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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-02-22, Page 19!16 11 1 mA I� 11/111 'R-'IMES at's new in Toronto furniture show unvez latest trends, styles and designs; `casual elegance' major theme 1i' TORONTO — The Canadian living room is becoming less of a don't touch showpiece, and more a place to get comfortable. That trend, among others, was clearly evident a Canada's Home Furnishings Market in Toronto, late .ianuary. The furniture show, held annually 'at the International Centre provides furniture dealers from across the country a chance to es- tablish their product lines' for the coming year - and gives the public a glance at new trends in home fur- nishings. Thousands of people packed the halls to see the latest from 300 fur- niture manufacturers and dis- tributors from across Canada, and the U.S. Bob Middleton, of Middleton's Home Furnishings in Wingham, said the show is a chance to see each manufacturer's products, "to physically touch it and sit in it", as opposed to just looking at cat- alogue photos. Middleton said the 1995 show has already provided him with a di- rection for a new look for his store, 'a more comfortable, casual, prac- tical" style of furniture, "which is the way I think the 90's are go- ing." He said he can sum it all up in the phrase "casual elegance". With televisions and sound sys- tems, often combined, becoming more important in homes, Middle- ton said the furniture that holds those systems is becoming more and more the focal point of a living room or family room. Middleton said itis apparent dec- orators are putting more and more emphasis on the accessories in their rooms. Lighting, he said, has "more design to it, more char- acter...to flow more into the room." "You can have a really sharp sofa, but without the right ac- cessories, it's nothing," he said, meaning that sculptures, artwork, and wrought iron wall hangings are taking on more importance in dec- orating. Furniturs for the 90's: casual, c TORONTO — Furniture manufacturers numbering over 300 were dis- playing their very latest interpretations of mid 90's home decor fashions. Along with some tried and true looks, a few new trends were surfacing as consumers embrace a warmer, more casual and comfortable look for their homes. Here are some of the lasting impressions from the 1995 Canada's Home Furnishings market: The sofa: The centrepeice of any living room or family room, new trends in sofas and accompanying upholstered furniture tend to lead decor trends in new directions. The big thing in sofas shown at the furniture market were heavily tex- tured fabrics, often in deep "jewel tone" colours such as darker greens, burgundies, mustard yellow, and deep blues. Even sofas in plain earth tones were being shown with bold textures. Designs are often traditional, but combined with the softer fabrics to. make them less prim and proper and more comfortable. However, more • than a few designers were showing sofas and chairs with a touch of whim- sy. One Quebec manufacturer had a living room suite that looked as if it might have come off the set of the Flinstones, and Superstyle was showing a wing armchair in a dark -toned tapestry depicting a 1920's golf scene. The southwester, or "Santa -Fe" style which was much in evidence at last year's show, has given way to an African ethnic motif. One dealer de- scribed it as part of a "primitive look", which fitted in with his furniture in a cave drawing style print. Manufacturers of leather upholstery were showing off mostly black and dark green colours, with a few chairs in eggplant purples. Chairworks from Kirkland, Quebec was also showing leather in natural tan and a dark brick red. Entertainment centres: More and more manufacturers are making ef- forts to incorporate the needs for home entertainment in their furniture. One manufacturer had a booth set up at the furniture market expressly for large screen television entertainment, and other manufacturers were show- ing entertainment centres that incorporated hidden shelves for video tapes, and cloth grilles for speaker systems. Also, contemporary styles were showing metallic coloured finishes joining the popular satin black. Mon -- arch Specialties and d National Woodcraft were showing hammertone fin- ,ro ishes in metallic purple, blue, and green. Bedroom suites: Mattress manufacturers were showing off their newest high-tech bedding, using new methods of combining foams or springs to put even more emphasis on posture and support, and the furniture man- ufacturers were showing off their latest themes for the bedroom. Wrought iron -style bedframes continue to be strong sellers, and for those who shy away from the black metal, there were heavily textured metal frames in pewter, bronze, and green tones as well. For those interested in a more contemporary look, both Ideal and Melcor were showing off sweeping lines in bedroom furniture, with back -lit wave- form headboards that could have been inspired by Star Trek, and dressers and wardrobes incorporating curved lines. Even drawers have curvaceous fronts, concealing the square lines inside. There are'.also a few bedroom suites with squarish, uplifting lines rem- iniscent of the Art Deco era, and the country -style wood tones of the Shak- er look are also available in bedroom furniture. Shermag Inc. of Sher- brooke, Quebec were even a new line of Shaker -style children's bedroom suites. "We've really softened the colours a bit," said Bruce Hunter of Shermag, referring to the whitewashed wood and pastel colours such as powder blue and rose used in the line. He said the attempt is to bring a bit more "fash- ion" into kids' furniture. Case goods: Wood is still gging strong in coffee tables and other "case goods" furniture, according i'6 most of the furniture show's displays. There were, however, many alternatives to wood to aiin for the earthy. tex- tured look so sought after in the 1990s. Other designers of tables and shelving were showing more curves in their designs, clean lines with little or no use of trim, and some were even test- ing the waters with a "retro" '50s'\ look - upswept lines from narrow fine bases and legs. Dining rooms: The Shaker look is still taking the dining room furniture market by storm - combining the warm looks of wood with painted or stained coloured bases of tables and cabinets. Colours include the favorite hunter green, wedgewood blue, and rosewood. Some were showing com- binations with charcoal and mauve shades. Oak remains a favourite, as are mahogany and cherry. Massive, square legs and supports are giving way to more rounded, turned legs and sup- ports, however. Again, wrought iron in several tones was being incorporated into the trim and supports for dining room tables and chairs. A Middleton describes one of the more popular motifs in interior de- sign as the "transitional" - one that combines the lines and styles of more traditional furniture, with the casual warmth of softer fabrics, and often overstuffed cushions. He said the sofas often sit on "donut" legs in either wood or upholstery, or have long, informal skirts - all part of the "casual elegance" theme. That upholster' fits in well with gritty, textured accessories such as coffee tables with wrought iron legs, or' even fossilstone, especially with an area rug underneath. "And oak is still strong because there's a lot of oak in the houses built in the last 10 years," said Mid- dleton. Shaker style furniture, which • combines painted wood with nat- ural tones, continues to be strong amongst those seeking a country look. Leather is also continuing the strength it has shown for the past 10 years. Bob A4iddlefonl.Q l that embodies what he is cal ing.a 'etisui rali earth -tone fabrics and higher skirts or dbnt#. couch a more comfortable place to be Danielle Marotte of Montreal's National Woodcraft stands beside one of hero company's new designs in contemporary entertainment units. 0 Bob Middleton walked 22 miles, talked to 67 furniture and design experts and negotiated thousands of dollars in savings, bringing the best dollars in savings, the best Toronto Furniture Show values in years to his.customers. Now the only problemhe has is making room for the large shipments of furniture which will be arriving any day. Some `94.f1oor models have been priced to clear. Choose from an excellent selection of quality furniture... all on sale at prices you'll love. Don't wait...because when they're gone they're gone. ClUEidd'eton • © Furniture Appliances Electronics 357-1411 Monday to Thursday, 9-6; Friday 9-9; Saturday 9-5 V 1 hl eG t^i 44, (At "The HomePlace") r romplal Card