The prevailing industry narrative these days is defined by the stark reality of a K-shaped economy and a stalled housing market—a landscape where value-driven and mid-tier lines are feeling the pinch of cautious consumer spending, while luxury brands operate in a realm where those pressures are nearly nonexistent. Walking the streets of High Point Market this season, that divide wasn’t just theoretical: High-end showrooms were bustling, filled with designer customers who reported robust project pipelines and client budgets. Meanwhile, sensing where the momentum (and money) lies, an unprecedented number of retailer-focused brands refocused their product strategies to actively court the trade. The result was a remarkably steady Market. There were fewer big swings or risky design gambits—but also no major missteps. Instead, showrooms delivered what mattered most: thoughtful, finely tuned collections for the luxury buyer.
State of Play
For many brands, this was an especially challenging show to prepare for, as a combination of containers stuck at sea or in port and delayed fabric deliveries hamstrung efforts to get new product to town. A few manufacturers even resorted to in-showroom signage spotlighting a photo of the missing piece, something we haven’t seen since the turbulent pandemic-era Markets of 2021. Plus, the event’s timing had shifted slightly, landing a week earlier in a season where, as one executive told me, “every day counts.”
But those rumblings were largely behind the scenes. Despite the difficulties, showrooms looked lively—and, at least for designer-focused brands, there was a healthy number of badge scans. While Saturday’s early-morning rain sent everyone into big buildings like IHFC and 200 Steele, companies on the street in the Hamilton Wrenn corridor saw a hearty rebound in traffic on Sunday, and many brands reported setting (or nearly matching) attendance records. Even better, executives said that the designers coming through the door were busy: They had a pipeline of upcoming projects, and they were in town to sit-test and see what’s new ahead of diving into those jobs.
In the end, the show saw small gains over Spring Market’s traffic, with buyer company registration up 2 percent and overall registration up 3 percent. (Large retailers, down 1 percent, marked the only decrease in the numbers High Point Market Authority released this morning.) Those attendance levels track with what most brands told us anecdotally—that they were pacing about even with the spring event, and that they were happy with the qualityof the traffic they were seeing in their showrooms.
Yet a funny contradiction continues: There’s a consensus that Market feels“a little slow.” If you’ve been coming to High Point long enough, it’s an easy conclusion to reach—after all, as we moved between venues, the sidewalks were never at capacity, and the crowds navigating the halls of the bigger buildings rarely created the kind of congestion I remember from the past. One theory for the chasm between data and perception: the ever-widening span of the Market calendar. As in spring, buyers for many of the big retailers moved through town before the show ever officially opened, and brands reported an influx of designer traffic even as they were still setting up last Wednesday and Thursday. That dispersion of attendees may be the leading cause of the changing streetscape.
Pooky’s collaboration with Samuel & Sons features colorful passementerie on linen and silk shadesBusiness of Home
Making a Splash
On Friday, the brocante-style shopping event The Ticking Tent made its High Point debut, popping up with a cash-and-carry experience featuring more than two dozen brands in the courtyard outside 313.Space. Its opening night preview attracted a who’s-who of the industry, and designers raved about their Tent finds throughout the weekend. This is the first ticketed event at the trade show in recent memory—and for insiders who wondered if a $35 admission price would deter designers, the answer seems to be no. (That success could have a lasting impact: More than one longtime attendee worried aloud about how the tenor of Market might change if a shift to paid admission becomes the norm.)
Just inside 313.Space’s doors, Pooky’s collaboration with Samuel & Sons was the clear Market darling. The 13-piece line—lampshades, flush mounts and pendants in colorful linens and silks, all deliciously embellished with trimmings and tassels—turned the lighting brand’s booth into a visual feast. Meanwhile, over at IHFC, Kathy Kuo Home stole the show with a prime spot in InterHall. Against the backdrop of a verdant mural, the company’s immersive space featured its sofas in luxurious velvets; layers of pillows sporting brush fringe; stools decked in bullion; and a whimsical tented seating area. Kathy Kuo told us that she wanted to call attention to the brand’s custom upholstery program—by the end of Market, it was clear the booth had accomplished that mission.
Showrooms On the Move
Location, location, location.The old real-estate maxim was proven out with several savvy moves this season. Most notable was Bassett’s relocation from the 12th floor of IHFC to a two-story outpost with ground-floor access in IHFC Main, right across from Currey & Company’s bustling showroom. Bassett also turned heads with its charming 30-piece collaboration with Birmingham, Alabama–based decorator and textile designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas—the display was expertly styled to showcase the breadth of the assortment, with its five finishes and 70 in-line fabrics. For fellow manufacturers looking to pivot toward the trade, this is the playbook to follow.
In addition to an uptick in foot traffic, the new Bassett space benefits from an abundance of windows, underscoring that easy access and natural light can transform the showroom experience. That shift was also on display at office furniture and storage brand BDI, whose sleek, modern designs have never looked better after its move from a dark showroom in IHFC to a light-filled spot in 220 Elm. Elsewhere, The MT Company kept its address on North Hamilton Street but descended from the third floor to a street-level space—and saw designer traffic skyrocket as a result. (“I don’t think we’ll be a secret for much longer,” said company president George Jordan.)
Dennis Scully hosts a panel with Kathy Kuo and Elle Decor’s Elisa Lipsky-Karasz in the Kathy Kuo Home boothTJ Petrino for Business of Home
A Bigger Footprint for Kitchen and Bath
It’s hard to believe that the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s first Market installation—The Tent, a temporary structure erected on Fred Alexander Place—was only two years ago. Since then, the surge of brands in the category finding ways to exhibit in High Point has accelerated at a steady clip. In its third showing on the first floor of Broad Hall, the NKBA debuted a dramatic refresh in partnership with Christi Barbour of Barbour Spangle that deftly spotlighted the design hub’s 15 participating brands. Especially showstopping was the first kitchen installation, which was right on trend with its striking Fabuwood cabinetry in Cabernet Red and Mocha hues.
There was also a big showing for the category at 313.Space, including Unique Kitchens & Baths, House of Rohl, Isla Porter and Artistic Tile. The most dramatic debut came from Monogram, which installed two immersive, luxurious kitchen spaces by designer and creative director Richard Anuszkiewicz, demonstrating how the brand’s latest products fit into high-end, highly considered spaces. Making its Market debut in a booth at Suites at Market Square was Guild Cabinetry, a new trade-exclusive brand launched last month by Tennessee-based designer Mary Caroline Mumpower.
Trade Patterns
Amid a challenging housing market, designers are a more desirable target audience than ever—and manufacturers have clearly taken note. That pivot toward the trade was evident across the show, with many brands revamping merchandising and upgrading showroom hospitality to drive fresh faces into the space. There was also a striking movement toward certain categories where manufacturers were seeing momentum from their designer customers: Upholstery brands that didn’t yet have a custom banquette program launched one this season; and most showed some version of a fabric-covered game table on the showroom floor. Motion furniture—often sequestered in Markets past—has definitively made its way into the mix at many brands, with more refined silhouettes. The standout in this category was the new push-back Jazz recliner from Kravet, which deftly disguised the chair’s mechanism with tailored upholstery when fully deployed.
Several showrooms also entered the art space: Surya’s new wall art was on view throughout its space, and Theodore Alexander showcased a mix of paintings, large-scale screens and decorative accessories that are now part of its assortment.
Then there were the exhibitors that innovated with new technologies. Regina Andrew has been a leader on that front, with showroom scanners that generate instant quotes in a designer’s account online—as well as a thoughtful post-Market analysis of that data to understand how customers reacted to its assortment and moved through the space. And while QR codes are ubiquitous on showroom tags these days, Gabby found a new way for designers to capture product info: Throughout the showroom, key collections were identified with a sign featuring an embedded chip that delivered tear sheets if you held your phone nearby. (In another indication of where we’re headed, the company’s Summer Classics brand was previewing a brand video that showcased its outdoor furniture in a variety of glamorous, far-flung locales—all generated with AI.)
Finally, programming was clearly a key driver of engagement. Many designers reported that they had come to town as much for the panels as for the product—and the showrooms delivered. That interest was clearly reflected in HPMA data as well, which saw a 41 percent increase in web traffic on its calendar listings compared with the spring edition’s. Several big parties were the talk of the town, including House Beautiful’s 130th anniversary event with Baldwin and Skyline Furniture (both celebrating 80 years in business) on Saturday night at 313.Space, which many said reminded them of the golden era of media-driven Market events; and a glamorous cocktail hour and seated dinner on Sunday hosted by NKBA at a local venue.
NKBA hosted an elegant cocktail party and seated dinner for the design community at HQ & the Gallery in High Point, North CarolinaAutumn Hollifield
New and Noteworthy
Brands found fresh ways to make an impact this season, including a playful plaid-happy installation at Norwalk that the company dubbed “Camp Norwalk”; a beautifully merchandised new color story from Brown Jordan; and a gallery-like installation of mirrors and lighting from Roll & Hill at InterHall in its Market debut. Hickory Chair created a chic Parisian cafe in one of its showroom vignettes to showcase its tailored assortment, complete with an elegant new bar serving up Kir Royales.
Other noteworthy firsts included the High Point launch of the Schoolhouse brand, recently resurrected by the Hudson Valley Lighting Group; and American Leather’s new A.L. Studio division, a designer-focused program that paired striking, sculptural silhouettes with elevated mohairs and boucles.
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Four Hands showed a 44-piece capsule that pulled bestsellers from the archive and reimagined them in elevated materials—like a striking Calacatta Viola marble veneer on the Matthes console table or the hand-applied eggshell lacquer finish on the Parish coffee table—that enrich the brand’s signature aesthetic with a new level of luxury. Meanwhile, the second showing of Taylor King’s collaboration with designer Charlotte Lucas was just as charming as its debut in the spring, full of surprising silhouettes and manufacturing marvels like the arched legs of the Park bench. “If our factory doesn’t think we’re a little crazy every Market, we’re not pushing hard enough,” company president and CEO Nicole Bailey told me.
The latest debuts from Four Hands included new artworks from five of the brand’s longstanding artist partnersCourtesy of Four Hands
Trend Alert
Traditional design has been making a comeback for several seasons, a trend that continued at showrooms across town. But where previous Markets have leaned into crisp, prim details, this fall brought a sense of relaxation, joy and ease. In an expressive, on-trend installation at Moe’s, the look was dubbed “folk nouveau”; at ART, company president Roger Turnbow talked about going “dark cottage” for his brand’s latest showing. No matter what you call it, the aesthetic was a delight to experience.
The show teemed with sophisticated color palettes—especially mossy greens, luxurious browns and shades of terracotta and burgundy. (“Green is the new gray,” quipped one marketing executive.) That richness extended to surfaces—in the Cambria booth, we learned that one of the company’s bestsellers is a deep brown quartz with subtle brass alloy detailing; and chocolate-hued marbles appeared on tabletops of all shapes and sizes at brands like Baker, Eichholtz, Universal and Vanguard. The look du jour is “warm, soft and subtle,” said Summer Kath, Cambria’s executive vice president of design—a maxim that applied to upholstery trends as well, with an influx of crushed velvets and elevated-yet-fuzzy fabrics.
Burl continued to be a standout surface, walnut is finally mounting a comeback, animal-print accents abounded, and passementerie is still all the rage. Many new seating arrangements were low, designed to create a more intimate and relaxed atmosphere—and as one designer told us, for glass-walled penthouse apartments where you want to preserve an expansive view. We also spotted clever clipped corner details across categories, from Loloi’s experiments with unique border treatments to a shapely sofa at Burton James and a variety of accent pieces that went angular instead of square. Several major collections debuted with a surprising detail: no drawer pulls. At Vanguard, a bedroom range leaned into clean-lined simplicity with finger pulls. And in her new home at Chaddock, designer Allison Paladino’s art deco–inspired range omitted drawer and door hardware altogether—a move she says embodies her sleek, contemporary approach.
For all the joys of walking Market this season, one booth offered a more alarming glimpse of the future. As a crowd gathered around the display for robotics startup Syncere in Suites at Market Square, I watched its latest product, Lume, in action: A pair of robotic floor lamps rolled toward a kitchen towel, found the corners, held it aloft and then started folding. (According to its online marketing, the lamp can also pick up toys, make the bed and load the dishwasher.) Its movements were shaky and slow, and for now it seems like more of a novelty than a utility. But it handily disrupted the idea that the robots are coming. This weekend, it was clear that they are already here.
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