Bedroom/Dining Room Furniture Survey High Point National Furniture Market - October 1999 Furniture Market Signals Continued Strong Business

Furniture World Magazine

Excerpted from the newsletter "Wood Unlimited News" outlining a survey conducted by the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. [AHMI], and the Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Association [HPVA]. What a great way to end the Millennium! The furniture manufacturers our crews talked to were very positive. They expect business to be good for the remainder of 1999 and well into the next year. Typically, new lines are introduced at the market with a wait and see attitude as to whether or not they are actually placed into production. From what we could gather, most of the new introductions will survive the test. The survey crew tallied fewer units than were shown at the April market, but that is common. Our crews are made up of volunteers and we are not always permitted into the spaces. Twice a year since 1934, the various sponsoring associations have taken an unbiased survey of bedroom and dining room casegoods, identifying bedroom and dining room by style and the materials used in the manufacturing process. The survey crews, usually two-person teams, walk by every showroom in search of the bedroom and dining room units and the modular wall units, entertainment centers, and computer home station casegoods. They are instructed to tally all the wood imitations as well, because we really want our readers to know what is happening in this segment of the market. The American Walnut Manufacturers [AWMA] started the survey in 1934. It now receives assistance from the staff of the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. [AHMI], and the Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Association [HPVA]. Real wood is used for the surface in 88% of the casegoods. Cherry continues to be the most popular species, unless you combine red and white oak. Since the two species are different, our crews do their best to keep the oaks in a separate tally. The oaks, pine, and hard maple, along with the leader-cherry, continue to dominate the wood species used in the casegoods production. Pecan and walnut were two species that made gains this market. While we se pecan [botanically a hickory] and hickory, many manufacturers mix the species in their line furniture. At this market we observed some furniture manufacturers using the name hickory rather than pecan, which in recent decades would not have been the case. Material from the pecan hickory tree typically has a slightly different look than material from the six other species which comprise the hickory family. The return of walnut is interesting, because many predicted it would happen about three markets ago. Walnut was the dominate wood species from 1934 through 1970. In the 60s, walnut became the victim of a raw material war between foreign and domestic mills. As the companies competed for the best logs, the resulting raw material price increases resulted in the domestic furniture industry taking a turn toward other species. Pecan, cherry, oak, and hard maple usage increased and remain dominant to this date. We have always said there is a correlation between the wood species utilized and the styles of furniture. The numbers seem to be verifying that point still today. The Mediterranean influence on the styles has been working its way back into our numbers. When this happened in the 60s and 70s, pecan was a major species associated with these styles. Our survey looks beyond the Mediterranean influence, and further breaks it down into the French, Italian, or Spanish styles. These three styles made gains from the previous market. The American traditional style continues to be the most popular of what is shown at the market. We do not track sales, but one would have to expect a correlation between what sells and what is offered for sale. The Contemporary styling, which includes transitional styles that deviate somewhat from the traditional themes, incorporate a wide range of expression and will always be right at the top in popularity with both designers and consumers. Throughout history, many of the traditional casegoods were made from a combination of solid lumber, matched veneers, and decorative plywood construction. When quality is of the highest priority, the bedroom headboards, and dresser tops, dining room table tops, and major portions of the wall units, entertainment centers, and home computer stations will incorporate the use of uniquely matched veneers in a highly engineered panel. The matched veneers maximize the beauty of real wood. The technically superior veneer panels are flatter, more stable, and usually result in a lighter weight casegood. Our estimates indicate about 67% of the casegoods incorporate the combination type of construction. Because our readers ask, we attempt to track where the casegoods are manufactured. Each year it seems more and more of the manufacturing is taken offshore. Estimates indicate 48 % of the bedroom and dining room units' tallied were made in the USA. For purposes of this survey, our associates in Canada are considered part of the offshore production numbers.