Technology brings whole new dimension to the home

With the rise of wireless electronic devices in the home, more manufacturers are specializing in furniture with multiple purposes that often match behavior with technology.

Tens of thousands of new products were introduced last fall at the High Point Market in High Point, N.C., the world’s largest furnishing industry trade show, and multifunctional items were the hottest things on the market. “We’re not talking about pieces that can move from this room to that room. We’re talking about pieces that can do something closer to transforming,” said Michelle Lamb, editorial director of the Trend Curve in Minneapolis. “Think about a low cocktail table that becomes a desk. Or it becomes a charging station for your iPod or your laptop computer.”

Several of these furnishings come from Phoenix-based aspenhome, such as the Liv360 line of multifunctional furniture, which includes upholstered chairs with laptop trays, a nightstand with a pull-out tray to work on or serve breakfast in bed, and cocktail tables with a lift-top work surface and accessory drawers.

Another favorite from the High Point Market for Gefen came from Howard Miller’s Ty Pennington line of Lifestyle Storage products. The line provides clever ways to store items for everyday use, from hallway organizers with slide-out white boards and charging stations for cell phones and electronics to the Everything Cart, which features pull-out garment rods, a makeup station with AC power supply and access to everything else you need for the bathroom.

Lamb points to Stanleytown, Va.-based Stanley Furniture’s Coastal Living Collection as offering multi-functional furniture and accessories.

“One of the pieces I thought was quite interesting was a desk with a drop-down lid, and inside of the desk was an organizer made of wood,” she said. “There is a charging station for the laptop or cell phone on the organizer. It’s all part of people integrating technology and behavior into product.”