Hooker sinks teeth into new category: designer cabinets
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, April 14, 2002
HIGH POINT — Hooker Furniture hopes to be awash in sales with its new category of furniture — designer cabinets made for bathroom sinks.
Premiering at the April market is a line of ready-to-install sink cabinets that Hooker believes will resonate with consumers and provide new opportunities for retailers.
"The consumer demand for designer sinks to go in the powder room or guest bathroom is already there," said Mike Spece, senior vice president. "They have seen them in designer show homes and magazines for years."
However, he said, "What people have been doing is buying chests and forcing sinks into them." Adapting most case goods to fit with a sink often ruins the functionality of the piece, he noted. Drawers might not pull out and shelves might have to be removed. The other option is to purchase something from a designer.
In its research, Spece said, Hooker found that designers typically sell custom cabinets in the range of $2,500 to $3,000. Hooker is introducing five single-sink designs expected to retail between $999 and $1,499, with double sinks topping out at $1,999.
"We've designed sink chests with coordinating basins and faucets that are ready to install — and we're dropping the price down to an attainable level," he said. "We're bringing the Old World European look and feel for the powder room to the masses."
Styles include a French country two-door chest with red "rub-through" hand-painted finish; a serpentine chest with floral hand painting; a black-painted chest with silver rub-through and nickel-finish basin and faucet; a fruitwood-finished chest with marble top; and a European traditional hand-painted model.
At premarket last month, the marble-topped single-sink version with a $1,499 price point was the most popular.
The sink cabinets range from 42 inches wide on the smallest single version to 86 inches for a double sink. Each has a guillotine back to allow the installer to put it in place for attaching the sink's drainpipe to the household plumbing. The purchase includes a basin and faucets that coordinate with the cabinet's finish, and necessary pipes.
"It's an hour job for a plumber," said Spece, "and a do-it-yourself project for 50% of homeowners."
%5CIMAGES-ART%5CNEW%20SCANS-FT%5CHOOKER-CABINET.JPG)
|
| Hooker has entered a new category with furniture that holds a bathroom sink. This designer cabinet has a marble top on a French country style case. The drawers and doors are fully functional, as the piece is designed around the sink basin and pipes. |
-
Sink cabinets make an elegant splash
Dec 1, 2002
Featured Company
-
FurnitureCore.com
FurnitureCore.com is a dynamic web application aimed at the furniture industry. Retailers and manufacturers alike will find our deep reserve of tools to be exactly what their furniture business needs.www.furniturecore.com... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
