American Home Furnishings Hall Fame Debuts Foam & the Science of Comfort Exhibit at High Point Market.

Furniture World News Desk on 4/21/2025

A new traveling exhibit exploring the major role that polyurethane foam plays in providing comfort and support to furniture and mattresses is debuting April 25 at the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame, 311 S. Hamilton St., during the Spring High Point Market.

The “Foam & the Science of Comfort” exhibit features a series of engaging, interactive displays and demonstrations that educate visitors about foam chemistry and properties, manufacturing processes and testing protocols. The exhibit also examines how different types of foam are used in furniture and bedding, while teaching visitors about foam sustainability and industry recycling practices.

Created by Richmond, Virginia-based Carpenter Co. — the world’s largest vertically integrated manufacturer of polyurethane foams —the “Foam & the Science of Comfort” exhibit enhances the visitor experience by inviting them to interact with displays in a hands-on way. By conducting mock tests, touching foam block samples and examining cutaways of furniture and bedding, visitors gain a deeper understanding of how foam creates more comfortable furniture, mattresses and pillows.

“As a member, active supporter and ambassador for the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame, we are honored and thrilled to present the ‘Foam & the Science of Comfort’ exhibit,” said Michael Faus, Senior Vice President of Carpenter Co., and member of the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Board of Directors. “Our shared goal is to educate, raise awareness, promote creativity, preserve history and inspire the next generation of innovative leaders to engage the community with the world of home furnishings.”

The exhibit starts by delivering a quick chemistry lesson about the fascinating world of foam. Guests learn how making foam is like baking a cake, with various ingredients, or “additives,” which are carefully measured and mixed before undergoing chemical reactions that transform them into blocks of foam.

Next, the exhibit looks at key foam properties such as density, support and resilience. Drawing from a rack of foam block samples, visitors can see and feel how different types of foam vary from one another. They also will learn how those differences are evaluated through precise physical and performance testing that measures properties such as density, firmness, permeability, and resilience.

Other key features of the exhibit include:

• Interactive “dioramas” enable guests to conduct their own mock tests to better understand the diverse foam properties in home furnishings that impact our lives on a day-to-day basis.
  
  
• A peek into foam manufacturing and post-processing applications enables guests to examine various samples of molded, slab stock and bonded foam, as well as convoluted and contour cut foam used in home furnishings.
  
  
• The Furniture Corner, featuring seating provided by Bassett Furniture, displays a dissected chair which demonstrates the various foam properties needed to deliver support and comfort.
  
  
• The Bedding Corner provides a similar glimpse into the preferred properties for sleep products, using mattress cutaways and bedding-appropriate foam samples.
  
  
• Foam sustainability explores the separate ways that foam is currently recycled and developments on the horizon for foam recycling. It also presents the emerging adoption of a circular economy, a new model of business in which materials are recycled and reused again and again to minimize waste.
  
  About Carpenter Co.: Founded in 1950, Carpenter Co. is the world’s largest vertically integrated manufacturer of polyurethane foams. Carpenter also serves a diversified global marketplace with polyurethane chemical solutions, polyester fibers, and insulation materials through a network of more than 70 production locations. The company’s 6,500-plus employees across the globe seek to provide the most innovative products and solutions with a focus on enhancing the quality of people’s lives while being a good steward of our resources.
  
  
  About The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc.: AHFHFF is an industry-wide organization founded to preserve its history, to celebrate exceptional individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the U.S. home furnishings industry, to inspire the next generation of innovative leaders and to engage the community with the world of home furnishings. Our new home, which opened in April 2023, is a symbol of the Home Furnishings Capital of the World™ where the industry gathers, where we honor our leaders and tell our stories, and where we learn through exhibits, seminars and speakers. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, funds support our history and leadership programming. The organization is based in High Point, North Carolina, at 311 S. Hamilton St., and can be reached at 336.882.5900 or by visiting www.homefurnishingshalloffame.com.