B RAVO Group, South Africa’s largest furniture and sleep products manufacturer – which includes brand names such as Edblo, Sealy Posturepedic, King Koil and Slumberland, as well as lounge products under brand names such as Grafton Everest, GommaGomma, La-Z- Boy and Alpine – has said that for decades they went out into world markets to bring back the best in innovative comfort and styling for the South African market. “However, with globalisation having increased many times over, we do not sit on our laurels. Increasingly, our customers are the millennial ‘I want it now!’ generation. “We find that the China International Furniture Fair in Shanghai and the Las Vegas Furniture Exhibition in the US are the largest exhibitions of upholstered furniture applicable to the local market. “Shows such as Cologne in Germany are more fashion- forward, giving us direction into the future. Acting on such trend-spotting intelligence is key if any business is to stay agile and competitive here. “Applying trends to customers’ needs and preferences means we are working towards smaller designs to suit the ever- increasing local trend to townhouse living, for instance. “The urban aesthetic also means we look at creating cleaner lines that are less puffy but still softened and inviting. Technology has become so important to urban living, so we have added features such as power recliners and cup-coolers for home theatre use and USB charging functions as close to the fingertips as possible.” Bravo said earthy tones were more commercial in South Africa, which would be reinforced by their imminent renaissance internationally. “As always, these will be offset by a pop of fashionable colours, so we ensure the ranges we launch at our trade shows reflect both underlying trends and popular colours.” Bravo said that in applying the intelligence from their trend-spotting teams, they were aware that US trends in products, retail and customer buying patterns were most popular in local markets. “To bring the best to our customers, we monitor these trends from sourcing and manufacturing to marketing and retailing, to the satisfaction of the end user.” The New Year is set to bring with it new trends in furniture design. Kamcilla Pillay spoke to a leading manufacturer about what to expect goodLIFE Get a head start by following us on Twitter @TheMercurySA 7 J WEDNESDAY JANUARY 4, 2017 T HE MERCURY KARKLOOF CANOPY TOUR - ZIP LINE ADV Great family and team building activity for all ages. Only 1 hour from Durban. Tel: 076 241 2888 KWAZULU-NATAL SHARKS BOARD: Show times and dissection Tel: 031 566 0400 Tues, Wed. & Thurs. At 09h00 & 14h00. First Sun. Of each month at 14h00. Closed on P/H. “FATHOMS” curio shop: Mon. - Fri. 08h30 - 16h00 & first Sun. Popular early morning. 2hr boat trip off Dbn for a shark net experience. T’s & C’s apply. Booking Essential. 082 403 9206 www.shark.co.za PHEZULU SAFARI PARK: Tel: 031 777 1000 Zulu Village Tour and Dance Show, 10am, 11.30am, 2pm, 3.30pm. Reptile Park hourly tours. Creature Cave - Kids tour 10.00. Venomous Snake demo 12.30 Weekends Game Park hourly drives. TANDEM SKYDIVING: Tel: 072 214 6040 Do a tandem skydive with an instructor. 35 second free fall. Gift voucher available. www.skydivedurban.co.za SALT ROCK HOTEL: Tel: 032 525 5025 North Coast. Pensioners’ lunch every Fri. Weekend special All rooms sea-facing. www.saltrockbeach.co.za HELICOPTER TOURS: Tel: 031 564 6215 Scenic helicopter flights over Durban with KZN Aviation. COUNTRY PURSUITS – Clay Pigeon Shooting & more, Nottingham Road: 082 229 0245 WHITE WATER RAFTING: Tel: 082 494 5660 Just 90 mins from Durban or [email protected] JANUARY HORSE RACING: TEL 031 314 1500 Scottsville: 07, 15 , 29 Greyville: 06 (n),13 (n) , 20 (n), 22 (n) , 27 (n),28 (n) THE STABLES LIFESTYLE MARKET Open Wed & Fri 6pm to 10pm and Sun 10am to 5pm. Jacko Jackson Dr. Tel 031 312 3058 Extended Festive Trading 20th Dec to 4 Jan Mon to Sat 6pm and Sun 10am to 5pm (excl 25th & 31st Dec.) OM/12/10520797 Justin 031 308 2525 Debbie 031 308 2526 From buttery shades to vivid golds: It’s clear that yellow is the colour we should be including in our bedrooms. Kamcilla Pillay looked at Cape Town-based Linen House’s predictions for this year’s trends LINEN House was founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 1993 and Linen House South Africa has been established for more than 10 years. “Highly regarded as one of the most innovative suppliers of home textiles in both the New Zealand and Australian markets and offering a range of products that includes duvet covers, sheet sets, towels and co-ordinating accessories, Linen House supplies a variety of brands to both major and independent retailers,” said the brand on its website. These designs incorporated the latest textile technologies to develop fashion-orientated print, jacquard, applique and embroidered bed linen, they said. “We are very passionate about our products.” As a wholesaler, the company sells to retailers but not directly to the public. “For that reason we do not have a showroom for retail customers to view our products. If you would like to view them we ask you to visit one of our stockists.” Stockists can be contacted at [email protected]. Don’t forget to mention your location. “Your home says a lot about you. It captures your soul, the essence of who you are. We try to create a breadth of stunning looks for you to choose from.” Above are some ways the brand has incorporated the “yellow trend” into their collections. PACEY YELLOW Featuring a speciality weave and a contemporary design, Pacey is immediately appealing in its simplicity and soft feel. The duvet cover and pillowcases feature cord piping trim and the reverse is perfectly plain. Complete the look with matching continental pillowcases and cushion. ALITA PASTEL Modern luxury, this satin jacquard fabric features borders of tile pattern and geometrics woven in neutral greys and blue with an accent of sunny yellow. Shown with the co-ordinating continental pillowcases. The design features a printed reverse and cord piping trim. VALMONT BLACK Smart geometric borders and contemporary fashion colours combine in this woven jacquard design. Printed percale reverse and piping trim. Shown with matching continental pillowcases. VARADO BLACK Soft golds and greys are a smart combination of colours for this elegant patterned border design. Woven in luxury jacquard fabric, the reverse is printed with a tile pattern geometric and the duvet cover and pillowcase are finished with a cord piping. A splash of yellow in this season’s bedrooms Luxury bedding is expected to be big in 2017. Darker timber tones are key to creating a more inviting space. A pop of colour can help lift a room. Seat yourself down and check new furniture designs Their predictions for 2017: ● Upholstered headboards: This is part of the continuing trend to spin out features of luxury hotels to the home. ● Modular furnishing: Expanding townhouse living means furniture must multitask for work and relaxation, with softer silhouettes and restful colours. ● Move to luxury bedding: As consumers realise the health benefits of a great night's sleep. ● Palette accents: Top palettes are grey walls and monochrome fabrics or terracotta, cork and darker timber tones. For either palette, green continues as a strong accent from last season, sometimes interspersed with blue. ● Kick back: In reaction to our high-tech digital age, nature elements such as feather motifs are featuring in urban settings and home planning provides reading and conversation areas for a digital detox. ● Danish drive: Europe particularly is falling in love with the Danish hygge concept – all about comfortable minimalism with rustic elements in an urban world.