Las Vegas furniture market: goes dark & dramatic: at the Summer Las Vegas Market, two-toned furniture shows its warmth, while colors help court the young consumer market.

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Despite Las Vegas' steamy July temperatures, the Summer 2007 Las Vegas Market exceeded 50,000 registered attendees, according to World Market Center, and included an increase in Top 100 retailers, first-time buyers and international buyers.

In addition to being able to shop more than 1,300 home furnishings manufacturers in World Market Center Buildings A and B, the Pavilions and the Sands Expo and Convention Center, market-goers were able to: check out new products and trends at the Design & Living Pavilion, a juried showcase of products from new companies; visit the Living Green Pavilion, which featured sustainable furniture; attend educational seminars; and relax at a variety of after-market events.

Attendees also got a glimpse of World Market Center Building C, which is scheduled to open in July 2008. The 16-floor, 2.1-miLLion-square-foot Building C will house more than 400 showrooms, including those of several high-end furniture manufacturers, such as Sligh Furniture and Lexington Home Brands, which is known for such brands as Liz Claiborne Home, Palmer Home, Bob Timberlake and the recently Launched Trump Home Collection.

Market Showings Prove Twice as Nice

Black finishes--distressed and matte--continue to be popular for Cottage-inspired collections and accent pieces. "Every room can use a touch of black," said Joseph Boehm, Senior Interior Design Editor for Better Homes & Gardens magazine, during a tour of the Better Homes and Gardens furniture collection at Universal Furniture's World Market Center showroom.

Wood tones, meanwhile, continue to move away from the dark coffee colors popular several seasons ago and toward warmer shades, such as cherry.

For consumers who like both black and cherry finishes, a number of furniture manufacturers introduced collections with two-tone finishes. Riverside Furniture, for example, unveiled a black-and-cherry home office group called Summit. It includes several desks, a computer credenza, an L-shaped computer workstation, a rite cabinet and hutches. Universal Furniture added casual dining to its two-tone Brentwood collection. The seven-piece group includes a side chair, an armchair, a rectangular table, a sideboard and a hutch. Broyhill Furniture's new Tradewinds Collection comprises casual dining, home entertainment and occasional pieces that feature cathedral cherry veneers on Asian hardwoods and come in a black-and-cherry finish with a natural woven rattan element.

Colors Pack a Punch

At the ColorWatch seminar, Christine Chow of The Color Assn. also predicted the rise of "full-spectrum" palettes, wherein consumers will possess the confidence to decorate with a greater variety and intensity of colors.

Thanks to color palettes such as the association's Indian Market (which includes mango, wheat yellows and saturated hues) and what Chow called the "palate palette" (pepper reds and spicy yellows inspired by the foodie movement), expect to see a lot more color in the home.

Bright Chinese reds, of course, have been evident for some time now, especially from manufacturers that wear their Asian influences on their sleeves. But now companies such as CR-Home and Pulaski Furniture are getting into the color mix--and mixing it up with canary yellows and raspberry reds.

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Pulaski Furniture's showroom display for accents, which included 78 new items, was a lively color trend report unto itself, with Chinese reds, canary yellows and thyme greens.

Pulaski Vice President of Accents Dallas George, who described the palette as "ready-to-wear colors," said that the company views such bold accents as ideal pieces for young consumers who are starting to Look beyond the IKEA home furnishings landscape.

CR-Home's InColor program by Peters-Revington program 13 colors that provide, according to its tagline, "More than 300 ways to make it your own." Consumers who want to mix up their decor can choose from such shades as Soft White to vibrant Honeydew to a cheeky Teaberry.

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Editor's note: The following article is courtesy of Furniture Style magazine, part of Vance Publishing's Interiors Media Network. For additional articles on the show, visit www.FurnitureStyle.com.