Brightening the mood

Brooks sofa and Masquerade chair by C.R. Laine. (Steve Exum/WPN for The Boston Globe)

HIGH POINT, N.C. - It appears that furniture manufacturers, facing a slow stretch thanks, in part, to a drooping housing market, have been studying Jonathan Adler's book "My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living." In the book, Adler espouses the benefits of using bold color to turn sour moods into sunshine.

"There is so much turbulent news out there now, and just this feeling of bleakness, so we wanted to go completely in the other direction," says Russ Ortiz, CEO and principle of Shine Home, a California-based furniture company that introduced a line in eye-popping new shades. "We used lots of bright citron in our pieces. You can't help but feel happy when you look at the furniture."

Strolling the acres of showrooms at the High Point Market, the largest furniture market in the world, was, at times, akin to watching an episode of "Teletubbies" (minus the cloying dialogue). Bigger-than-life colors dominated, and prints were equally vivid. Even casegoods such as desks and dressers turned up in hues of Granny Smith apple green and searing red. It remains to be seen if the furniture industry can convince customers that the economy is as rosy as the sofas, but until then, lovers of color will have a grand time redecorating their digs. - CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

Louis XV embroidered chair by Dransfield & Ross The tony New York pair of John Dransfield and Geoffrey Ross sew individual strands of ribbon together to create the upholstery for their traditional chair with a Technicolor twist. $2,600, dransfieldandross.biz.

Master chair by Shine Home Susan Hornbeak-Ortiz's citrus vision of happiness shows up in the Master chair's vibrant nature pattern and throughout the company's new line of modern contemporary pieces, called the Wish collection. "I wanted it to be reflective of my optimism and faith in the future," she says. $3,325, shineeveryday.com.

Alexa chair by Robin Bruce Celebrity stylist Tina Chai, who has worked on covers for Vogue and Details, went wild with a collection of colorful, bohemian fabrics that she developed with the company's in-house design team. The result is multihued pieces such as the Alexa chair, which she says are inspired by the South of France. $899, robinbruce.com.

Brooks sofa and Masquerade cube by C.R. Laine The oversize prints that surfaced at the High Point Market included massive paisleys that looked like they were ready to take over all of North Carolina. $2,596 (sofa) and $402 (cube), crlaine.com.

Stiletto chair by Century Furniture Stainless steel legs? Purple, high-gloss leather? If Joan Collins were reincarnated as a chair, she would come back as the Stiletto chair. It's a piece of furniture so outrageously decadent that it's hard not to smile and think of Bob Mackie evening gowns in its glamorous presence. $6,000, www.centuryfurniture.com.