Hardwood Floors December 2019/January 2020

DESIGNER INSIGHTS INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

THE STATE OF Interior Design 2020

BIGSTOCK ©

For now, we must survive this phase, becoming stronger and wiser as a result. Whenever we feel pressured or pinched in one area, it’s human nature to look around for other areas that might be less “painful.” Let me refer you to the book “Who Moved My Cheese,” a book about two mice living in a maze named “Sniff” and “Scurry” who had to figure out what to do when their cheese was moved. It’s a worthwhile book to read and doing so could help you think differently in order to better anticipate, acknowledge, and adjust to change in order to turn your changes into “positives” in your own business and life. If we people are smarter than Sniff and Scurry, we need to look to find out where the cheese has been moved. In our story, the “cheese” (the consumer’s desire for hardwood flooring) has not only moved, it is shrinking. Why? It’s complicated. It isn’t a quick and easy

There is a great deal of frustration in hardwood flooring due to the market share being eroded by the consumer’s current crush on vinyl and composite core surfaces. I have been watching wood-look-alikes nibble away at actual hardwood for some time. It’s due in part to howmuch easier it is to sell something that is flat, mostly plastic, water-repellent, less expensive, easy to install, and easy to clean. When I refer to this phase as the “Consumer’s Current Crush,” it is just that simple, and hopefully as short-lived as a crush. Crushes can lead to either delight or disappointment, and in this case, we can expect the latter. It’s worth noting there are centuries of proof of our innate love for authentic hardwood floors, and I believe that once homeowners see how dull and lifeless (and inauthentic) their fake floors are, they are going to be dying to replace it with an upgrade of hardwood floors.

Henry Ford once said “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” Due to requests for more design-related intel and insights, let us dive deeper into the subject of the interior design trade and how it relates to our hardwood flooring world. In October, I spoke on this topic at the NWFA Manufacturers Assembly in Nashville.

20 hardwood floors www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com