- HIGH POINT — Headlines documenting global disruptions are ubiquitous for the first quarter of 2026, prompting countless on and off-the-record discussions about what’s next for the furniture industry. For some, geopolitical ramifications are impacting forward-facing strategies. For others, the necessity of maintaining focus on factors that can be controlled is top of mind.
In an exclusive interview with Furniture Today, Gabriele Natale, president of Manwah, shared his thoughts on how the furniture industry will evolve over the next few years and how that evolution supports continued growth for companies with a sound strategy in place.
“Over the past six years the furniture industry has been operating in what can only be described as a permanent state of disruption,” said Natale. “The pandemic, supply-chain bottlenecks, raw-material inflation, container shortages, geopolitical tensions, tariffs and now shifting global demand patterns have fundamentally changed the operating environment.”
With the six-year aniversary of the official “start” of the pandemic shutdown just days away, Natale said that, for many companies, these disruptions exposed structural weaknesses that were masked during years of stable growth. Noting that he believes the furniture industry is in a constant state of adjustment, Natale explained that there is also opportunity that accompanies disruption.
“The past six years have reinforced a fundamental principle: Resilience in this industry comes from efficiency, scale and operational control,” he said. “Companies that invested in those areas before disruption hit are far better positioned to navigate volatility. Those that did not are finding it increasingly difficult to recover.
“At Manwah, we have always maintained a strong focus on cost management, vertical integration and operational efficiency, and that discipline pays dividends in periods like the one we are currently navigating,” continued Natale. “Because we control critical parts of the manufacturing process — pouring our own foam, producing our wood frames, cutting and sewing covers, and assembling mechanisms — we have a level of cost visibility and flexibility that allows us to adjust quickly when conditions change.”
In 2025,Manwah acquired Suthern Motion, and the company is preparing to debut its new domestic product at the spring High Point Market. Against a background industry topic of “what if it never goes back to the way it was,” Natale said that the assumption that there was a stable “way it was” to begin with is misguided.
“In reality, our industry has always operated in a constant state of adjustment,” he said. “Take the consumer side. American consumers have been trained for decades to shop events. Whether it’s Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Black Friday or a store anniversary sale, the buying behavior has always been tied to promotional moments.
“When there isn’t a natural event on the calendar, retailers simply create one. That’s not new; it has been the playbook for a very long time. Because of that, furniture retail has never been a static, status-quo business.”
Whether driving traffic through promotions, storytelling or perceived urgency, the calendar events have always set the rhythm, according to Natale, adding that “the rest of the year, retailers manufacture their own rhythm.”
“When people say things will ‘never go back,’ my response is that this is exactly the way it has always been, a dynamic market where retailers constantly create reasons for consumers to engage,” he said. “The companies that succeed are the ones that accept that reality and operate efficiently within it, rather than waiting for some mythical period of stability to return.”
Positioning for future consumers
Along with extensive discourses on disruption, many leaders in the furniture industry are focused on anticipating future consumer demand and demographics, whether regarding aging populations, transfer of wealth or expectations of sustainability, authenticity or all of the above.
Natale said that although he does believe changes in consumer behavior are inevitable, he also doesn’t think those changes translate into decreased demand.
“From a macroeconomic and demographic standpoint, the concern is understandable, but the conclusion that demand must shrink simply because populations age or stabilize is not supported by historical consumption patterns. First, furniture demand has never been driven purely by population growth. It is driven by household formation, housing turnover and lifestyle change. Even in countries with flat or declining populations — Japan and parts of Western Europe are good examples — furniture demand persists because people continue to move, renovate, redecorate and upgrade their living environments.”
When homes change hands, families split into smaller households or interiors are refreshed, furniture purchases are triggered, Natale continued. Add in the coming intergenerational wealth transfer that is estimated globally to be in the tens of trillions of dollars over the next two decades, and a situation is created that “will actually stimulate consumption rather than suppress it,” he said.
“When younger households inherit assets such as homes or money, they typically renovate, remodel and refurnish those spaces to match their own tastes and lifestyles. In practice, inherited furniture rarely remains untouched; most consumers replace at least a portion of it.”
The notion that younger consumers are fundamentally anti-consumption is an overstated one, Natale said. He counters that what younger consumers have embraced is value-aligned consumption: sustainability, durability and transparency.
“This does not eliminate demand; it changes the product mix,” he noted. “Instead of disposable goods, the market shifts toward better-designed, longer-lasting, more responsibly produced furniture. In other words, demand becomes more selective but not necessarily smaller.”
Each current consumer demographic presents unique opportunities for the furniture industry, Natale said. An aging population supports furniture demand for comfort seating, adjustable beds, ergonomic living environments and technology-integrated products, while younger urban consumers are forming smaller, but more numerous households, which increases the number of living spaces even if the total population growth slows.
Adding that housing economics are the single largest driver of furniture demand, Natale said that as homes are built, sold, renovated and rented, the furniture industry will continue to cycle.
“The industry historically grows roughly in line with housing activity and disposable income, not strictly with population numbers,” he said. “So, while the demographic shift will certainly reshape what consumers buy, it does not imply a structural collapse in demand. The more likely scenario is a shift from purely price-driven furniture toward comfort, wellness, sustainability and technology integration.
“In short, the market will evolve, but the fundamental driver remains unchanged: People continue to live in homes, and homes continue to require furniture.”
