Many furniture manufacturers are happy to say good bye to 2009 as it was the second down year in the furniture industry. There are economic signs of improvement and the furniture industry is optimistic that 2010 will be the year that growth returns. Many factories made enormous changes to their operations in order to maintain profitability despite overall lower production volumes. Consumers will continue to see more designs than ever but product life cycles will probably decrease. The size of furniture will decrease in order to fit into smaller size houses, apartments, and condominiums. Eco friendly products will continue to be introduced due to growing political sensitivity to the environment.