Turn down the lights. Turn on the VCR. Prop up your feet. Bring out the snacks. The trend among today`s working people is cocooning-escaping the mad world and wrapping oneself in the comforts of home.
Couples with more money but less leisure time look to their homes for everything-luxury, privacy, security, entertainment. But they do not want them furnished with chairs built of chrome and leather straps, barren coffee tables and white sofas that shudder at the touch of a human foot.
They want tradition, practicality and the warmth of the good old days. They want to snuggle down.
The modern style of furniture-really about 80 years old-”looks wonderful,” but it never has been very friendly, says Mary Gilliatt, the world`s best-selling author on home decoration.
”People are a bit frightened by the electronics revolution and the way the world is going. They want their homes to be comforting as well as comfortable. Nostalgia is very important. Traditional things are something to cling to.
”The enormous appeal of Ralph Lauren (home furnishings) is that it looks like the way we would have liked our grandparents to live.”
Laura Ashley`s English country designs as well as American country styles ”seem to be extremely popular,” she says. ”It`s the same traditional, cozy, unforced feeling.” It`s a clutter of ornaments, a mix of patterns and styles, a chair with threads pulled loose by the family cat.
Detail is back
In the `70s, minimalism was the rage, she says. ”People took down all the molding, the cornices, they sealed up their fireplaces and used a lot of white. Now they want the detail back.
”Antique furniture is very much back for the beauty and the investment. But the idea is to mix it. It`s a mistake to do everything in one period because no one ever did.”
She advises keeping a comfortable, modern sofa, covering antique chairs with today`s fresh colors and patterns and taking advantage of modern lighting.
”We want to use our furniture, not just look at it,” she says.
J. Edgar Broyhill, president of the country`s leading furniture catalogue company, agrees that traditional styling is in vogue. In 1980, traditional furniture accounted for 50 percent of sales at Edgar B. Furniture in Clemmons, N.C. Today it makes up 75 percent in a $20 million-a-year business.
His customers have rejected fadish Art Deco and Oriental pieces, he says. Broyhill knows not only what his 250,000 customers prefer but, to some extent, who they are.
Information gathered through national data bases reveals they are predominantly 35 to 45 years old. They are husbands and wives who have professional careers and money to spend. They have very few children-half of them have none. Half of them have bought a home and moved in in the last two years.
Pieces they particularly like are ”important” beds, such as four-posters, sleigh beds and beds with novel headboards; chaises for bedrooms and living rooms; armoires to hold everything from linens to electronic equipment; and deeply cushioned upholstery meant for curling up.
Selection broadens
Broyhill notes that selection in traditional furniture styles has broadened considerably. Design inspiration is coming not only from mainstays, such as Chippendale and Queen Anne styles, but from English Regency, French country, Venetian, antique Oriental, Victorian, Shaker and Santa Fe designs.
Fabrics range from charming French country prints to opulent tapestries, needlepoints, brocades, damasks and colorful, romantic floral prints.
Pastels and neutral colors have almost disappeared in favor of deeper, richer more vibrant tones such as red, cranberry, deep green, teal, navy, black and brown.
And there`s lots of detail, such as swags, braids and tassels.
Key elements are big, plush sofas with deep cushions and rolled arms, elaborately carved wooden beds, naturally finished brown wicker furniture and chairs and lamps with fringe. –
