DESIGN KEEPING

Up With Design Trends Is Key To Success

By Keith Loria

The billiard industry has historically lagged behind the furniture industry in innovation and creativity. However, many manufacturers and importers have successfully brought the sport in line with the furniture industry within the last couple of decades. This has enabled dealers to sell game room furniture that complements customers’ overall style instead of just furnishing the game room.

“Knowing and understanding current design trends enable our store to anticipate what the consumer is looking for,” says Kimberly Murdock of Houston, Texas-based International Billiards. “When the client determines what designs they are planning for their home, we are ready to fill their wishes. Interestingly enough, we weren’t able to do that 20-30 years ago.”

This is true for billiard tables, other gaming tables such as shuffleboard and table tennis, game room furniture and accessories, and more.

Tenille Brice, vice president of Prestige Billiards, Scottsdale, Arizona, notes “pool tables are no longer just pool tables,” and are more a statement or furniture piece, so following design trends is extremely important.

“A lot of people want their house to flow; they no longer want that game room with the traditional ball and cloth for the most part, so us knowing the design trends helps us to forecast how we’re going to purchase and figure out the big-ticket items for the next year,” she says. “We always keep the classic styles, but I always look at furniture trends to see what’s popular.”

For example, Prestige Billiards brought in some of the blonde oaks this year even though that gives off ’80s vibes, because that’s what Brice noticed was trending at furniture stores.

“We’re seeing a lot of modern mid-century and Scandinavian design,” she says.

Jeffrey Roeder of New York-based Blatt Billiards, notes by following design trends, it helps the store know what it wants to purchase for display on tables that it wants to put on its floor.

“We tend to follow trends and transform those into some of our custom tables and designs,” he says. “Oftentimes, designers and decorators reach out to us before these trends become more prominent in the market. They are the ones working on these new houses and restaurants and hotels, and they typically want a custom table, and we craft them around their design. That helps us come up with our new styles and design.”

For instance, he is seeing more interest in modern tables, but with a bit of antiqueness in them, showing a rich, quality statement from the past.

Lynne Cornwall of Encore Billiards & Gameroom in Milford, Connecticut, stays very aware of the fashion industry and the home furniture industry by going to trade shows and following the hot colors from Pantone, knowing that these things will better inform her on the trends that will trickle down to the masses.

“You need to take what you see and convert it into reality,” she says. “Sometimes what they show is not going to follow through in the billiard industry, so you need to be able to weed that out.”

When Cornwall has a customer come in and say they are planning a room, she usually starts with the biggest piece which will be the main focal point of the room.

“I always talk about their flooring, because that’s something that won’t change,” she says. “The pool table is usually the next-biggest thing with a major emphasis in the room. You need to make decisions based on that.”

Color My World

For its 2023 Color of the Year, Krylon selected Spanish Moss, a deep forest green that nods to nature.

“This midnight green has a strong connection with the richness of nature, dense forests, and mossy terrains,” says Ashley Banbury, senior color designer for Krylon. “Rooted in the renewing power of green, it can balance with both warm and cool accents.”

The spray paint shade easily upgrades furniture and decor, plus plays well with practically everything, so retailers should tout those features when selling game tables and furniture.

Benjamin Moore went with a brighter color as its Color of the Year for 2023, choosing Raspberry Blush, a vibrant red-orange hue.

“People are ready to bring color back into the home, taking a step outside their color comfort zones,” says Andrea Magno, color marketing and development director at Benjamin Moore. “Raspberry Blush 2008-30 and the Color Trends 2023 palette empower the use of statement colors that deliver delight and personality while transforming rooms for incredible results.”

Sherwin-Williams is going with Redend Point, a blend of blush and beige featuring subtle pink undertones as its Color of the Year.

“The grounding shade feels especially on trend as homeowners turn toward earth tones to bring comfort and joy to their interior spaces,” says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. “People have been drawn to nature-inspired and earthy tones the past couple years, and this is something that will continue into 2023 and beyond. Greens, blues, and browns can make any space feel safe, calming, and grounded yet still energized.”

Soft, earthy shades of pink and clay take the lead for Dunn-Edwards’ Color of the Year, Terra Rosa, which blends brown and burgundy for a rosy pink that works as both a grounding neutral and a delicate accent.

“We’re putting health and wellbeing first, making time for escapism and embracing nostalgia ... This translates to design through lush, sophisticated touches with equal parts prettiness and drama,” says Sara McLean, color expert and stylist for Dunn-Edwards. “Sweet and cozy without being saccharine, the warm hue adds comfort to a bedroom or living space.”

Roeder has noticed more darker colors in vogue lately, and so the company’s tables are following suit.

“What’s important for us to fill the color request,” he says. “We were getting a lot of enquiries on ceruse oak, open grain oak, so when we’re making tables for our showroom floors, we tend to go with a color that was previously popular. But more importantly, it has to look good to us.”

Cornwall characterizes herself as a “purple girl,” but she knows that doesn’t mean her customers agree, so it’s important to pay attention to the masses and their tastes. Based on what she’s seen, she expects grays to be very big in 2023.

“It’s like a timeless color; it doesn’t go out of style, so it’s always going to be there,” Cornwall says. “I’m also seeing a lot of blues. A lot of antique dulled brass has come back as well. We haven’t gone overboard with that because I feel it has a shelf life.”

Brice sees gray being still popular, but more of a darker gray than in recent years.

“People are pulling away from the lighter grays,” she says. “Also, a lot of wood is coming back, but not in-your-face woods like espresso or mahogany, but more ashy-browns of coffee colors. We’ve had a ton of requests for those.”

Maintaining Relationships

It’s vital that retailers work with designers not only to understand what’s hot, but because they are often the link between customer and store.

“We focus strongly on the commercial firms who do builder and multi-family projects,” Murdock says. “Some of these relationships go back 30-plus years and have become friendships. We keep their credit cards on file because they order so often. When retail is slow, I can depend on our design business to keep us busy.”

Cornwall works with designers all the time, and notes that whether you agree with them or not, she knows they are the ones really doing the work, so she caters to each carefully and differently.

“You need to ask them upfront how they want to handle things, because they may handle things differently with their clients,” she says. “I let them tell me what they are thinking and then you help them. Sometimes you might not agree, but you have to be diplomatic.”

When she gets a new item in the store that she thinks designers would be interested in, she always alerts them so they can incorporate it in their floorplan and designs.

Roeder deals with designers weekly, and the key to keeping both parties happy, he says, is to provide what they’re looking for in a timely manner, giving them what they need and also educating them.

“There are a lot of complex steps that go into purchasing a pool table and extremely more when you’re crafting a new one,” he says. “To be able to work with a decorator and not annoy them with a bunch of questions will go a long way. Being personable helps a relationship as well.”

Staying Informed

Brice has a roster of about 20 designers that she works with, and follows their social media sites to understand what’s big. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as overall, she follows more than 150 designer sites.

“This helps me forecast colors and see how rooms are being set up,” she says. “I also like to talk to the designers when they come in so I know what they are thinking and hearing about as the newest trends.”

Roeder finds a lot of his information about what’s trending through myriad design magazines and websites.

“You can get a general framework in your mind about where

While keeping informed through articles in furniture and trade publications is helpful, Murdock receives the majority of her insight from her design firms.

“Not only am I able to learn the nuance of current styles, I see the trends early based on my designers’ future projects,” she says.

Final Thoughts

While it’s very important to keep the latest colors, designs and finishes in stock, equally important is understanding that not every consumer is interested in what is “in” so you need to keep a few classic options in stock.

For instance, even with oak being “out,” International Billiards has been selling quite a few special order tables with gray stains on white oak.

“So, while it’s still wading in the shallow end with other rough cut and strong grain woods, I believe that we will start seeing the golden to medium stain on red oak in 2023,” Murdock says. “Of course, the traditional carved-legged tables might see a resurgence late in the year – or for sure by 2024.”