Upholstery shows some leg
Decorative wood accents, accessorizes
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, March 10, 2002
HIGH POINT — Call it wood redeux, but the exposed decorative wood on upholstery products so prevalent in the 1970s is back.
By comparison, it's a kicked-up upholstery amenity growing stronger with each passing market. Used as aprons, attached to arms and sculptured in feet, exposed wood on upholstery has become one huge design and sales opportunity for manufacturers and retailers. And nobody could be happier, especially consumers who see the decorative elements of wood as providing more perceived bang for their disposable bucks.
"I think decorative wood adds a tremendous value to the price points we've been selling," said Clayton Marcus President Ken Church. Coordinated with occasional tables, Church said, "I can see it become 20% (of the sales) in our line."
Mating the exposed wood of upholstered pieces with case goods and occasional has provided an added boost to the sales of many middle market producers and has, in fact, put many producers into case goods. This is possible, of course, by the offshore factories able to provide high quality, well-finished products at a cost that puts many high-end looks in the marketplace at middle and lower-end prices.
Klaussner sees opportunity in mating the decorative wood elements of its upholstery with occasional tables, dining and home entertainment, according to Angela Arrington, director of retail services.
"We continue to see complete correlating groupings as a growing category," she said.
Tom Staats, general manager of Highland House, said that decorative wood chairs have been a long-time growth category for the high-end company, functioning "as pieces of jewelry in the home."
The same trend has been emerging in the last two to three years at Highland House with exposed wood in sofas, according to Staats. "The trend to more and more exposed wood has turned out to be a good thing. Our No. 1 sofa in the Harrods collection has an exposed wood frame."
Wood works for consumers
While decorative wood elements add a few extra bucks to the retail pricing, "consumers don't seem to have any trouble with the (added) cost," said Church, adding that consumers view products with solid wood, hand-carved details as a heirloom purchase. High House's Staats adds, "Consumers will pay for anything they think is worthwhile."
"Decorative wood is important to us," said Allen Shepard, general manager of Homestyle Soft Furnishings in Madison, Wis. "It helps us provide a unique type of product for our customers."
In the past two years, Flexsteel upholstery groups with decorative wood have been tied into occasional programs, becoming "very important to us," according to Carrie Bleile, vice president of merchandising. With wood accents, upholstery becomes "much more effective" and provides a bigger story to tell at retail, she added.
Like others, Flexsteel has seen decorative wood grow quickly in the past two to three years. Bleile said the company has four major upholstery collections linked to occasional tables, with more expected.
Flexsteel's designers have a collaborative relationship with its offshore factories, the result being that the product is a turnkey — complete with finish — when it arrives here. Bleile said that complexity of design — how ornate, how much carving — "is dictated by the trends out in the marketplace as to what kind of woods and what kind of styling.
"We have one that is very decorative," she said, but others are more in tune with transitional styling, matching the bulk of the company's sales.
West Coast manufacturer Vicky's posted 20% growth in 2000, 28% in 2001, and President Andrew Perez Sr. said, "I would say that wood fronts and bases had a lot to do with it, along with matching tables.
"One of the reasons (for the growth and popularity) is that it makes it easier for our customer (to buy upholstery and tables together). They don't have to spend time matching tables, finishes, and it eliminates a lot of time looking."
Vicky's imports occasional tables and dining room, and expects to add other case pieces in the future. That will allow the company to offer "the whole package," according to Perez.
The import impact
The benefits of decorative wood, mostly imported, is obvious "yet at the same time, scary," noted Perez. "What's going to happen? Sooner or later, we're going to be looking to China for everything," he said.
Getting the wood here in time to make manufacturing schedules can be a negative, especially if the relationship with the supplier is on less than solid ground. "You have to stay up with lead times," said Flexsteel's Bleile. "As you initially get into importing, you have to take that into consideration. Especially if you launch a new group. You want to start producing it, and you don't have the trim."
Church said that the addition of hand-carved elements to so many price points has caused "confusion in the marketplace because consumers have looked to the high-reputation manufacturers for 'the quality and level of finish' and are now seeing those same elements everywhere."
Companies like his, which has built a reputation over the years for quality products, are now on the same playing field as everybody else since imports eliminate the need for high-cost production machinery. And sometimes, there are problems with consistency. Sometimes offshore factories don't know that retailers sell from the floor and so products warehoused should be identical to meet customer expectations.
Because of possible inconsistencies, Clayton Marcus keeps raw products on hand so they can be matched and delivered to the customer without interruption.
Still, Church can't fault what's happening. "It's almost like a candy store," he said. "You can have any color, detail or ornateness. It's become important to everyone, and now everyone can do it."
| ENGLISH ELEGANCE Turned rope frame and trim and hand-carved knuckle hand rests give Harrods chair from Highland House an heirloom quality in consumers' eyes. |
| BACK TO THE FUTURE Bassett's Hyde Park — a collection of bedroom, dining room and living room furniture — offers the relaxed refinement of Georgian styling, featuring acanthus carvings and a satin mahogany finish. |
| ELEGANT CARVINGS Four of Flexsteel's major collections coordinate upholstery and wood. |
| LIGHT AND LIVELY Klaussner sees growth in upholstery with strong wood elements. |
| CLEVER COORDINATION Exposed wood gives perceived value to Clayton Marcus sofa, company says, shown here with coordinating table groups (photo at left). |
| SITTING PRETTY Intricate wood carvings highlight the exposed wood in this sofa from Drexel Heritage. |
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