High Point Market 2025

High Point Market is the furniture convention of all furniture conventions. Although the term convention makes it sound stuffy and boring. High Point is the complete opposite of those words. It's show room upon showroom of every single furniture manufacturer in the United State and then some. It is every bit as glamorous and fun as it sound. I had no idea High Point Market was a thing until I came and worked for the Mill back in 2022. High Point Market is a week long show at the end of April every year in High Point, North Carolina. Ever since I found out furniture market shows existed I was dying to go. This year my wish came true. Sylvia and I hopped on a plane and made the journey to buy and get inspiration for our new store, Black Iris. I had no idea what to expect, but let me tell you once I came back home my feet were sore, but I fell deeper in love with the world of furniture and design. I was riding a high of just wanting to get my hands on our new store and transform it with all the new ideas, and pretty things we had purchased. Our trip was three days jam packed with walking, shopping, and meeting with company reps. Our first day we meet with two of our reps for our upholstery brands (Best Furniture and Flexsteel). They each took us though their showrooms and showed us their new introductions and fabrics. Then we got down to business and got orders placed. Between meetings we would walk and wander though some of the accessory and decor lines. On our trip we were able to pick up two new companies Loloi rugs and decor and Aspen Home. Day two included two more meetings Uttermost and Kincade which resulted in ordering items for the new store. Our last day week took it easy, most people had gone home and we hit the show rooms we had missed and wandered through the Market District which is a huge area filled with antiques. I was in heaven, looking at all of the unique and and stunning pieces. At the end of the day we ended at Four Hands grabbed a drink from their bar. Sat down on the desk over looking the city square and enjoyed the warm weather.

From our many different show room visits our reports of the new trends for 2025-2026 are as follows. Gray is out! And that goodness for that. I can't tell you how tired we all are of boring and cold gray. Neutral warm colors and mocha browns are going to be what replaces the gray fad. I think we are all craving something warm and inviting from our furniture pieces. Warm tones like rust, oranges and golden yellows are becoming really popular; think South Western. These Earth tones help bring nature indoors if you're the type of person who isn't a fan of blues and greens. Moody and deep colors were very present in showroom walls. Deep wine colors made neutral furniture pop and brought a timeless feel. These types of colors can be found with Sherwin Williams "Historical" Paint colors. Pairing old with new, which means you can throw away your great aunts china just yet. The last couple of years a lot of people (Gen Z and Millennials) have taken to their neighborhood Good Will in search of "vintage" clothing. This has spiraled into people doing the same with decor items. As an antiquer myself I am a sucker for something unique that has a story behind it. This blending of new and old has become very popular in the showrooms this year. Decorating with colored plates and mixing picture frames. Every good HGTV designer goes to their local antique store to find the right pieces to fit their clients home. These object help add an extra layer to the design that feels new to them, but looks like its always been there. Mid-Century Funk is still on the scene. I think there is something interesting in some of the colors that were really popular in the 70s brings. The colors and patterns are so ugly and weird they add the right amount of funk to spice up a space. The Mid-Century style carries a twist of minimalist with clean lines that are organic. Like Ikea (Scandinavian Furniture) meets Frank Lloyd Wright. I think there's also a certain sentimental value that comes with Mid-Century Modern style. It reminds me of some of the furniture pieces still in my great grandmother's basement. The bright orange hid-a-bed and the green and blue floral chair.

I can't tell you how many times I go back though my Market photos for a boost of inspiration. There's just something bright and shiny about the perfectly placed showrooms and all their little details that makes you Ooh and Aww. I hope my photos and insight on new trends help inspire your next project! Go check out my pictures in our Gallery.

-Baylee