Pecan |
1% |
1% |
.5% |
|
Primavera |
1% |
1% |
.5% |
|
Parawood |
0% |
1% |
0% |
|
Other [1&2] |
9% |
9% |
5% |
|
Subtotal |
91% |
89% |
81% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other Materials |
|
|
|
|
Overlays |
0% |
1% |
6% |
|
Painted on Wood |
5% |
7% |
4% |
|
Brass/Glass/Metal |
2% |
1% |
2% |
|
Printed on Wood |
1% |
1% |
4% |
|
Recon. Veneer |
0% |
0% |
1% |
|
Misc. Other [2] |
1% |
1% |
2% |
|
Subtotal |
9% |
11% |
19% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
100% |
100% |
100% |
Dining Room Furniture Styles
|
Style |
2011 |
2010 |
2000 Share |
|
Traditional |
71% |
51% |
84% |
|
Contemporary |
29% |
49% |
16% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
100% |
100% |
100 |
A bedroom unit must include bed, night stand, and dresser. A dining room unit must include table, chairs, and hutch or server.
[1] Other woods include: acacia, Indonesian pine, petrorcarpas, riato, chu, boroa, mindi, sycamore, peroba, pulai, rosewood, teak, wenge, hickory, zebrawood.
[2] Includes other wood species or materials not readily identifiable.
Home Office Wood Species
|
Wood Species |
2011 Share |
2010 Share |
2000 Share |
|
|
|
|
|
|
American Cherry |
19% |
15% |
19% |
|
Red Oak |
10% |
12% |
21% |
|
American Walnut |
10% |
12% |
2% |
|
White Oak |
9% |
7% |
9% |
|
Mahogany |
8% |
5% |
2% |
|
Rubberwood |
7% |
8% |
2% |
|
Maple |
6% |
7% |
11% |
|
Pines |
4% |
3% |
11% |
|
Alder |
4% |
2% |
3% |
|
Birch |
3% |
2% |
0% |
|
Poplar (Tulipwd.) |
3% |
1% |
2% |
|
American Ash |
2% |
3% |
4% |
|
Other woods |
6% |
10% |
2% |
|
Subtotal |
91% |
87% |
88% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other Materials |
|
|
|
|
Overlays |
0% |
1% |
4% |
|
Painted on wood |
7% |
7% |
4% |
|
Printed on wood |
1% |
1% |
1% |
|
Brass/Glass/Metal |
0% |
0% |
.5% |
|
Recon. Veneers |
0% |
0% |
0% |
|
Other |
1% |
4% |
2.5% |
|
Subtotal |
9% |
13% |
12% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
100% |
100% |
100 |
Home Office Styles
|
Style |
2011 Share |
2010 Share |
2000 Share |
|
Traditional |
80% |
64% |
72% |
|
Contemporary |
20% |
36% |
18% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
100 |
Other woods include: mindi, parawood, primavera, teak, cottonwood, mango and rosewood.
Contemporary includes transitional styling.
Wall Units, Entertainment Centers Wood Species
|
Wood Species |
2011 Share |
2010 Share |
2000 Share |
|
American Cherry |
14% |
15% |
19% |
|
American Walnut |
14% |
12% |
2% |
|
Red Oak |
12% |
12% |
21% |
|
Mahogany |
12% |
5% |
2% |
|
Rubberwood |
6% |
8% |
2% |
|
White Oak |
5% |
7% |
9% |
|
Maple |
5% |
7% |
11% |
|
Pines |
4% |
3% |
11% |
|
American Ash |
3% |
3% |
4% |
|
Birch |
2% |
2% |
0% |
|
Poplar (Tulipwd.) |
2% |
1% |
2% |
|
Alder |
2% |
2% |
3% |
|
Other woods |
7% |
10% |
2% |
|
Subtotal |
88% |
87% |
88% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other Materials |
|
|
|
|
Overlays |
0% |
1% |
4% |
|
Painted on wood |
8% |
7% |
4% |
|
Printed on wood |
1% |
1% |
1% |
|
Brass/Glass/Metal |
0% |
0% |
.5% |
|
Recon. Veneers |
0% |
0% |
0% |
|
Other |
3% |
4% |
2.5% |
|
Subtotal |
12% |
13% |
12% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
100% |
100% |
100 |
Wall Units, Entertainment Centers Styles
|
Style |
2011 Share |
2010 Share |
2000 Share |
|
Traditional |
62% |
64% |
72% |
|
Contemporary |
38% |
36% |
18% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
100 |
Large entertainment centers are those approximately 54"H x 60"W. Wall units are the three to a group sets.
Other woods include: mindi, parawood, primavera, teak, cottonwood, mango and rosewood.
Contemporary includes transitional styling.
Source: Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc.
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