The Hottest New Trends In Furniture

Furniture has been going through several dramatic changes over the past few decades. The increasing integration of technology and a number of lifestyle changes are playing a major role. These and other forces are driving some of the changes in furniture design. Add changing consumer tastes and it’s easy to see the reason for these new trends. The following are some trends industry leaders like Thomasville Furniture have had to adjust to over the last few decades.

Green Furniture 

While some smaller, lesser known companies have been producing ‘green’ furniture for years, the trend has now gone mainstream. Many established furniture manufacturers now offer at least some ‘green’ pieces. Some of the reasons furniture manufacturers are dabbling in green furniture is growing consumer concern about furniture makers’ impact on deforestation and climate change. There is also growing talk about toxic finishes and their impact on indoor air quality. These concerns have fueled some changes in furniture design and production.

Smaller, Lighter Furniture

Smaller furniture is all the rage these days. Large, ponderous furniture seems to be going the way of the dinosaur because living spaces worldwide have gotten smaller. This has given rise to more streamlined furniture styles that feature smaller profiles. Contemporary furniture tends to be less ornate and designed to use space more efficiently. Even recliners, which had been growing larger and more complex since their introduction in France in the 1850s, are now being offered in smaller sizes to fit into today’s shrinking living spaces.

Technology Interwoven Into Furniture

Furniture has gone high-tech. Today, a growing percentage of furniture pieces and lines come with technology built into it. That means everything from chairs, couches, and entertainment centers that transform themselves at the push of a button to furniture that uses electricity. Heated furniture or pieces of furniture that massage you as you recline are increasingly popular. So are furniture pieces with built-in radio and television control buttons. Computer technology, electrical outlets, and USB ports are being interwoven into a growing number of furniture lines.

Specialty Sleep Surfaces

The changing furniture trends have also invaded the bedroom. For the past few decades the move has been towards specialty sleep surfaces. Products like memory foam that conforms to the shape of your body, beds with adjustable firmness settings, and other forms of space age mattress technology have become commonplace in the modern bedroom. The shapes, styles, and sizes of beds and other types of bedroom furniture have changed as well. As in other rooms of the house, bedroom furniture has now gone high-tech.

Some of the other popular trends include globally inspired furniture, improved fabrics, textures, and designs in outdoor furniture, custom-made furniture, and the domination of leather furniture.

Becky Wilcox is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about beauty, fashion, technology and more.  She writes for Life with Lisa as well as several other blogs and websites.  Check back soon for more from Becky.