The demand for outdoor furnishings continues to grow, as evidenced at the April High Point Market. The show — which primarily caters to interior designers and full-line retailers — had plenty for outdoor buyers to see with new products, showrooms and brands stepping into the casual category.
Full-line furnishings and decor source Uttermost made its outdoor debut this market with an impressive offering of around 175 SKUs, including fully upholstered seating, woven groups, teak and a range of occasional and accent pieces.
Adriana Hoyos, interior designer and owner of her eponymous furnishings brand, opened a new showroom in High Point, where she displayed the brand’s high-end outdoor designs.
“I was inspired by jets — we love going on beautiful jets when we travel,” Hoyos said. “And I carried over the same beautiful Italian fabrics I use in my indoor line, but performance versions.”
Hoyos offers fully upholstered seating, as well as pieces made with Seike wood, a variety traditionally used in the Amazon to build canoes. Hoyos’ company purchased its own Seike forest where they sustainably grow some of the wood for their furniture.
“We are growing our own trees, and 10 years from now we will be self-sufficient,” Hoyos said. “We still buy from certified growers, too, for now. The Seike is a hardwood that’s like teak but much better and harder — perfect for tabletops.”
California-based outdoor furnishings maker Business & Pleasure Co. also moved into a new showroom after making its High Point Market debut in October as part of the Shoppe Object group. The company specializes in vintage-inspired outdoor furniture — think fringed umbrellas, scallop-edged metal chaises and plenty of punchy cabana stripes.
“Everything’s vintage inspired but commercial grade-ready to use outdoors for residential or commercial settings,” said Ian Perez, Business & Pleasure Co. “We have retail partnerships with Anthropologie, Free People, Williams-Sonoma and all the big national players, and then a robust network of independent boutiques that we work with.”
Those vintage vibes showed up at Summer Classics’ showroom, as well, in the company’s new custom umbrella program. The line features silhouettes with fringe trim, standard edges and dental or scalloped edges in yellow, pink, blue and green stripes.
“You can choose your colors from several different fabrics, different finishes, trims and stripe layouts,” said Margaret Murray, channel marketing manager, Summer Classics.
Summer Classics also introduced a new line of fire pits that come in three different shapes — a column, bowl and rectangle. The pits use hidden propane power.
Brown Jordan made a splash this market with a new line of outdoor fabrics produced in partnership with Kravet. The line includes 46 different options in a variety of colors and patterns. Brown Jordan division President Ben Collins said the line was originally conceived prior to the Covid pandemic but shelved before making it to market.
“We looked at the designs they already had and some of it was still relevant, while others were not,” he said. “We tweaked it, looking at material selections, colors and fine details, and now here we are.”
Brown Jordan also introduced the Huntley, a substantial U-shaped sectional with a striking strap-weave design by Ann Marie Vering. Fully modular, the seat comes in three strap color options as well as teak or Dekton frames. Brown Jordan also gave a sneak peek at its upcoming rug collection, set to officially launch at Casual Market Atlanta in July. Collins said the rugs help make Brown Jordan a one-stop shop for interior designers.
“We want to make it easy for them to know that they not only can get the best products, but also most of the products they need from us,” he said.
Colorful weaves showed up throughout market on outdoor seating and tables from Janus et Cie, Summer Classics and Ngala Trading. Dedon captured the trend in a major way with their Flair woven collection in a show-stopping blue called Lagoon.
“The table has a fully woven base, which is pretty unique,” said Nicole Ciminera, director of marketing, Dedon. “It will be available in four different colors, so if you’re not interested in bright blue, we have a muted yellow and neutrals.”
Another trend at market? Big tables. Built for entertaining, extra-long outdoor dining tables showed up at Eichholtz, Century and Terrazza Outdoor Living. The latter introduced a double extension table in teak and aluminum that can accommodate up to 14 people.
“People are looking for big tables, and sometimes they’ll just pull two tables together, so this is a solution for those large groups,” said Federico Ofman, director of business development and operations, Terrazza Outdoor Living. “We have this one in full-wood or mixed-materials options.”
Fresh off their debut at Salone del Mobile in Milan, Couture Jardin brought a selection of new and bestselling groups that drew crowds in Europe, such as a woven seating and table collection with dark bronze frames.
“As a designer and the owner of my company, to see so many people from all nationalities look at my furniture and say, ‘wow,’ I knew we were more than ready to be in Milan,” said Normand Couture, founder and designer, Couture Jardin.
Phillipe Couture, CEO of Couture Jardin, said High Point Market was successful for the brand, as well.
“Traffic was slower, but it was still really good for us,” he said. “We’re happy.”
Lane Venture recently signed a continuing contract with Winterthur and is releasing a set of oversized planters that bring a focus to the garden side of the story.
“Winterthur is known for its beautiful gardens, and we want to match that theme with new items for the garden like planters and benches,” said Vice President Schon Duke. “They are available in 15 colors, and we’ve had a great response to them already.”
Despite potential tariffs, Lane Venture is in a strong position going into the outdoor season as Duke said the company purchased all of its imported products early.
“We are ready for any tariffs,” he said. “We are also offering 10% off of our domestic orders. We are in a good position. I have seen about seven to eight other companies that are raising prices or adding surcharges.”
Pelican Reef opened its new showroom in IHFC this market, displaying its Skyline Design, Pelican Reef and Panama Jack Outdoor Living brands in one large space in the Hamilton wing.
At the top of the escalator, the space is prime for walk-by traffic, which is what the company wanted after previously showing in a stand-alone showroom off Russell Avenue. In October, when it soft-opened the showroom, the company pulled in more prospects than it expected from walk-ins alone.
By presenting all of the brands together — while keeping its Interhall showroom for Skyline Design — Pelican Reef can show a variety of products and price points in one central location. Among the lines on display were swings, on-trend rope sofas, teak digi and seating groups, as well as umbrellas, a new category for the company.
Sunset West expanded its showroom by nearly 50% this market, giving it room to show an extensive array of outdoor lines.
Wes Stewart, president of the company, shared that Sunset West has increased market share for seven sequential quarters. He says the company is holding steady when it comes to tariffs and focusing on what the company can do now to help its retail partners.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen, so it’s better to focus on what we can control,” Stewart said.
Sunpan has continued to grow its outdoor category each year, and Chief Marketing Officer Katherine Kalen said the company has found its groove by taking popular indoor designs and bringing them outside.
“We differentiate with unique products that have high-end indoor looks but can withstand the elements outdoors,” said Kalen. “We’ve had a lot of success with dining, armchairs and bistro tables, for both residential and contract.”
She said tariffs have caused uncertainty among buyers, and Sunpan will likely have to increase prices because of them. Though it manufactures in Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries, much of its product still comes through China.
Fortunately, and strategically, the company has managed to inventory a large amount of product at its Houston facility, and it’s ordering more products now to get as much as it can before the potential tariffs hit.
Alex Milstein contributed to this report.
