NINTH IN A SERIES ON HARDWOODS Furniture market hardwood trends

The natural wood look and simpler styles were revealed as trends in the latest tabulation of furniture market presentations of case goods made by the Fine Hardwoods-American Walnut Assn. survey team.

lt was also apparent that furniture manufacturers were concentrating on fewer style groupings in an efiort to maximize production and still keep selection at a high peak.

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Wolnut ond pine show greolest growth in recent survey, lrend grows to nqturol wood look, simpler styles, fewer style groupings . . oqk retoins its position os leoder qmong genuine woods.

Walnut and pine showed the greatest growth among the genuine woods in spite of the fewer total units. Walnut totaled 230 suites compared to 203 last April and pine jumped from I32 to I80 this year, for percentageof-market totals of 9.1/o Lor walnut and 7.1/o for pine.

Oak retained its position as the leader among the genuine woods with 350 suites and 139/o of the showings. Pecan was second with 291 suites and ll.5%. Walnut gained to third position above maple which was tabulated fior 223 suites and 8.9/o compared to 254 and 9.7/o a year ago. Pine followed in Sth place, with cherry ranked sixth at 5.2/o of. rhe total. Mahogany held its own with 55 suites and 2,2/o of. the market. Birch and butternut followed at 1.4 and 1.3%. All other miscellaneous woods and veneers totaled 4.8/o which rcpresents the effort of the forest industry and the manufacturers of furniture to broaden the base of supply. This, when compared to 3.7/o Lor "all other" in 1972, is a 25/o gain, and is believed to be a definite trend.

Comments from buyers and manufacturers, according to Don H. Gott, executive director of the association, pointed up the re-emphasis of genuine and a corresponding drop in the market penetration of printed grains, plastics and "enameled" (painted) suites.

The story of style bears special emphasis as, for the second successive market, Contemporary-Modern showed an increase, and now ranks as 20.4% of the total showings. As in last October presentations, this reflected a trend to cleaner lines and extended use of the oriental and bamboo motifs.

The survey crews also noted that the baroque Mediterranean was reduced in favor of a slightly smaller scale and less adornment in both Spanish and Italian treatments.

Among the genuine wood suites which comprised 66.2/o of the market showings, the sheen appeared to be 2 to 3 points higher, according to some industry specialists.

In dining rooms there was more variation. Walnut remained at about 59,5% in the darker tones, plus another l9/o in the reddish brown category.