Among the small and mid sized manufacturers in the US, truly innovative design is hard to find.
Not necessarily non existent, just difficult to promote on a small scale, and thus difficult to locate.
Is this perhaps the result of a constellation of cultural peculiarities? America believes that big is better, safer, more reliable - but where does that leave the specialist, the boutique and the craftsmen.
Also 'new' is always a bit challenging (emotionally speaking) for people. Some cultures or rather sub cultures, orient themselves to this newness as if it were a personal growth opportunity, a way of expanding one's horizons.
Good new contemporary furniture design is no different, it makes a statement, communicates that the owner of this home is ALIVE, living in the present, enthusiastic about now. Of course there are markets for the traditional, the tried and tested familiar aesthetics of ages past, and no doubt there always will be. The question is not whether this is right or wrong, good or bad, the question is why, on balance are their more stylistically courageous people, per capita in Europe than in the US?
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Las Vegas Market
The market this year was actually pretty good.
One comes to expect the same product in a dozen different showrooms from a dozen different manufacturers, representing knock offs of knock offs of knock offs... I feel rather sorry for the designers because clearly there is no way to protect your designs in this shameless industry.
That said, there were some new faces with some nice products.. if not exactly innovative they were at least interesting perspectives on existing designs.
In the last 4 years I've seen some of the hugest companies slide into obscurity, and some sharp newcomers claw their way to the forefront.
I spend most of my efforts on Building B, floors 6,7 and 8 because this is where the modern and contemporary distributors are mostly to be found. Of course its also where all of my competition hang out. I make certain to cover the rest of the show too in search of the hidden gems wedged between the wedgwood and the mdf.
Its interesting to me that so much of the american market can be described in terms of their distinctively pigeon holed / themed tastes: cape cod, log cabin, baroque italian, faux classical, mission and shaker, and of course modern (by far the smallest segment of the market here in the US).
Bye for now.
M
One comes to expect the same product in a dozen different showrooms from a dozen different manufacturers, representing knock offs of knock offs of knock offs... I feel rather sorry for the designers because clearly there is no way to protect your designs in this shameless industry.
That said, there were some new faces with some nice products.. if not exactly innovative they were at least interesting perspectives on existing designs.
In the last 4 years I've seen some of the hugest companies slide into obscurity, and some sharp newcomers claw their way to the forefront.
I spend most of my efforts on Building B, floors 6,7 and 8 because this is where the modern and contemporary distributors are mostly to be found. Of course its also where all of my competition hang out. I make certain to cover the rest of the show too in search of the hidden gems wedged between the wedgwood and the mdf.
Its interesting to me that so much of the american market can be described in terms of their distinctively pigeon holed / themed tastes: cape cod, log cabin, baroque italian, faux classical, mission and shaker, and of course modern (by far the smallest segment of the market here in the US).
Bye for now.
M
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
