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Written By Cheryl Dangel Cullen
Today's younger consumers are attracted to sleek, modern designs.
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| Combining curves with bold angles, Caluco's Infinity collection has been a hot seller over the past year. Buyers love the combination of grade-A teak and polished aluminum: a fresh, contemporary take on outdoor living. |
If you're under the impression that the hottest thing in outdoor furniture is the trend toward contemporary design, think again. Yan Wijaya, sales and marketing manager for Koverton Classics in City of Industry, Calif., says, “It is the new norm. We're past the trend stage.” He suggests that contemporary styling came into its own during the past year, attributing the sudden surge in popularity to a dropping price point.
“Koverton Classics has been in the business for three years. We didn't start out doing any modern furniture; we were into traditional, and then transitional, when we started. Modern furniture was at a much higher price point; the price was way up there, compared with where we were and the products we were trying to bring in,” he says. “Now, because the price has come down, we can compete in modern furniture.”
Compared with traditional designs characterized by ornate scrollwork, contemporary designs are starkly simple, featuring right angles, precise geometric shapes, and clean lines. “You see the flow of the furniture; it flows from top to bottom and front to back without a lot of twisting metals or scrollwork,” Wijaya explains, noting that sales of contemporary and traditional styles at Koverton Classics are split 50–50.
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| Koverton Classics' Parkview is an innovative design that features interchangeable panels on the back rest and armrests so that customers can change from a geometric, cast design to an open-weave wicker design. |
The Buyer
It's not surprising that the designs are catching the eye of younger consumers. Aaron Gochman is founder and CEO of Caluco, San Fernando, Calif., where sales of contemporary designs represent 30 percent of the business. He says, “It's an issue of demographics, along with international trends in fashion and design. Younger generations—generations X and Y—are gaining affluence and playing an increasingly significant role in the outdoor-furniture market, as buyers on both the wholesale and retail sides. Now that they're homeowners, the last thing they want is patio furniture that looks like it belongs in their parents' backyard.”
Gochman continues, “Young, hip professionals want unfussy designs, with clean lines and a sense of sophistication. A lot of them are urban dwellers, and they don't want anything that seems suburban or country.”
Hot trends are stainless-steel designs, monochromatic color schemes, and black-on-white elements with a bright splash of color. “They love our combination furnishings that blend teak with stainless steel or aluminum. Those combination styles are very appealing to the younger demographic. There's also an interest in hot trendy colors, like the turquoise of the cushions we show with our Mirabella line,” Gochman adds.
It is not just young consumers—ranging in age from 25 to 40—who are buying these designs. Brian Blakeney is director, sales and marketing, for Kingsley-Bate (Manassas, Va.), where contemporary sales are at 30 percent, up from 20 percent a few years ago. “It's a mix,” he states. “Younger consumers certainly make up a large percentage of sales, but it's also driven by geographic location, with the demand for contemporary design being heaviest in urban markets.”
Clay Kingsley, president of Kingsley-Bate, adds, “New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco—any of the bigger cities are where consumers tend to want more contemporary designs in anything.” Wijaya says, “Many of our contemporary buyers live in high-rise condominiums. They often will have smaller spaces, and they require smaller-scaled furniture to accommodate their spaces.”
Miami-based Skyline Design, which sells contemporary designs exclusively (but will special order traditional pieces), finds that the age of its customers varies by city. “We have some clients in their mid-to-late 20s purchasing Skyline for their ultramodern condo balconies, and we also have clients in their mid-30s and up buying Skyline for their second homes in Palm Beach, Fla., or Palm Springs, Calif.,” Rebecca Capote, sales and marketing director, explains.
Beyond the Consumer
The movement is catching on among commercial and hospitality buyers, too. “There are many boutique hotels, spas, and upscale outdoor malls that have a very simple, uncluttered, contemporary design ethic,” Gochman notes, adding that these businesses are buying Caluco's Grace and Infinity lines, among others. “In fact, we just sold a large collection of Infinity tables and chairs for a new outdoor mall in Santa Maria, Calif.,” he says.
Although changing consumer tastes are certainly at work, Blakeney suggests that the movement toward contemporary designs is also being driven by the supply side. “When we work with furniture designers, we ask them to create something new and unique. Inevitably, they create designs with more modern styling or designs that use materials in a new way. It's often more difficult to create something new when limited to traditional styles.”
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| Hudson deep seating in java brown is a popular seating collection by Skyline Design. |
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| Kinglsey Bate's new Ipanema collection is expected to be a top seller, based on preliminary sales |
Kingsley agrees that designers are drawn to more modern styles. “Designers tend to want to design things that are more contemporary. It is their nature,” he says. “It is easier to design something that is different and new. Designing things that are more traditional has already been done. I don't encounter a lot of designers who want to do traditional things.”
The Designs
To meet demand, manufacturers are giving buyers what they want. “We try to offer a wide range of styles and products to suit different tastes and applications, but we'll continue to introduce modern designs to keep up with the trends,” Blakeney explains, noting that Kingsley-Bate recently introduced the Ipanema collection, designed by Glyn Peter Machin. “The styling is reminiscent of Danish modern, and it has received a terrific response from our customers.”
Blakeney cautions against catering exclusively to the younger buyer. “We don't segment the market that way. Instead, we focus our efforts on introducing great designs that have broad appeal,” he says.
Caluco also has a few contemporary styles in the works, following the positive response to this year's releases. “One of them is a very sleek aluminum collection with a silver or stainless-steel finish. It's something really different looking and really bold. We're excited to release it next year,” Gochman says.
Skyline Design, which has sold contemporary collections since it opened its doors in 2007, ranks its chaises among its best sellers. Capote notes that the company sells many of its contemporary designs to some of the most traditional casual-furniture stores, adding that buyers like the company's "clean, simple, modern lines and functionality. Pacific Cube sectional seating is a big seller for its adaptability. Nevada dining is another great seller.”
Koverton Classics introduced three new contemporary collections as part of its 2009 collection, all in the form of aluminum tubular and cast designs. “We're using a lot of different design elements to bring something fresh and funky to the market,” Wijaya explains. “We're also using more color, in terms of combining white and black frames with orange cushions to get a fresher combination of colors.”
Inspiration can come from anywhere and anything, according to Gochman. “We look at other products that are succeeding with generation X and think about what we can learn. For example, take the design of the iPhone. That teaches us about blending aesthetic simplicity, ease of use, and the comfort of touch. We also collect feedback from sales teams and customers about what buyers from generations X and Y are liking, and what they're looking for,” he says.
Caluco closely studies trends in a variety of industries to ensure that it is on track when developing its own designs. Gochman says, “We find inspiration and ideas all over—international travel, design publications, fashion shows, and architecture. Everywhere we look, we're watching the evolution of contemporary design. This is a very exciting time to be in the outdoor-furniture industry.”
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