Color Trends from High Point Market 2021

After two years off due to the pandemic, it was so great to return and see all the Color trends from High Point Market 2021. The first day was spent hosting a group of new buyers on my Insider Tour. We had so much fun visiting some of my favorite showrooms and I was fortunate to have such a great group.

Here we are starting off our day when everyone was till fresh and perky!

 This Fall market was a celebration of emerging from the pandemic. Colors were warmer, fabrics were soft, textural and luxurious. Shapes were primarily curved and organic materials such as jute, rope, rattan and wicker were standouts. Handmade items, especially tribal or exotic, were dominant in the art and accessories category.

I have so much to share with you and hundreds of images to sort through. This first post is Part One of the Fall trends from High Point Market 2021 and it’s all about my favorite subject, color!

As in previous trend reports I like to show the color trends using photos rather than describe in words. So grab a coffee, or a glass of wine, and enjoy a visual tour of color trends from High Point Market 2021.

Color Trends from High Point Market 2021

The biggest color story of Market is what color wasn’t seen….GREY! Over the five days and many dozens of showrooms I visited, I saw so little grey as to declare the grey trend officially over.

I think being stuck at home for months during the pandemic, many realized that grey is depressing and just like that…everyone is over it. Grey has been replaced by warmer neutrals, mostly white, black, cream and taupe.

Warm Neutrals

Dare I say beige is back? One thing is certain, after 2020, people are craving warmth and cozy comfort. Manufacturers showed lot’s of fabric ottomans and padded coffee tables and less glass and metal.

The bed below photographed a bit pinky but take my word for it, it was taupe.

I saw taupe colored leather in several of the showrooms.

The color palette has shifted from cool to warm this Fall market.

White

Overall, white upholstery pieces were the most prevalent. Especially upholstery covered in white boucle fabric.

There were so many upholstery pieces shown in boucle fabric (textured, nubby fabric like a stuffed animal or lambswool) in every showroom that a new tagline was spreading around market, “Boucle All Day”.

You can see another trend in these images which is curved shapes but I will address that trend in part two of my report.

Lot’s and lot’s of boucle covered upholstery!!!

Another color trend I saw was white casegoods. Not painted white but stained white, and often with a wire brush finish. White stained casegoods were as prevalent as the boucle upholstery pieces.

The dresser below had a beautiful textural pattern on the front.

This white dining table was paired with a taupe settee and lucite and brass chairs.

All that white upholstery paired with white wood casegoods was very fresh and uplifting. Just what we need after a stressful year spent inside.

Plus, all that white makes for a perfect background for adding lots of color!

Emerging color trend?

Black

 From case goods to the trim on upholstered pieces, black wood was spotted all over Market.

I love the shape of the legs on this console table.

Tracotta, Cinnamon and rusty reds

Every year there is one color that threads it’s way through almost every showroom. This year that color was variations of muted red hues such as terracotta, cinnamon, and rusty red.

It was such a stand out from the last time I attended in 2019 because I don’t recall seeing this color at all.

These warm reds were a surprise because after both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore chose hues of green as their “Color of the Year” I though for sure I would see more greens.

Almost every show room I visited had these warm red hues in either furniture, painted on the wall or shown in accessories.

Blues and Greens

There was still a showing of blues and greens but in more muted, softer hues.

The greens I saw were either very light or more muted olive greens.

Green cutting boards were a surprise find.

Blue and green together is always a popular combination

The blue velvet sofa was accented with an on trend terracotta pillow.

Cognac or Camel paired with Blue

This was a color combination that several of the High Point Style Spotters commented as trending. I didn’t see a whole lot of it but I did get a couple images with these colors.

I hope you enjoyed this color pictorial of Color Trends from High Point Market 2021. I looked back just for fun on the last color trend report I wrote. That report was written Fall 2019, the last Market I attended. You can check it out if you’re interested, 2019 Color Trends From High Point Market.

My report on all the other trends I saw will be coming soon. Here is a hint of what is to come with these key words I wrote down before I headed home.

Texture, Curves, rattan, jute and wicker, Oversized sectionals, oversized lighting, cut outs in furniture, wedding back chairs, animalia, Memphis design 1980’s, organic, tribal influences, one of a kind, tired pendants, embellishments on lamps and furniture, return of curio cabinets, Exotic.

Next up for me is a trip to Napa for a once in a lifetime experience with DesignHounds and Signature Kitchen Suites. I hope you will follow me on Instagram as I learn all about the fabulous Signature Kitchen Suite products. I hear there is hands on cooking experience. That should be interesting…since I am not know for my cooking skills.

I also assume there will be wine…lot’s of wine.