Shanghai Furniture Show

Shane and Dave recently travelled to Shanghai for the biggest furniture show in the world.

The Shanghai Furniture Show has more than 2,500 exhibitors from 26 countries and covers upholstery, office, traditional and contemporary furniture, accessories and case goods. Booths are not minimal like many shows in the West. They are massive and built with full walls and ceilings, lighting, even stairs and second levels. This year there was a bigger show case from European companies. Shane and Dave always go in with a open mind looking for pieces we think will suite our stores but also different pieces and new trends.

This year there was still a big push for retro designs and replica furniture using beautiful solid oak and american walnut mixed with pastels colours. This trend is now hitting Perth with some of our own designs, like the Xavier range, selling really well.

We also saw a lot of integrated materials. The mix of natural wood with high gloss lacquer was also at last year’s show. It’s a throwback to versions of furniture produced in the 1960’s but with colours, not natural wood. This is a distinct and new variation – a crossover piece that allows for the return of high gloss lacquer mixed with the softness of wood. We have released our Centro range using this idea of a walnut case with white high gloss doors and drawers.

A large display of industrial furniture using recycled timbers and iron was once again a trend we are seeing used here in Australia.

The mix of natural looking wood with a weathered finish has been combined with chrome to add glitz to this natural surface. The furniture design that combines these two items is both contemporary in shape as well as traditional. For example, a traditional pedestal on a light wood table would have a chrome pedestal in place of a wood one.

Shane and I meet with a couple of our suppliers, including Sara who manufactures some of our prints. This year they have released a new range were the image is printed directly onto MDF and then mounted on a foam core with a MDF back. This has created a very sharp image that is extremely tough and can be wiped down. We will be looking at ordering around 20 designs for ours stores so look out for these when they hit in December.

We have also joined forces with a European company designing outdoor furniture. Dave and Shane fell in love with their range last year and this time was no difference. They use a German powder coating system over aluminium which is heat and cold resistant. We will be stocking their outdoor modular, park bench and the 9 piece dining suite in white. These pieces will arrive in early December and we’ll stock them throughout the year.

A new supplier that we have taken onboard manufactures modern rugs. Shane and Dave loved their 2×3 meter designs that will fill your room to give it a real feel of softness. Many of the rugs use soft tones and designs are not seen here in Perth. These rugs have been ordered so stay tuned to find out when they will arrive in store.

The last supplier Lifestyle Furniture is very happy to have has an eclectic look. They don’t stick to the rules and mix and match everything. Their stand always looks great and their furniture is of the highest quality, using solid oak, american walnut and recycled timbers mixed in with painted colours. Solid drawers with under mount soft close runners. This range will be the next big thing. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to find out when this range is hitting stores.

Shane and Dave are very happy with this year’s show, we picked up some great suppliers and had a great time exploring Shanghai’s restaurants and bars, but are excited to be home to start to prepare for the arrivals of their trip.

Shane inspecting the new style of artwork

Some interesting artwork

Shane and Dave deciding on what pieces to order

There was a huge range of rugs to see

Shane inspecting the finish on this table

Sometimes less is more…

Shane enjoying some of the, uh, unconventional designs.

A modern minimalist design

Some of the beautiful rugs and cushions on display

The Shanghai Furniture Show