Cotton Inc. sees more texture, softer color palette ahead
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, January 13, 2003
High Point — A renewed emphasis on texture, coupled with a focus on a softer color palette, should headline fabric introductions during the next two years, executives of Cotton Inc. predict.
At a seminar for buyers at Showtime here, officials of the trade group said they believe consumers will be drawn to such fabrics because they add a feeling of comfort and security.
Jill Gottschalk, manager of fabric development for home products and floor coverings, cited four trends Cotton Inc. believes will drive fabric design, labeled Extra Texture, Rural Elegance, Line On Design and Brighter Delights.
Extra Texture includes a mix of fabrics that use patterns such as waffle weaves to achieve a heavier, thicker feel, while Rural Elegance includes fabrics with more subtle patterns and warm colors.
Line On Design features linear design elements adapted from architecture, while Brighter Delights focuses on designs described as "upbeat and uncoordinated."
Gottschalk also identified six color groups that Cotton Inc. believes should be in the forefront of upcoming fabric introductions.
The first, Revival, features subtle shades of yellow and orange.
The second, dubbed Perfectly Suited, features various blue and purple hues.
The third group, called Combine and Conquer, features deeper shades of blue and purple.
The fourth of the six color groups, called Nature's Vitality, has brighter blues and greens.
The last two groups, Uncolor and Alchemist's Palette, move away from darker colors and into bolder shades of yellow, orange and red.
