Furniture of the future

By Theresa Curry/Media General News Service
Published: November 22, 2008

By Theresa Curry
Media General News Service
Part fashion and part function, home furnishings evolve and change in ways few of us could anticipate or even imagine. But for more than 40 years, Pete McCoy of McCoy’s Furniture in Waynesboro has kept an eye on what’s ahead and right now, it’s all about working with home technology.
“People are looking at chairs and desks that work with their laptops,” McCoy says. Even non-office furniture like sofa tables are doubling as desks, and work spaces are carved out of a corner with computer armoires.
“Some people like to move around the house with their laptops, and some like to be able to close the door and hide everything in one place,” he said.
In the past couple of years, he’s seen a demand for sleek, functional pieces that offer hidden outlets for recharging a computer or a cell phone.
While the ability to work from home has had tremendous influence, changes in home entertainment also play a part in the evolution of furniture design. As televisions become bigger and flatter, cupboard-style television cabinets no longer work and people seek low-profile media cabinets to support freestanding units.
“We’ve stocked a number of television stands designed to put a television set at the right height for people to watch in their bedrooms,” McCoy says. “They raise the television high enough so it’s not obstructed by the bed’s foot board.”
But regardless of tech trends, look for furniture that will last.
“The typical path of bedroom furniture in a family is first in the master bedroom, then in the guest bedroom, then off to college or the first home with the children,” McCoy says. “Choosing furniture constructed of real wood will ensure that it lasts through this cycle.”
For those who don’t plan to redecorate often, McCoy recommends the classics, furniture that won’t look dated in five or 10 years.
One such trend – oversized, upholstered furniture.
“A few years ago, you could look around and see a bunch of furniture that looked as though someone had pumped too much air into it,” McCoy says. “That puffy look, although still popular with some, is no longer so prevalent.”
In fact, he says, the tailored look that was around when he first hung around his parents’ furniture store in the mid-1950s has returned.
McCoy’s Furniture, founded by Pete’s father and uncles, opened its doors in 1946 during a period of creative design.
“We’re seeing the return of tuxedo sofas, clean lines, sleek furniture with small feet,” he says
Thankfully it’s more acceptable than ever to invest in quality furniture one piece at a time. “There was a time when people would come in here and buy a whole room full of furniture, all matching. You’d have a sofa, a matching loveseat, a chair and three tables, all designed to go together. Or you’d sell a bedroom suite with five or six pieces, all perfectly matched. We’re not seeing this so much now.”
McCoy says this works in favor of anyone who wants to buy quality furniture on a budget.
“Newlyweds come in here and are able to buy one good piece – say a sofa. They’ll take it home and see how it works. They’ll be willing to use secondhand or mismatched chairs until they can afford another piece.” Even veteran homeowners now buy one piece at a time.
To McCoy, this makes sense. “Sometimes a piece of furniture will completely change a room and you won’t know what else you might need until you live with it for a while,” he says.
But no matter what technological advancements or design elements come and go, McCoy says upholstered pieces are the fashion plates of the furniture world.
“You’ll see the same colors in fabrics for sofas and chairs as in the fabrics women are wearing.” Through the decades, he’s seen green and gold, then mauve and blue, then clear jewel tones. If you look around the store now you’ll see a pleasing range of soft grays, browns ranging from rich, deep, earth colors to the lightest stone, as many shades of green as you’d find in a spring forest; each piece looking as though it would go with the others. “Earth tones are what people want right now,” he says. “It’s fine, but I kind of miss the color.”
What trends lie ahead? More in the same direction. “Lifestyle furniture, pieces that can be used for several purposes, furniture that offers both clean lines and comfort,” he says. He also sees a new interest in painted furniture, and a growing interest in buying both case goods and upholstered pieces, especially leather, made in this country.
Says McCoy, “Finding pieces made with American labor is still very important to my customers.”
Theresa Curry is columnist for the Charlottesville Daily Progress.