Rustic furniture offers homey feel

Pauline Bell

Wednesday, June 26, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

OUT with the new, in with the old. That's the latest fashion word when it comes to home decorating.

"The excess of the '80s left people with a need to get back to the basics or warmth. In the '90s, they want homes they can really call their sanctuaries, cocoons that evoke relaxation and comfort," said Las Vegas interior designer Leslie Parraguirre.

"There is such a trend in dual-income families today -- the women try to be like Hillary Clinton during the day and June Cleaver in the evening. They want to come home to something that really does feel like home," said Parraguirre, owner of Colours at 911 N. Buffalo Drive.

They're looking to the past to try to reclaim that homey feeling. The rustic Mexican look was prevalent at the recent Las Vegas Furniture and Decorative Accessory Market conducted at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

Shown were distressed woods crafted into furniture designs dating back to colonial times, hand-forged iron and glass accessories like lamps and candle holders and antique painted furniture.

The market was attended by 500 exhibitors and 4,000 designers and furniture buyers from across the country. "This market is how small retailers stay on top of trends, styles and colors. It is a gauge of what consumers will soon be seeing in the stores," said Larry Karel, president of Karel Exposition Management of Hollywood, Fla., the show's producer.

"Why should you go to Mexico when we can bring Mexico to you?" asked Sandy Balber, vice president of sales for Casa Rustica, a furniture manufacturer based in El Paso, Texas.

The company, which plans to open a distribution center in Southern Nevada before the end of the year, has an extensive line of furniture made of wormwood -- wood inhabited by worms which leave marks (in the trade it's called a distressed look).

"We buy old haciendas and other old buildings and strip the wood," said Balber. It is fumigated to make sure the worms are gone. Hand forged iron hardware is rusted to add to the rustic look.

Casa Rustica has 750 items in its furniture line including desks; cupboards; cabinets; dining, coffee and occasional tables; bars; accessories; iron furniture; home entertainment centers; secretaries; sofas; chairs; bookcases; trunks; cradles; night stands; headboards; stools; benches; armoires and consoles.

Balber doesn't think the rustic look will go out of style anytime soon. "It's been around a couple of hundred years. I know it will be around for my lifetime at least."

Allan Suare, president of Concepto Rustico Internacional's U.S. showroom in Costa Mesa, Calif., says a desire to go back to being with family is prompting the rustic trend.

Rustic can be accentuated with iron and glass accessories such as tables and candle holders. These accessories also go well with contemporary styling because of the clean lines, he said.

Parraguirre recently returned from "Design in the Desert," a seminar in Arizona where she caught up on the latest colors and trends in home decorating.

"Red and orange are back, not necessarily together, but instead of calling it red, they're calling it sangria, longhorn red and Victorian Secret red. Terra cottas and colors like sunset orange are being used as an accent," she said.

Yellows with names like straw, banana cream and custard are in and are being paired with blues and greens; fresh light yellow greens are put together with moss, sage, eucalyptus and prairie olive for a plantation look, she said.

"But blue is still the No. 1 seller as it has been for years -- in fact since I was in college," the designer said. "People seem to gravitate to it. It can be one of the most difficult colors to work with, but it's a cool calming color, while navy blue is very rich. Navy is huge right now."

Black used in large amounts is out and is being replaced by slate, off black and merely black. Using black as an accent color is still acceptable, she said.

"And, brown is big. I'm telling you, it's like the '70s revisited," she said, adding that taupes also are in fashion as are neutrals used with deep color accents.

When it comes to styles, nostalgia is a trend, which accounts for the rustic look, she said. There is going to be a tremendous use of tapestries, the library look, faded and tea-stained colors and the country cottage look. Accents will feature things like attic treasures -- anything gleaned from that dusty old crawl space -- and stacked steamer trunks.

Other trends Parraguirre identified:

* European Country, called the wine country look in the industry.

* A Moroccan look featuring mosaic tiles and hammered metals accentuated by deep colors.

* The Martha Stewart look, floral wallpaper and fabrics with garden furniture coming inside the house.

* American primitive which features glazed and painted woods.

* A West Indies scheme, a tropical themed island look.