General styles
Contemporary is hot, says professional staff of the Tokoro, Inc. in California. Today’s contemporary style is soft, affectionate and clean. Even traditional collections at High Point sported updates. “I saw increased use of lighter woods in conventional collections such as maple,” says Staff. Traditional upholstered pieces also featured fabric and leather combinations.

Colors
The new hot color? Orange. Staff saw it everywhere at High Point. He says brown has overtaken neutrals such as white, tan and taupe. The newer array of upholstered colors at High Point were fresh but toned down. “I saw lots of greens, lavenders, blues, creamy yellows and variations of the citrus colors, with orange foremost the way,” recalls Staff. Completely orange-clad pieces might be a widen here, says Stanly . People still love sage green, she says, but have also taken to light aqua.

Home entertainment
Left are the big entertainment armoires with swing-out folding doors and large, enclosed wall units. “The hot items are credenza-like units,” says Staff. (Jargon alert: A credenza is typically a sideboard, buffet or bookcase, especially one without legs.) New furnishings must be multifunctional, providing a comfy TV viewing height and accommodating peripheral electronics such as DVD players, TiVo devices and speakers. The advent of wall-mounted TVs are also affecting decor, he says. “This means that surrounding furniture must be a bit lower to the floor, yet still hold peripheral electronics and complement the new, sleek styling of these TV sets.”

Living room
Consumers are leaving loveseats for more comfy and versatile chair-and-a-halves, chaises and occasional pieces, says Staff. A chair-and-a-half, he explains, is a wider chair for one. Chaises extend a chair the other way, allowing you to stretch your legs in front of you. You can also find chaises built into many sectional sofas. Stanly, however, says folks here goodwill chair-and-ottoman combos.

Home office
“With more and more people working solely from a home office, or splitting time between a corporate or business office and a home office or nest, the demand for purposeful furniture will only increase,” Staff says. Regardless of the look or style, furniture must also be able to hold today’s technology. This means the correct height and surface areas for the screens and keyboards, properly sized storage and filing areas, and sufficient access openings for wires and cables.

You should be able to adjust the screen so it can be a little lower than eye-level (about 15 degrees) and capable to type at seated-elbow height when your feet are resting flat on the floor, a footrest or anywhere else, says Johan William, a Perinton consultant in computer ergonomics. When it comes to chairs, make sure there’s enough of a curve for your lower back (lumbar region) to give the right support.

Dining room
Staff says people are finding alternatives to large, traditional buffets or hutches in smaller granite- or foldout-topped servers. Vertical display cabinets with areas for wine and beverage service also prevailed at High Point, says Staff. As in other areas of the house, Staff says traditional dining room furniture is taking on a efficient, modern flair. At High Point, he saw a prominence on cleaner looks such as Shaker and modified Mission. Staff agrees, noting bar-height furnishings, Shaker styles, wood-and-leather combos and Mission-style features as popular choices.