In lacquered wood, which is often used for accessory furnishings like side tables and stacking chairs, the colour line-up brightens to include sunny yellow, pure red and vibrant blues. At Vangogh Designs in Surrey, a furniture manufacturer that produces about 30,000 pieces a year for independent retailers in Canada and the U.S., bolts of purple and lavender material are permanently on order. Both colours were strong in clothing fashions last year and remain popular for home furnishings. A display of fabric samples at IKEA shows the huge colour range now available to home decorators. Most of the samples are solid colours and most are 100 per cent cotton, or cotton blends.
Retailers say the boldest colours are being used most for contemporary furniture.
However, buyers of traditional styles who custom order are also showing more colour confidence. Even if you have an ordinary beige chesterfield, you can use a chair in a bright colour as an accent. Chrome bar stools with seats covered in green, blue, gold or red vinyl are also selling well, and to people of all ages, Eberl says. A lot of kitchens are white or plain, natural oak. People will add a couple of bar stools in different colours to brighten it up a little bit.