Robin Campbell, marketing services manager for Young America, Stanley Furniture Co.’s youth furniture brand, agrees and also attributes the evolution to young people’s increased exposure to design trends.
“I think they’re just more demanding in what they want ... They know what they want, and they want it now.”
This is so much so that a recent survey by the American Home Furnishings Alliance showed that, children's taste is one of the biggest influences behind parent's buying kids furniture, joint top with price. Both coming in front of function.
What many kids want is choice in their bedroom furniture. This is obvious, as in ever thing children have now a days is down to choice, from customisable trainers to personalised chocolates. Choice is becoming more and more common in youth furniture.
Andrea Berryman, who owns the store Cribs to Kids in Hudson, Ohio comments, “They want to customize ... They want to be able to order it (furniture) in cherry, maple, white." All of their furniture is available in at least four, and as many as 20 finishes.
In the UK we have seen similar things with another new line of kids bedroom furniture and objects with the Build-A-Bear product range where customers can design and create their own teddy bears.
The good thing about this type of customisation from a parents point a view, is that colours can be changed easily as the children grow with their furniture. Pink and lavender drawer fronts can become plain white someday, making the furniture suitable for a guest room or a first apartment. Traditional designs but with personalised colours allow the change from teenager bedroom to guest bedroom to be as simple as buying new drawers. Parents are looking for timeless furniture that will remain useful long after their offspring have left childhood behind.
Source: www.miamiherald.com
