Retailers and manufacturers of outdoor furniture have had 2024 on their minds for a while and are ready to start fresh next year with new products and more stable inventory levels.
With High Point Market wrapped up and most of the other major markets passed, we’ve rounded up a few outdoor trends you can expect to see coming into play in 2024 and beyond.
1.gray is fading. A few years ago, gray entered the industry with a vengeance — beating out blue and green as the most popular colors and bumping the traditional brown completely out of the picture. However, gray has had its day and now other neutral colors like beige, light blue and tan are gaining popularity. At the High Point Market, lighter shades of brown that go with every setting were found in several showrooms, from Jensen Outdoor to Plank & Hide.
2. bar-height tables that convert to dining tables. Versatility has long been a trend in the outdoor industry, and it’s taken on a new importance in the form of bar-height tables and chairs that convert to dining height so users can sit up high with another person, or at regular table height with a group of others. These were prevalent at the Casual Market and High Point Market — particularly at Bernhardt and Lexington’s Tommy Bahama Outdoor — and industry insiders say this is a product of consumers who need furniture to fit in a smaller space.
3. Furniture for all living spaces. Speaking of small-space living, that’s another growing trend as younger people move back into cities or continue to live in apartments instead of houses. From seating to dining, nearly every producer of outdoor offers some smaller-scale furniture to meet this trend, as it has been going on for a few years.
Now, younger consumers are becoming the primary buyers of furniture, but with new-house builds down, inflation and a looming recession, many are still unable to afford to buy houses. For that reason, this trend might extend for some time.
4. Easy maintenance and cushionless seating. Consumers are realizing that although outdoor furniture can hold up to the elements, it still needs to be maintained. Because of that, they’re choosing cushionless seating or synthetic teak options to make it easier and less time-consuming to care for the furniture. Sunset West’s Sedona collection is one example of this that was on display in Atlanta, Las Vegas and High Point.
5. Bringing the indoors out. This trend barely made the list, but probably not for the reason you think. Over the past few years, the idea of bringing the indoors outside has turned into something more permanent and gone beyond a simple trend. And there’s a reason nearly every manufacturer carries one collection that could double as an indoor set. It’s because consumers are continuing to blend their indoor and outdoor spaces and they need furniture that will seamlessly transition between the two spaces.
Beyond consumer preferences, for manufacturers that have already been producing both categories, this trend makes it easier for them to share styles between the two and sell two categories to one retailer. That benefit is passed on to the retailer, who can then match and sell the customer both their indoor and outdoor furniture.
Trends come and go, and many of them differ from region to region, but the industry knows the importance of staying up to date on some of the larger and more universal trends, and judging from what we’ve seen at markets, they are on top of it.
Contact Now