Pantone’s Color of the Year is not the only highly anticipated announcement every year. North America’s favorite paint and color brand – Benjamin Moore, gathers a lot of attention too and for good reason. Benjamin Moore is a big influencer in the design industry and it recently announced its Color of the Year 2019 as Metropolitan AF-690. The Metropolitan AF-690 is a stylish grey hue with cool undertones. With the two big announcements of 2019 Colors of the Year, the textile and manufacturing mills have already started to churn out products in Pantone’s living coral and Benjamin Moore’s grey shade. Come to think of it, the two colors work great together – the grey adds a certain coolness to a space which can be topped up with a splash of living coral color pop.

The Metropolitan AF-690 exudes effortless sophistication and beauty, while being comforting to the eyes. The color is understated yet glamorous. It’s not bold but balanced nevertheless, creating a soothing aura around it. Due to the color’s neutral spectrum, the calming grey can easily be blended into one’s contemporary or traditional interior design. The grey shade works well with other neutral colors as well as with reflective metallics. Easy to add to the kitchen, the entryway and work spaces.

Sklar Furnishings, a contemporary and modern furniture retailer, has some beautiful furnishing pieces in the complimentary color palette. The Alchemy King Bed would make a stunning and comfortable addition to any contemporary room. If making changes to the living room is more up your alley, then Eva Due Sofa and Sectional is the perfect modular seating option for your needs of comfort and keeping up with the color trends.

Keeping up with the yearly new trends does not have to be expensive or require an entire revamp. Look to make small changes by changing home accent pieces and adding in some new pillows and cushions like the Caymen Pillow which comes in a stylish black and grey shade. The Jackrabbit Silver Sculpture by Lunares is a gorgeous and fun example of a home accent piece in the trending color of the year.

Bid farewell to the provocative and thoughtful Ultra Violet and welcome the vibrant and effervescent Living Coral. The super buoyant and life-affirming hue Living Coral has been named the Pantone Color of the Year for 2019, and is going to have an omnipresent effect over the next 12 months in the design industry. Living Coral is a color that evokes the beauty and grace of marine life; with awareness of the danger to reefs and marine life, and the threat of extinction, the selection of the color is timely.

The color brings forth the subtle reminder of the lively coral reefs. A color taken entirely from the marine world has a vibrant and fresh appeal that works well in one’s wardrobe, home and other living spaces. Living Coral has unofficially been called salmon pink, but don’t get confused – even the slightest hue change can make a huge difference in the color.

Sklar Furnishing has some beautiful home decoration and furnishing units in the Living Coral color. The Disco Area Rug is a beautiful rug that lives up to its name with its retro shapes and color pops; Aqua Creation’s Horn Floor Lamp is another beautiful example of a home accent in the bright hue. The lamp looks just as beautiful off as it does when it’s on and glowing.

The Pantone Color of the Year has a huge influence in the fashion and home industry as it gradually paves its way into trends throughout the industries. It won’t be long before one starts seeing a multitude of clothing offerings, throws, pillows and home accents in the Living Coral color. This year’s color is the ideal shade for an accent wall, and a perfect bright complement against the gray, light blue, and ivory background of a contemporary bedroom or a living room.

Sustainability is a word you hear a lot about in today’s world. The furniture industry is seeing an increased demand for sustainable and ethical products. Sklar Furnishings is looking to become an industry leader by driving change right here in our Showroom through the partners we choose to work with to the trees we’re planting.

Our leadership at Sklar has persistently prioritized environmental action where possible, from building upgrades, HVAC and Lighting technology investments, and exceeding all requirements for recycling and waste reduction. Change always starts at home and our own actions in our showroom in Boca Raton, FL. We’re excited to share what we’ve done over the years to impact change right at home.

One area that is obviously a passion for Sklar is beautifully crafted and designed furnishings for the entire home. For years we’ve incorporated sustainable furniture into our product mix by purchasing products that use recycled materials, or sustainably forested trees and ethically and sustainably processed hides for leather finishing’s. Now more than ever, we’re actively looking for companies who can deliver on style, quality, price and sustainable products and have no shortage of amazing partners who hit all these criteria. Brands such as American Leather, Huppe, Il Loft, Trica and Reflex, are really pushing the industry forward and we’re proud to carry their product lines.

Since 2012, Sklar has donated trees for every wood-based product we sell. Since that time, we’re proud to say we’ve planted over 5,000 trees in Florida, to help replenish and rejuvenate the wood that’s removed for the products our consumers cherish and use daily.  This small but important step helps keep the industry thriving, while being conscientious of the impact our purchases can make.

We feel strongly that consumer action is the fastest way to evoke change and the latest study released by the Sustainable Furnishings Council has shown shifts in consumer demand. While the most important consideration for consumers leading to purchase is still “style”, 90% of those surveyed said they’d pay up to 10% more for a furniture product that was sustainably produced or environmentally sourced. Never before has price, which strongly influences a purchase decision, been reconsidered when environmental factors are considered. This shift in perception and ultimately behaviour is exactly what can influence change upstream, through retailers directly to manufacturers. The importance of sustainability has doubled over the course of 8 years of the study!

Seeing change both within the industry as well as with consumers gives us great hope for the future of the furnishings business and with the help of our amazing clients and suppliers, Sklar commits to be at the forefront of the movement to further enhance and improve upon our past successes. Stay tuned for more on the topic throughout our series.

A monochromatic theme for home decor is all about simplicity and elegance. The understanding of the monochromatic style is often restricted to the use of one color, thus giving this design style a monotonous or a boring perspective. While monochromatic design style is about one color tone, it is more than that. It’s about using a single base color and its different shades, hues and tints. The monochromatic style starts with a single hue and the derivatives of the color are used to design the room. The thought of designing a home with only one color might be intimidating, however the result is an elegant and gorgeous aesthetic.

How to work a monochromatic design style:

A monotone color palette

Start building a monotone color palette by picking a base color, and then moving on to create lighter and darker variants of the color. An important thing to keep in mind while working on a monochromatic design style is contrast. By using a sharp contrast you will eliminate the feeling of everything fading into a singular background. A good example of a monotone color palette in a room can be seen when Sulley Comfort Sleeper and Pebbles Area Rug are used together. Both of these modern furnishing units play with the dark blue color tones.

Start from the ground up

The foundation to any room lays in starting from the ground up. You can set the overall tone of a room by using flooring and carpeting as the base and building on different hues and tones in the remainder of the room space. For example, using the Granada Area Rug will point your attention to the orange as the base color, on which you can build the room by bringing in the Finn Chaise and Zooid Wall Light.

Use shiny surfaces

Shiny objects like mirrors, chandeliers, sculptures and vases add a sense of glamor and elegance even to the most minimal rooms. The shiny objects help in breaking the room’s stark and crisp monochrome effect. Sheherazade Suspension Light and Tonelli Stati D’Animo Mirror are beautiful examples of the shiny furniture units to add a little bling to your monochrome style.

Every year the Sherwin-Williams color and design team travels the world to find most fashionable design trends, and discover how colors influence the way we feel in our homes.

“We believe 2019 will be a renaissance of the 1970s—with a twist. In the coming year, we will embrace our pioneering spirits and artisan ingenuity,” says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing, Sherwin-Williams. “Our 2019 Color of the Year, Cavern Clay, embodies renewal, simplicity and free-spirited, bohemian flair.”

Who wouldn’t want to feel more free-spirited? The other good news is that this warm, terra cotta color brings out the best in both contemporary and mid-century modern furnishings, making it a welcoming color choice for dining rooms and living rooms alike. Decorating with Cavern Clay’s terra cotta color is a great way to bring the warmth of the sun indoors, making every room it touches feel cozy and inviting, while evoking an energizing, modern vibe.

Try pairing it with other modern neutrals – think avocado, clove and crisp white, to create a clean, modern look. Use it to warm up your whole room or as a bold accent color. Pair against a backdrop of a Cavern Clay feature wall. Add stylish terra cotta cushions such as the Sunkiss Pillow. Relax on a terra-cotta patterned ottoman and throw in an abstract or bohemian area rug with terra cotta accents, such as the Granada or Starck Area Rug to make your living or family room feel both snug and sophisticated.

Spice up the kitchen

Step up your style with a copper pendant light to give your kitchen more pizazz.

This terra cotta shade is so versatile, it can add earthy elegance to any space it brushes with warm, enticing color.

In the middle of our 22,000 square foot showroom, you’ll find the Sklar design library, with thousands of fabric samples for our furniture, and even finishing details like window coverings, trimmings, flooring and wall coverings.

Every six months the Pantone Color Institute unveils the latest color trends for the upcoming seasons and we’re excited to bring these new tones in our showroom. We source our modern furniture fabrics and leathers to give you a myriad of creative color options, to ensure your furnishings reflect your personal style, with a color palette that’s perfectly put together and on trend.

Moving away from the stark, minimalist colors of the past, the new season brings a palette of warm autumn colors and rich jewel tones with backdrops of subtle, sophisticated classics and modern neutrals. Here are the top new colors from the Pantone Color Report!

JUICY JEWEL TONES

• Red Pear – A deep, sumptuous red, as warming as a fine wine.
• Valiant Poppy – A sophisticated burst of brilliance that can make any room bloom.
• Nebulas Blue – A bright, modern take on traditional Greek Blue.
• Ultra Violet – This ultra-versatile indigo plays both ways, making everything it touches look lavishly luxurious or breathtakingly bold.
• Quetzal Green – A deep peacock green, this color adds glamour and grace, as its richness and grandeur unfold.
• Sargasso Sea – A dark, boundless blue that can serve to anchor other pieces – as a wall color or as a bold accent.

AUTUMN HUES

• Ceylon Yellow – Spice up any room with this exotic blend of warm yellow with a soupçon of chartreuse.
• Russet Orange – Russet Orange brings the warmth and richness of autumn leaves and earthen elegance into your home.
• Limelight – Imagine the forest at golden hour. Add a touch of effervescent green, and let any piece of contemporary furniture bask in the limelight.
• Meerkat – Like the animal bearing its name, this toasty tobacco color plays well with others. Pair it with opposites like Quetzal teal green, or blend let it blend in with warm autumn reds and orange.

For a big “wow” factor, combine these vivid colors against understated neutrals to give traditional or modern furniture the spotlight. Or use one bold stand-alone color in solids and prints, to make a dramatic statement.

THE NEW NEUTRALS

• Crocus Petal – Who said light lavender couldn’t be the new neutral? This airy, growing trend sets off both oak and leather furnishings beautifully.
• Martini Olive – For a deeper neutral, drink in the smooth sophistication of this urbane, earthy green.
• Tofu – Tofu is a soft, creamy white that’s at home with either ornate Asian or sleek, modern furniture.
• Almond Buff – A warm camel hue with understated versatility. Set off blues, teals, reds and orange with equal aplomb.
• Quiet Gray – It looks like gray is here to stay. But for a modern twist, try pairing it with Russet Orange or Sargasso Sea.

For more design ideas visit the Sklar Furnishings showroom, or get inspired right here, on our website.

Sklar Furnishings understands the need for diverse options when it comes to choosing the right style for your space. And for those looking for an eco-friendly option to genuine leather, consider Eco Pelle.

Eco Pelle is the Italian equivalent of “eco-friendly leather” and is made of either polyethylene or polyurethane. While many people hold the misconception that faux leather is of poor quality and not durable Eco Pelle is a man-made leather that is very high in quality and environmentally friendly.

Some added benefits of Eco Pelle:

1. It’s a strong material that is durable and long lasting.
2. Because of it’s versatility, it can be produced in a variety of colors and textures.
3. The color can be easily controlled which requires less labor making it less expensive.
4. It’s easy to clean and is stain resistant.

Sklar is proud to offer an extensive choice of alternative solutions that can be adapted to the needs of any project or preference. Far from a downgrade, the eco-buyer will surely love this Eco Pelle alternative.

You don’t have to compromise on luxury to be part of the eco-conscious movement. As consumers increase demand for environmentally friendly products, designers are finding creative ways to meet the eco appeal that satisfies both the environment and the high end furniture industry. If you’re looking for recycled materials to be the feature of your space, then consider these creative pieces.

Who says retired materials can’t be refreshed and become the focal point of a room? With classic Italian designs like the Vanessa Dining set, it’s possible. The table is sophisticated and simple, high end and contemporary, and made from recycled and stratified multi-layered wood. The transparent oval glass reveals the bold repurposed wood, enhancing its earth appeal. It’s a monument piece in sustainable living and interior design, and the prime focus for any dining room setting.

The living room is one of the most-used rooms in a home, and the sofa is an essential centerpiece to warm up the space and make it a place that you will enjoy entertaining guests. The Calcutta Sectional Sofa wrapped in poly-foam is made from recycled materials. Strong, durable, with little maintenance required, beyond its environmental standards, its high quality, high end finish is a must, especially if you have children or pets. Design your space around this unique and sustainable furniture piece.

Interest in recycled furnishing elements and materials are on the rise and our goal at Sklar Furnishings is to not only meet the interest, but provide quality furniture that is skilfully crafted and contemporary in design.

It is that time of year when all of us who are passionate about fashion, design and furnishings converge on High Point North Carolina to see what our vendors have created for us. Trust me, it can be a daunting (but fun) task navigating through the new products and choosing what will excite your particular client.

My top five trends that popped out at me

1) Fabrics, fabrics and more fabrics.

Almost without exception every vendor had a fabulous new array of coverings – velvet was huge and shown in rich and muted tones. Performance fabrics such as Crypton and Sunbrella are impossible to distinguish from couture ones. The hand (how it feels “to the hand”) is rich and soft. Better still they tailor beautifully. The principle of one of our Canadian companies wore a different colored velvet dress every day to show their selection. We saw a couple of vendors with the new washable leather. Creative – it is, after all, about fashion.

2) Furniture that is truly assembled to your specifications and not just what color will you cover it in.

We saw this in several places. Usually you start with the frame, choose an arm style, the back height, foam or down in the seats, leg style, depth of the seat and finally the color. It is almost like going back to the days when Dad had his suit custom tailored. We have bought into this and hope it will be a huge hit.

3) The color blue was so everywhere it almost became blasé!

The Europeans used it more as an accent to the taupe and greys – the North Americans are using it as a main primary color. The hues range from turquoise to blue black. The accent colors are orange, citron, pink and red. I feel when blue is used here it is very strong. The accessories and artwork reflected this “blue” trend as well.

4) The use of technology.

This may seem like a reach for a fashion/design trend but almost every manufacturer has updated their websites and POP to help both the consumer and the retailer be aware of everything from who designed the product to the dimensions to what fabrics work and look good on the frame. High Point even had a “My Market” app. All are offering us better ways of teaching and educating the customer so when they come in the showroom they know what to expect.

5) Back to the 70’s and 80’s “family room comfortable”.

We saw so many sectionals that looked very beautiful and when you sat in them they were incredibly comfortable. Many are modular or offer the ability to move the back around or forward. Seating is catering to relaxation, comfort and family time.

The market was well attended by optimistic buyers and manufacturers undaunted by pouring rain, cold temps and high winds. The market authority put on a wonderful show – the weather they can’t control. As always it was a wonderful opportunity to cement the friendships and partnerships we enjoy.

Twice per year, color authority Pantone releases a hotly anticipated report predicting color trends for the coming six months. Pantone Color Reports draw inspiration from trends in the fashion world and are an invaluable guide for designers and design lovers.

The Spring 2017 Color Report evokes freshness, renewal, and health. It features the Pantone Color of the Year, Greenery, accompanied by a selection of nine other dynamic shades sure to combine in interesting ways.

“One of the things that we saw this year, was a renewed sense of imagination in which color was appearing in context that was different than the traditional,” writes Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, in the official forecast announcement at pantone.com. “Reminiscent of the hues that surround us in nature, our Spring 2017 Fashion Color Report evokes a spectrum of emotion and feeling. From the warmth of sunny days with PANTONE 13-0755 Primrose Yellow to the invigorating feeling of breathing fresh mountain air with PANTONE 18-0107 Kale and the desire to escape to pristine waters with PANTONE 14-4620 Island Paradise, designers applied color in playful, yet thoughtful and precise combinations to fully capture the promises, hope and transformation that we yearn for each Spring.”

Getting the Spring look by introducing accessories and accents in this season’s big colors.

Primrose Yellow 13-075 – Sunny, optimistic Primrose Yellow brings all the light and fun you’d expect to the springtime palette.

Pale Dogwood 13-1404 – Pale Dogwood is a peaceful pale pink that recalls new blossoms and practically radiates calm.

Hazelnut 14-1315 – Neutrals are moving in some interesting directions this year, with ever-popular greys and grieges taking a backseat. Could subtle, gentle Hazelnut be the neutral for you?

Island Paradise 14-4620 – Luminous Island Paradise is a tropical blue-green that invites the viewer to dive right in.

Greenery 15-0343 – Pantone’s Color of the Year 2017 is a refreshing, optimistic color, intended to set the viewer thinking about new beginnings and the joys of the great outdoors.

Lapis Blue 19-4045 – Lapis Blue, like the stone from which it takes its name, virtually glows with rich, deep tones.

Kale 18-0107 – Kale is a robust green which is more reserved than Greenery, but still suggests the health-giving properties of time spent in nature.

Niagara 17-4123 – Niagara is a calm and relaxed blue, reminiscent of deep water and fresh denim.

Pink Yarrow 17-2034 – Vibrant and fearless, Pink Yarrow echoes the bold beauty of its namesake flower.

Flame 17-1462 – Red-orange Flame rounds off the Spring 2017 palette with an infusion of heat and spice.