Furniture Fairs

To find out the top furniture fairs coming this fall 2010 read this blog.

New York Home Textiles – NYC, NY, USA (Aug 14-19) -New York Home Textiles + Gift Week is the premier textile show in the United States. It also offers a full slate of educational programs to enhance your show experience, as well as exciting after-hours’ events to help you make the most of your time in the Big Apple.

Formland – Herning, Denmark (Aug 20-23) – Scandinavia’s largest and most international trade fair for home accessories, design and gifts. Up to 20,000 professional buyers from over 40 countries gather ideas and inspiration for the coming season twice every year.

Tendence – Frankfurt, Germany (Aug 27-31) – The most important international consumer goods’ fair in Europe for the autumn, winter and Christmas business of the same year.

September

3F – Dongguan Famous Furniture Fair – Dongguan, China (Sept 1-5) – A huge furniture fair near the heart of furniture city in Houjie. Also, there is a home accent and lighting section. This fair has a large focus on the local China furniture market.

CIFF Furniture and Home Decor – Guangzhou, China (Sept 3-6) – The biggest furniture fair in China. Also running concurrently are sections for home accents and housewares at the same grounds as the Canton Fair. This show is both for local and international guests.

Maison & Objet – Paris, France (Sept 3-7) – More than just a trade show, MAISON & OBJET is a magnetic pole for all professionals. Design, home-fashion, objects, tableware.

Meuble Paris – Paris, France (Sept 3-7) – The Paris event devoted to furniture in all its expressions, this show will bring you to an international, high-quality offer spread out over more than 80,000m2.

Spoga + Gafa – Cologne, Germany (Sept 5-7) – The top European trade fair for garden + lifestyle.

Furniture China 2010 – Shanghai, China (Sept 7-10) – As one of the 3 largest furniture exhibitions in the world, Furniture China is held annually in September in Shanghai. It combines a comprehensive set of popular themes: Home Furniture, Office Furniture, Furnishings Fabrics & Lighting, Kitchen & Cabinet, Furniture Manufacturing & Supply.

Houseware Expo – Moscow, Russia (Sept 21-24) – Eastern Europe’s biggest international specialized trade fair, GIFTS EXPO is held twice a year, in March and September, in Manezh and Gostiny Dvor Exhibition Complexes, Moscow.

Habitat Valencia – Valencia, Spain (Sept 28 – Oct 2) – The most important sales and trends platform for the Made-in-Spain home, where the sectors that make up the home products’ industry will be showcasing their latest designs. There will be an extensive program of activities both within and outside the fair while the city of Valencia is living and breathing the project every day.

October

HCMC Expo – Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam (Oct. 6 – 10) – For years, HCMC International Furniture and Handicrafts Fair has been developing tremendously, contributing substantial achievements in promoting business images as well as furniture & handicraft products to overseas’ markets. This show has the most home furnishings’ vendors in Vietnam.

Trade Expo Indonesia – Jakarta, Indonesia (Oct. 13 – 17) – Indonesia’s largest event for furniture in the fall. Hundreds of manufacturers attend the 4 day event.

The Canton Fair – Guangzhou, China (Oct 15 -19, Oct 24 – 28, Oct 31 – Nov 4) – One of the oldest, and by far the largest home furnishing fair in the world (if you include the surrounding fairs). Phase 2 (Oct 24 – 28) of the Canton Fair is when most of home furnishings suppliers show there. Phase 1 includes lighting, and Phase 3 has home textiles, carpets and rugs. Overall, there are over a million square meters of exhibition space and over 50,000 suppliers. This is probably the best factory-sourcing fair in the world.

High Point Market – High Point, NC, USA (Oct 16 – 21) – The largest home furnishings market in the World. Buyers can find all the latest furniture, home decor, and lighting from top American and global manufacturers. People looking to buy from overseas will find prices at High Point to be competitive with Asia, and many wholesale and manufacturers are willing to ship direct from overseas’ factories.

Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair – New Delhi, India (Oct 17 – 20) – The biggest furniture and home accent fair in India. Fantastic products and great values for people looking to source in India with over 1000 suppliers.

Manila F.A.M.E – Manila, Philippines (Oct 18 – 21) – Asia’s Boutique Show is the largest home furnishings fair in the Philippines and features over 200 Home Decor Manufacturers.

Premier Vision China – Shanghai, China (Oct 20 – Oct 21) – One of the best high-end fabric and fashion shows in China.

China Sourcing Fair: Home Products + India Sourcing Fair: Home Products – Hong Kong, China (Oct 20 – 23) – Both fairs are at one location in Hong Kong (the AsiaWold-Expo, near the airport). This is an unassociated extension of this year’s Mega Show. Expect to find thousands more suppliers. But, since the Mega show is the premium event, suppliers at this event typically are waiting to get a space at the HK Convention Center in the coming years. Shuttles and the train make it easy to travel back and forth between events.

Mega Show 2010 Part 1 – Hong Kong, China (Oct 20 – 23) – An important sourcing exhibition for the gift, housewares, premiums and toy industries in the Asia-Pacific region, taking place every October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Since 1992 this premier trade-only exhibition has offered international buyers a one-stop showcase of over 5000 well-merchandised stands displaying products from nearly 4000 exhibitors.

Hong Kong International Lighting – Hong Kong, China (Oct 27 – 30) – Joining the HKTDC Hong Kong International Lighting Fair places you among the stars of the industry. Over 1500 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions made the fair the largest in Asia, and the second biggest of its kind in the world.

Mega Show 2010 Part 2 – Hong Kong, China (Oct 27 – 30) – Mega Show Part 2 has established itself as an essential dateline in the annual sourcing calendar every October, commencing as Phase 2 of the Canton Fair closes. A well-edited selection from nearly 1,300 Asian and international companies present high-volume products from traditional gifts and premiums, to everyday household items, as well as home décor products, home textiles, garden and outdoor goods, home improvement items, and designs for good living. Also on display will be the best of Asian pen, print, paper and stationery items.

India Carpet Expo – Varanasi, India (Oct 29 – Nov 1) – Almost 200 carpet manufacturers and exporters will attend this fair in Varanasi, India. Select buyers can receive significant incentives including airfare and hotel arrangements.

December

Home & Lifestyle Fair – Taipei, Taiwan (Dec 9 – 12) – Home & Lifestyle Fair (HLS) is held at the Taipei World Trade Center, Hall 2. It is the synonym for a new, more efficient kind of business meeting and is well known as a platform for communication and innovation through its unique workshop concept. Positioned as the only annual home & decoration show which focuses on design and home lifestyle in Taiwan, HLS 2010 presents a diverse exhibit profile including the goods of living & styling, dining & gourmet, bathing & feeling, home electronics, decor & giving, gardening & outdoor, and kids & pets.

The New York Times reports:

“Last year, the recession cast a dark cloud over the fair. The number of visitors to the cavernous Rho complex fell for the first time in years, to 313,385”.  “[This year] the visitor count rose to 335,354, according to the fair’s organizer, Cosmit, and many exhibitors acknowledged with relief that business was better than it had been a year ago. “There were signs of improvement,” said Rolf Fehlbaum, the chairman of Vitra, the Swiss furniture group. “And dealers were willing to order.”

Inhabitat’s eco-conscious motto “design will save the world” is very connected with this year’s Earth Day.  They feature many innovations using recycled materials, low-power lighting, and energy efficient concepts.  See our favorite pictures from Inhabitat’s Milan Design Week 2010 on the right.

Wooden stools and coffee tables from Giancarlo Zema’s Bright Woods collection are made from wood and natural resin rings that create a wonderful interactive experience as they change color and glow.  The stools come in a variety of colors and heights, making them a perfect complement to any room.

These stools are illuminated from inside

Simple but colorful chairs from Assembly Room are not only stunning to look at, but they are lightweight and stackable.  They are made from FSC certified wood and 100% wool that is renewable and compostable.

Great colors and made from FSC approved woods

The Leaf Collection by Giancarlo Zema have chairs with a flexible memory back that adapt to the curves of the body.

leaf collection table and chair

One of my favorites is the Innovo humidifier.  Using no electric power, the wooden top sucks water out of the lower resevior and releases it into the air.  Not only beautiful, the humidifier also gives off a cedar fragrance.

eco friendly humidifier

Final Image starting at top left corner going clockwise:

• Sarah Turner’s Drink Bottle Lighting designs are breathtaking to look at and refreshing for the planet.  It is hard to believe these colorful lampshades and graceful curves once held drinking water.
• The Double T-Future Lamp has several OLED  elements in a colorful modern design.
• Light Form by designers Francesca Rogers and Daniele Gualeni Design Studio is a beautiful modular lighting system made up of wood panels that can be flipped back to expose energy-efficient electroluminescent lights.
• The Copper Wattering Can by Thomas Eyck is an example of the superleggra, using simple elegant curves.

Some more great products in Milan

Inhabitat’s reports cover so many more fantastic designs and concepts, please use the links below to see the all their reports from Milan:

Milan Design Week 2010!, Best Green Designs, Triennale Design Museum, Salone Satellite, Designersblock, Interni Think Tank, and even more.

Solid Wood Finishes

A house isn’t a home until it has furniture in it.  This is true for the basic reasons that everybody needs a place to sit down, eat, and relax. Without furniture a home isn’t a home, it’s literally just an open empty space. However, that statement also works on deeper level. Furniture shows who someone is and what their tastes can be. Simply put, you are where you sit. If someone chooses solid wood furniture over new aged designed (and often sometimes awkward looking) furniture, it shows that they have a respect for the old school craftsmanship of the form and want their homes to convey that. Yet, this same type of craftsmanship is also what’s helping get the furniture industry through the current recession.

The recession has had a widespread reaching effect on almost every industry, and furniture is no exception. However, the furniture industry has shown that it can outlast the recession through focusing on customer service, creating business models that help protect the environment, and most importantly keep producing high quality products. Quirky designed furniture does have its place in the industry, but ultimately has not helped to keep the industry afloat during these tough economic times. This is why designers who are heading to furniture fairs like the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano are struggling to get their state of art furniture to the public. As much as a trendy chair would fit in many situations it can’t contend with the comfort and familiarity of well-made solid wood office furniture, especially during a time when comfort and familiarity is needed.

The argument can be made that well made products like solid wood living room furniture is helping to get the industry through the recession and into a successful future and this is because of quality. A focus on craftsmanship can break through any slump, economic or otherwise, and that’s why the furniture industry has lasted through this recession and most likely will last through any to come.

Are you compliant? Lacey Act restrictions go into effect April 2010.

The main change to the 100-year-old Lacey Act is that it is now against the law to trade or own illegally sourced animals/agricultural materials (including wood), regardless of their point of origin. And starting in April, all companies will be required to provide detailed documentation on the source and origin of the imported agricultural products.

Details on what importers and furniture manufacturers need to know are available from Furniture Today, in a free White Paper.

The major issue we can see is that all importers must file a detailed declaration for incoming agricultural products specifying species and country of origin, no matter where the product is assembled. So a coffee table made from Indonesian rubberwood and American cherry veneer would need to include both species and origins.

An important note to importers: plywood, MDF, and fiberboards alone can sometimes contain over a hundred species of wood, and it seems that industry pressure has won out. Until further notice, the APHIS has published a guidance document with regard to composite, recycled, and/or reused materials. Basically, APHIS is instructing importers to indicate the type of material (e.g. MDF) under “plant scientific name”. The link above also shows an example to help fill out the document.

For now, there is no specific burden on the importer to provide documentation on the legality of the materials, but that certainly is the intent. This means that importers ARE required to ensure that their immediate purchase is legal, as well as attempt to trace the origin of the materials back to its point of harvest to ensure all steps along the way have been made in accordance with local and international law. If imports are found to be “tainted”, then the importer can be prosecuted to the full extent of the Lacey Act.

To download the Declaration Form, click here

Please note that packaging materials do not need to be submitted in this documentation; but they still need to be heat-treated or fumigated with methyl bromide and include an approved international mark certifying treatment.

The Official US Government website for the Lacey Act is: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/lacey_act/index.shtml

Those who file electronic customs forms will note that they will automatically be prompted to enter Lacey Act declaration information.

This type of documentation is becoming more necessary in countries around the world, and our industry needs to support legally harvested materials. But, it should be noted that the burden of proof falls on the US government, so it is not clear how easily they will be able to enforce these regulations.

Those who are attending the Las Vegas Market this Febuary should note that there is a and ECO conference being held on January 31, that is specifically covering the Lacey Act.

GoodFactories.com will continue to update this story as it develops…

The top upcoming furniture fairs

February

Ambiente Frankfurt (Feb 12-16)
The passage sections of Ambiente feature suppliers and manufacturers from around the world.  A great show for home décor and housewares for those not planning on going all the way to Asia.

Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair (Feb 20 – 23)
The biggest furniture and home accent fair in India.  Fantastic products and great values for people looking to source in India with over 1000 suppliers.

India Carpet Expo (Feb 25 – 28)
Almost 200 carpet manufacturers and exporters will attend this fair in New Delhi.

March

MIFF Malaysia (Mar 2 – 6)
-More than 500 Malaysian furniture manufacturers and exporters.

Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition (Mar 5 – 8)
-A smaller show with all the top local Cebu manufacturers and designers.

Manila Now (Mar 4 – 7)
-More than 100 furniture and home décor suppliers.

IFFS Singapore (Mar 9 – 12)
-One of the leading furniture fairs in Asia for good design.

TIFF Thailand (Mar 10 – 14)
-200 Thai home furnishings suppliers

IFFINA Indonesia (Mar 11 – 14)
-The largest furniture fair in Indonesia, this is also the best furniture show of the year for finding Indonesian home furnishing suppliers.

VIFA Vietnam (Mar 11 – 14)
-A smaller furniture fair with around 100 suppliers.  This fair has mostly furniture companies, but not as many home decor suppliers as the fall HCMC Expo.

3F – Dongguan Famous Furniture Fair (Mar 16-20)
-A huge furniture fair near the heart of furniture city in Houjie.  Also, there is a home accent and lighting section.

CIFF Furniture and Home Decor Guangzhou, China (Mar 18 – 21)
The  biggest and best furniture fair in China in the Spring.  Also running concurrently are sections for home accents and housewares.

SIFE Shenzhen (Mar 19 – 22)
Another huge furniture fair, not as large as the other two shows running at the same time, but still very big and lots of manufacturers at this show.

Premier Vision China (Mar 31 – Apr 1)
-One of the best high end fabric shows in China

CIFF Office Furniture (Mar 27 – Mar 30)
-One of the best high end fabric shows in China

April

Hong Kong International Lighting -Spring (Apr 13 – 16)
-The premier fall Asian lighting fair is now twice a year.  Manufacturers and suppliers are from around the world, but a majority are Chinese and HK companies.  There are not nearly as many companies at the spring event and only occupies one tenth of the floor space.

Manila F.A.M.E (Apr 14 – 17)
-The largest home furnishings fair in the Philippines features over 200 Home Decor Manufacturers.

The Canton Fair (Apr 15 -19, Apr 24 – 28, May 3 – 7)
-One of the oldest, and by far the biggest home furnishing fair in the world (if you include the surrounding fairs).  Phase 2 (Apr 24 – 28) of the Canton Fair is when most of home furnishings suppliers show there.  Phase 1 includes lighting, and Phase 3 has home textiles, carpets and rugs.  Overall, there are over a million square meters of exhibition space and over 50,000 suppliers.  Please note, that while there are more furniture manufacturers now attending the canton fair, it is still not as good as the CIFF for furniture, but it is much better for home accents.  Four fairs are within walking distance.  To read more about these fairs Click Here.

High Point Market (Apr 17 – 22)
-The largest home furnishings market in the World.  Buyers can find all the latest furniture, home decor, and lighting from top American and global manufacturers.  People looking to buy from overseas will find prices at High Point to be competitive with Asia, and many wholesale and manufacturers are willing to ship direct from overseas factories.

Hong Kong Housewares (Apr 20 – 23)
-One of the best houseware fairs in the world, there are thousands of manufacturers from China, India, Asia, and other parts of the world.  Products are housewares, textiles, handicrafts, and a level of Pet Supplies.

China Sourcing Fair: Home Products + India Sourcing Fair: Home Products (Apr 20 – 23)
-Both fairs are at one location in Hong Kong (the Expo Center, near the airport).  This is an unassociated extension of the Hong Kong Houseware fair.  Expect to find thousands more suppliers. But, since the HK Housewares is the premium event, suppliers at this event typically are waiting to get a space at the HK Convention Center in the coming years.   Shuttles and the train make it easy to travel back and forth between events.

Hong Kong Gifts and Premiums (Apr 27 – 30)
-A huge event, but not as appealing for home furnishing buyers.  These are often less expensive products, but some product categories of interest, include picture frames, ceramics, and clocks.  Also running at the same time, is the China Sourcing Fair: Gifts & Premiums (Apr 28 – May 1), at the Asia World Expo in Hong Kong.

Emmas.blogg.se

Emmas Design Blog is one of the best European home furnishing/design blogs that I’ve run across.  While designs here tend to be modern, they are not over the top, and have inspiration from new and old Scandinavia.  Also I’d say the writer has an eye for softer colors with clean and soft designs that really look great.

Emmas blogg

Hollysview.blogspot.com

The blog named “As I see it…“ is continuously updated with room designs, color ideas, and fantastic home furnishings.   I’m not sure what Holly’s exact job is, but I’d guess she is in interior design.  She sifts through hundreds of websites and pulls out the gems in a fun-to-view blog.

DesireToInspire.blogspot.com

If the name isn’t enough to draw your attention, the product surely should be.  There are two writers who sift out ideas and home settings they love.  You’ll find lots of unique furniture and home décor, mostly photographed in home settings.

Desire to Inspire

JustImagineDesign.blogspot.com

Beautiful colors don’t go unnoticed by the Just Imagine Color Consulting firm in Sydney, Australia.

Printpattern.blogspot.com

People looking for the latest patterns at the retail level should check these out first.  Featured are printed patterns and designs on all sorts of mediums, from lighting and dinnerware, to towels and coffee coasters.

Mocoloco.com

MoCo Loco is possibly one of the coolest websites/blogs to visit.  With a very modern eye for design, they have fantastic images and even their website layout fits this theme.  Users are taken to a horizontal scroll page, which is a bit confusing, but can be switched via the click of a button.  The design pages feature modern architecture, furniture, lighting, and more.  Manufacturers can also submit their own designs to the editors via their website!

Mocoloco

Inhabitat.com

If you are into eco-friendly homes, you should not miss this website.  It is one of the fullest blog/websites for environmentally-friendly home furnishings that is updated every day with ground-breaking products and concepts.  Also consider subscribing to their newsletter.  I get the weekly version and always find the articles fascinating.  Look for the “Interiors” button to see home furnishings.

UrbanLifeStyleDecor.com

Susan Rapp shares her “Sin of Furniture” with the world.  Her posts are categorized into many groups:  bohemian, vintage, avant-garde, urban, glam, rustic, clean-line modern, just to name a few…

Urban Lifestlye Decor (European Ecletic)

Style-Files.com

The Style Files is Danielle de Lange’s daily weblog about design and (life) style. The Style Files is dedicated to search the globe for inspirational finds. Observations and ideas related to design, interiors, art and other life enhancing subjects are posted daily.   It is based in the Netherlands, and it gives worldwide coverage from a European viewpoint, with an emphasis on Dutch and the “not-so-standard” design.

Style-Files

DoseOfDesign.blogspot.com

Those of you who are more focused on home accents and home décor will appreciate Dose of Design.

Textile-Blog.com

Karin Miller shares her favorite fabrics, designs and patterns with the world.  From apparel to fabrics to rugs, she keeps an eye out for new and old designs that are becoming hot.  Interior designers will like the home textile and outdoor fabrics category of her blogs, but may also gain inspiration from other categories.

Refurbished and redesigned dresser

Original Dresser

This really makes me think about all the furniture that is available in antique and second hand stores.  Is there a market for artists to refinish and sell beautiful furniture, which would both eliminate cutting down trees, and also help others by hauling away their old furniture?  Afterall, this eco-friendly furniture is 100% recycled from a previous owner.

A quick google search found a few companies who offer this service, and there are a lot more websites dedicated to Do It Yourself.  In the hospitality industry, this has been a somewhat popular option as it can be a good way to reduce costs. Upholstered chairs, lamp shades, and beds can be brought back to life with fresher-looking new fabrics.

So, what does this mean to suppliers in home furnishings?  Is there a niche for people with a good eye and skills to remake second-hand furniture?  I think there is, and below are two suggestions…

#1.  People could buy antiques and update them.  I’m sure this is happening, but perhaps some people could get together and open their own store on 1stDibs.

#2.  For the creative types, I think a market place of refurbished furniture could be really cool–a store where designers could sell their one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture.  This may be considered more art than furniture, and could command high prices as Jason Fox is doing at Purpose Restoration.  Jason is also selling his goods on etsy.com.  I’m curious to see how he does.

Any ideas about how to get more people recycling furniture?  Email seth@goodfactories.com

Looking for new suppliers of Eco Friendly Furniture?  We have a directory of some of the best Eco Friendly Furniture Manufacturers

Iron Cost in RMB

What I really find interesting is the urgency that this factory seems to have when you compare costs to the recent raw material spikes in 2007-08.  We are still more than 50% below peak prices.  It seemed that all suppliers are quick to raise prices, but slow to drop them.  I understand their concern with recent trends not looking optimistic; but let’s hope that the speculators calm down and real business can run smoothly. (Please see the bottom of Oil Price Graph, to see how trading volume has more than tripled since 2000!)

Oil Price and Trading over time

It appears to me that this email is a marketing attempt to drive more sales over the slow summer season.  This might actually prove to be a smart approach to push companies who will be buying product in the near future.  Overall, I do believe the numbers they are relaying to us are accurate and all buyers should be aware.

Another concern I have is labor costs in China.  Currently, we are hiring another data entry position, and it seems that we will have to pay about 2400 RMB per month to hire someone with decent English writing skills.  Also, just a few months ago when we were looking for factory workers, labor wages in Guangdong had risen to around 1100-1500 RMB per month, and the total cost per month for an average factory worker now costs over 200 US Dollars.  There may have been some increase in efficiency over the years, but value-oriented experts have been buying more and more outside the developed industrial regions in China,  looking to other countries instead.  My impressions from Vietnam, Indonesia, and India were that the total cost for an average factory worker is still below 100 US Dollars.

Below is the email from the factory, World of Lights.

Dear valuable customers:

The material price dived greatly causing by financial crisis last year. After one year’s consolidation by stock market and oil price, which is slowly drive to the previous high point.

The above 4 charts are the price trend for our materials, actually, almost all the materials we need are going up in the last few months, However, all our quotation until now are still keep on the bottom on Feb. 2009 when all the material costs at the lowest point.

Copper Price Graphs

We quite understand what situation our clients are, while the financial crisis still not released completely, market just turn to be a little better, if increase the price, we know this will be a great hurt to all our clients. So from March 2009 to August 2009, our factory and our suppliers endures material slowly rise, we try out best to digest the price increasing by ourselves, Meantime, we always keep the lowest quotation same as this Feb., 2009’s while the material cost at the bottom, to assure all our clients can move forward in the crisis. But now we can see the future that we may have to endure more and more pressure.

From the attached 4 charts we can see, our material cost are continually going up, the increase percentage even up to 40% at lease for iron. Of course, we still have to keep Feb.’s lowest price in this August and September. But what we worried about is that the coming traditional midseason after Nov. and the coming year, if the material still continually go up 20%-30% again, I am afraid that we will really have no ways to endure any more, so we write this email to communicate with all our clients, if you have any purchasing schedule, we suggest you deal with the stock as soon as possible or prepare in advance. We will still keep the Feb.’s lowest price in this Aug. and Sep. Thanks!

Nickel Price Graphs

1stDibs.com

Why not look at the past to predict the future!  1stDibs is an antique website, focusing on high-end antique furniture, home décor, lighting, and has now added fashion and jewelry.  We’re constantly amazed by this website, and there is no harm in getting inspiration from 70 year-old designs that are surprisingly on trend for 2010!  Also, we recommend subscribing to their newsletters.  The writers at 1stDibs have fantastically interesting comments on different styles and how interior designers should use them today.

2modern.com

The name pretty much says it all.  This website has some of the best looking modern furniture, lighting, and home decor, on the web.  The site’s design and feel are fun, and the editors are constantly adding new modern products.  Also be sure to visit their Design Blog, which is also a fantastic source for wildly creative ideas in home furnishings.  They have “Eco Friendly” and “Made in the USA” product sections, and a newsletter + RSS Feeds.

HomePortfolio.com

Home Portfolio is the largest database for home furnishing suppliers in the USA.  This site is simple to navigate, featuring all types and styles of home furnishings to help interior designers find the right furniture for their products ( customers?).  It works like an online catalog and is really simple to use.

Tréndir.com

Tréndir is a Home Decorating Trends Magazine.  The Tréndir Interiors website has fantastic posts; and although they call themselves “modern” interiors, they also feature some beautiful traditional home furnishings.  They cover all items for the home, from bathroom hardware to outdoor living, and also cover architecture and appliances.

ElleDécor.com

The popular fashion magazine has made it easy for web users to dig through their past stories and images of products.  The PointClickHome.com website features images from both Elle Décor and Metropolitan Home.  Users can view great designs in the “Room Finder” and select the type and style of  home.  Home Furnishings can be found in the  “Decorate” tab, and housewares are in the “Entertain” tab.  Also, the blogs on this site are good: Savvy/Chic, Design Daily, Word on Modern Style, I on Design, Stylemonger, and Deal of the Day.

Thecoolhunter.co.uk

This website focuses on ground-breaking design.  Probably more for interior designers and architects, we think that everybody will enjoy the products, buildings, and fashion concepts these guys bring to a fun-to-use website.  The most relevant area is the “Design” section, which can be found on their navigation menu.  This site tends to feature the bright and exotic and is really fun.

Inmod.com

Another modern design focused retail website is Inmod.  The coolest feature here is the “Design Your Own”.  You can design your own pillows and bedding!  Overall, this site very is similar to 2modern, and they have a blog, newsletter, and RSS feed.  If you like modern, this site is a must see…

TODL.COM (Trade Only Design Library)

The Trade Only Design Library is another large database of products for home décor, furniture, and housewares.  This site is operated by the same company that sets up the HD Expo in Las Vegas, for hospitality and commercial furnishings.  While you cannot normally view this website if you enter directly, if you click this link to Hopitality Design, I have found a secret way to access the website!

Dwell.com

Dwell is a modern home magazine (print) but they also have a great website.  It has a dedicated product section, which allows users to select what to view by product category, ranging from clocks to wall coverings.

ArchitectualDigest.com

Long one of the most prestigious architecture and home design inspiration magazines (print), Architectual Digest now has a decent website that allows free access to the design features and beautiful images that have kept this magazine on the shelves for almost 90 years!  It is not as easy to navigate products on this site, as it shows the latest stories as features, but if you type in the name of the room or type of furniture into the search box, you should come up with some nice design concepts.

Last week, Walmart released a press statement that “reaffirmed its commitment to the environment, by incorporating sustainable business practices throughout the entire consumer business supply chain.”

Inhabitat has written a great overview of the system, and their opinion is “Yes. Walmart’s sustainability index may be a game changer, and it could easily have as much impact as a cap and trade program. With over (7200 worldwide retail stores), the mega-corporation has the power and reach with manufacturers worldwide to get them on board with this program.”

The goal with the Sustainable Product Index is to clarify the abundance of Green Labels that are already in the marketplace, and help consumers choose products that are more efficient, last longer, and perform better.  The system will index and quantify the sustainable attributes of a product by examining them from raw materials to disposal.  The main term is called Life Cycle Assessments, which will take into account not only the product, but also what the supplying companies are doing to monitor and reduce and improve their environmental and social impact on the world.

The Sustainable Product Index is being developed by Walmart, Arizona State University, and the University of Arkansas as an “open source” sustainability consortium that will also work with other businesses, NGOs, and governmental agencies.  Walmart emphasizes that they will not “own” the index and considers the strength in success to be its design as a globally shared and open platform tool for all.

Walmart says, “The final step of the index is to provide customers with product information in a simple, convenient, easy to understand manner so they can make choices and consume in a more sustainable way.  This will provide customers with greater transparency in to the quality and history of products than they have today.  How that information is delivered to consumers is still undermined.”

“Developing indices to reliably compare products on their environmental performance, in addition to an open source database to support this, is a key step in the transition to a green economy. The EPA is very interested in this project and will follow it closely,” said Clare Lindsay of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.”

Currently, they are asking more than 100,000 suppliers to briefly evaluate their  own companies’ sustainability, focusing on top-tier suppliers in the U.S. to complete the survey by Oct. 1^st, 2009.   The 15 questions are grouped in 4 categories: energy and climate, material efficiency, natural resources, and people and community.  You can see them here.

You can also see the whole Walmart Sustainability Index: Version 1.0 here it is a 6 page document that also includes FAQ’s, terms, and definitions.

Walmart also has a video of Mike Duke, president and CEO, Walmart Stores, Inc. explaining the sustainability index and why transparency is needed in the supply chain.

Importance of Sustainability – Walmart EVP Corp. Affairs – Leslie Dach

Sustainability Index – Walmart CEO – Mike Duke

Sustainability Index – Walmart EVP and CMO – John Fleming