Featured in HGTV’s Green Home 2008, this trundle chest features a handy pull-out bench for taking on and off shoes, plus it’s ’green’. Cubby doors above the pull-out bench hold shoes, limiting household toxins brought in from outside. The trundle chest is part of HGTV home planner Jack Thommason’s EcoHome Collection, and made by Hickory Hill Holdings.

According to a study by Insight Research Group in partnership with HGTV, the majority of Americans are living green in at least a few ways.

* Many consumers do more than 2 ‘green’ activities as part of their regular routine (conserving energy at home, recycling, driving a fuel-efficient car, buying recycled products, etc).

On average, the most environmentally conscious of the US population, the “Green Gurus” (17%)  participate in 4.1 green activities

On average, all others participate in 2.5 green activities, including Conscientious Citizens (24%), Guideance Seekers ( 24%), Bystanders (17%) and Hype Haters (18%)

* A major barrier to becoming involved in more ‘green’ activity is consumers’ fear that they’ll be associated with extreme political or environmental viewpoints. They want to know how what they do / what they buy impacts their home and community without having to make a statement.

* Most consumers admit they can’t distinguish between the reality and the hype, and that it’s hard to know what actions are actually good for the environment.

* Consumers would be willing to do more if they understood how a particular green activity or purchase could help the environment and benefit them personally.

Source: Kitchen & Bath Design News, Mar ‘08

Outdoor living in on the increase for all ages, but older consumers are leading the trend. Here’s what Casual Living Magazine (Mar ‘08) found out about consumers’ outdoor activities for the over 40 (40+) and under 40 (-40) groups:

Nearly 7 out of 10 consumers cook out out on the grill once a week or more (67% for 40+ / 64% for -40). 

Older consumers spend as much time outside reading/relaxing as they do grilling (67% for 40+ / 56% for -40), with ‘drinks and snacks’ ranking next (59% for 40+ / 54% for -40).

More than 4 in 10 consumers eat a family meal outdoors once a week or more (44% for 40+ / 43% for -40).

What it means: With more time, money and interest in outdoor living, baby boomers are poised to drive the growth of outdoor furniture. Not only do their outdoor activities include more than grilling, but for most, outdoor furniture is something they don’t likely own (beyond a table and chairs), and the growing trend to indoor-like styling and comfort will be appealing. 

Certified kitchen designers revealed what they’re hearing from consumers in a study by the Research Institute for Cooking & Kitchen Intelligence. Here’s some key findings:

1. Decisions about kitchen remodeling are now regularly made jointly by both men and women.

2. A “zone” approach is replacing the traditional kitchen ”work triangle” approach. Zones group similar items and activities (ex. dish storage, food storage, food prep, plating, cleaning, etc).

3. Appliances are increasingly being completely hidden behind cabinet panels, including ovens and microwaves.

5. Products traditionally found only in the kitchen are beginning to show up in other areas of the home - sinks, coffee stations and refrigerators in master suites, home gyms and other areas.

5. Products that minimize noise, including soft-close cabinets and drawers, are increasing in popularity.

6. Energy-efficient and eco-friendly products are not currently strong drivers in U.S. kitchen remodels, but are expected to increase.

Source: Kitchen & Bath Design News, Feb ‘08

If you saw the March 16th HGTV dream home giveaway, you saw a unique media room design. Rather than choosing a large home theater sectional or sofa, the designer selected six comfortable arm chairs.  The rational was to allow the room to be used three ways - (1) a U-shaped conversation area  (shown above), (2) a movie night with two rows of chairs, or (3) an open dance or eating space with chairs pushed to the perimeter of the room.

Two chairs cost more than a loveseat or sofa. but the idea fits the trend to using space more multi-functionally.  While the HGTV dream home allowed space for six armchairs, a similar effect could be achieved with four instead of six chairs, with a sofa and two chairs, or with recliners instead of arm chairs.

See the complete dream home online at www.hgtv.com

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently conducted a survey of architectural firms focused on residential design. A few key findings:

* multi-functionality and improved use of space is growing in importance. Focus is shifting from “amount of space” to “how well space is used”

* outdoor living, and the blending of indoor and outdoor living is a rapidly growing trend

* rising home energy costs are discouraging larger homes and less-used spaces that add heating and cooling expense

* homeowners (including aging baby boomers concerned about caring for aging parents) want to use their homes differently than previous generations, and are looking for easier “accessibility” - wider hallways, fewer steps and single floor design

* desire for more flexible space is driving the trend to more informality

Here’s what the surveyed archtitects consider the most popular new residential amenities:

74% said “greater accessibilty”

67%  said “multifunctionality”

63% said “outdoor living”

63% said “informal space”

51% said “open space layout”

Source: Kitchen & Bath Design News, Feb ‘08

Once the domain of basements and styleless family rooms, reclining sofas are moving up on consumers’ radar. With comfort more of a priority, and flat panel TVs more affordable… it’s not a surprise that sales of reclining (motion) sofas are expected to increase 23.3%  between 2007 and 2013 ($3.7B to $4.5B) according to Furniture/Today.

Other ‘reclining sofa’ trends reported by furniture retailers:

* microsuede covers continue to  drive the business

* strong sales at $699 and $799 (sofa)

* leather gaining in momentum due to strong leather values

* styling that looks more like stationary sofas (more appealing to women; more suitable for living rooms)

* more contemporary styling

* better quality tailoring, detailing and frame construction

Source: Furniture/Today, Mar 3, 2008

From a Furniture/Today Retail Dining Survey of furniture stores:

Formal dining room sets:

* china cabinets are included with formal dining table purchase 79% of the time, with a growing trend toward buffets, now included 59% of the time, and servers 38% of the time

* best selling shape is rectangle (82%)

* overall trend is toward less formal styling and a growing shift to casual dining

Casual dining sets:

* 80% of retailers carry counter-height tables with bar-height stools, with 50% of their casual dining assortment in this format

* standard-height tables represent 73% of sales, counter-height tables 27%

* best selling shape is rectangle (48%), followed by round (33%)

* custom-order is a growing business - alternate fabrics and finishes are taking price points up, with some retailers creating a perception of higher quality in ‘custom / domestically produced’ products as compared to ’imports’

* overall trend is toward a dressier casual style that blends with more dining areas open to family rooms and kitchen

More stats and trends available from Furniture Today/ Retail Dining Survey, Feb 18, 2008 

Making it easy for consumers to research your products  may be critical to getting them into your store. A recent study by Vertis Communications reveals dramatic changes in consumer shopping patterns in just a few short years. Here’s a few of their findings:

68% of women age 50+ now have access to the Internet, up form 30% in 1998

The number of adults who shop retail stores without doing prior research has dropped to 17%, down from 31% in 2004 

In 2008, 57% of adults look through retail fliers, 50% conduct research on the Internet, 38% use catalogs prior to entering a store. (Although many predict the demise of print ads in favor of electronic media, the study suggests that for some industries, including home electronics, print ads may be more popular than they were 10 years ago.)

TV ads are now the ‘main influencer’ for only 8% of consumers, down from 22% in 1998.

Source: CEPro Magazine, March 2008

In a Jan 20th post, I wrote that best seller lists are popular with consumers, and more department stores are adding them as a feature of their web site.

Well, it’s not just department stores. Check out Target and Walmart’s furniture sections online. Both mass merchants sort products not only by price, style, brand and other categories we’d expect, but also by “Guest’s Favorites” and “Best Sellers” (Target), and “Top Rated” and “Top Sellers” (Walmart). Both use a 5-star rating system, with only the 4-5 star-rated products making the list.

In both categories, there’s some pricey stuff (at least for mass merchants)… leather club chairs, armoires, sofas, etc alongside the small carts and tables you’d expect from these retailers of mostly flat-packed product.

Consumers like to know what other consumers like and buy - they might buy the same, they might use it as a guideline for what’s in style and buy something similar, or they might just want assurance that consumers were happy with the retailer’s products. 

Seems like a great concept for more furniture retailers to try.