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Styles relax for April

Finish treatments soften traditional

By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, March 24, 2002

Return to roots
Consumers want to entertain

HIGH POINT — HIGH POINT — After a trend in recent markets toward formal looks in case goods, major manufacturers at premarket shifted gears with more relaxed styles for April introductions.

Classic forms across a broad spectrum of traditional styles got a softening effect through a variety of finish treatments.

Introductions hearkened back to the "casual elegance" themes of a few years ago. Also prominent at last week's premarket were new takes on casual contemporary and transitional themes that — while targeting the same younger consumer as the lifestyle wave in recent markets — expands beyond the light finish/brushed pewter hardware combinations that seemed to be everywhere a few years back.

This category also included some Art Deco-inspired introductions.

Island styles, particularly those including woven elements, also have taken hold as a staple for case goods producers. Southern European and Mediterranean styles highlighted a few major introductions, meanwhile, and found a home in shorter collections, filling needs in various lines.

It adds up to the most new product in several markets, as manufacturers anticipate a release of pent-up consumer demand sometime this year.

An example of the new traditionalism is Century's Romantique collection, which combines very formal Neoclassical forms in walnut with unusual contemporary finishes.

"Historically this style category has always been executed very formally, but our customers have cautioned us not to have a sea of brown," said Bill Faber, vice president of design for Century's wood products. "If you have a dining table with chairs in wood tones, you can have the display cabinet in sage and gold. You're finding relief and adding interest to a room through accent finishes."

Along with a very contemporary collection in exotic Macassar ebony veneers, E.J. Victor showed a collection designed by Julia Gray that uses eglomisé, a reverse hand-painting technique for some eye-opening visuals on traditional cases. "Eglomisé is a very old technique but we're putting it to a new use," said John Jokinen, president of E.J. Victor.

Hickory White's Signer's Collection also is a finish story. An eclectic collection with traditional European styling emphasizing architectural details, it uses mahogany veneers and solids in a casual, warm finish with minimal distressing.

"It's classic 18th and 19th century that's casual through the finish, with soft distressing and hand burnishing," said Doug McClurd, case products manager. "The main focus is to let the consumer fit it into how they're living. It's eclectic as a group and fits into a designer base as well."

Return to roots

Pennsylvania House returned to its roots with American Traditions — 54 pieces in solid, Pennsylvania black cherry in a softly distressed, casual finish. Routed keyholes, American bail hardware with a beehive rosette back plate, walnut pegs and other details add interest and relaxation.

"We've been doing solid cherry for more than 150 years," said Ron Fuhrman, vice president of marketing. "But this is more relaxed than some of our older collections. It's classic American country, which was a huge void in our line."

Henredon's Statements collection is a new take on Italian with subtle carving highlighted through silver brushing. Company President Mike Dugan calls it "new traditional."

"It's traditional, but not reproduction," he said. "It's a little more restrained in styling and a little more restrained in size than before — we made a choice to go eight-tenths of the way."

Casual, contemporary-leaning transitional looks remain important, but manufacturers are avoiding a cookie-cutter approach.

Keller, which took a more contemporary turn in October with the Arts & Crafts-tinged Restoration, is making another move in that direction with Sinergy.

"Last market, we started branching out toward a younger consumer, 35 to 40 years old, and Sinergy takes that another step further toward contemporary transitional," said Scott Armstrong, senior vice president. "We're using a different wood, sycamore with a really nice, tight grain."

Consumers want to entertain

The collection reflects Keller's consumer research. "We found that in this style, they want dining to accommodate four to six people, so our table is 42 by 60 inches closed but extends to 96 inches," Armstrong said.

Stanley's largest collection ever, American View, in cherry solids and veneers, adds a traditional touch to a lifestyle series. It also serves as a coming-out party for the company's new approach of blending imported pieces with domestic cases, including Stanley's first leather bed, and beds in abaca fiber and metal and wood.

"It's a traditional case with a Shaker design taken more contemporary," said Kelly Cain, senior vice president. "Beaded elements around doors and frames and box mitering are very traditional elements. We felt the next step in our lifestyle approach was to do a more traditional feel."

Broyhill's Portfolio whole-home collection offers three takes on casual contemporary in 100-plus pieces: Redondo in sun-washed California oak, Tribeca in Deco-inspired merlot cherry, and Lakeshore in casual maple and cherry.

Bernhardt's introductions include the Georgian mahogany Collingwood, one of the relatively few formal collections this market, and Odeon, an Art Deco-leaning collection distinguished by light, clear finishes with figured primavera fields, walnut inlays and ash burl borders.

Leda Furniture's bedroom in primavera mahogany veneers is an example of the contemporary-leaning transitional that, along with new takes on traditional, will be key style categories this April. Leda accents the group with materials such as leather in the headboard and footboard.

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Updated Case Goods

Mar 28, 2011

Expect new twists on familiar case goods themes in High Point

Mar 21, 2011

High Point preview: Case goods take it easy

Mar 22, 2010

Plenty of new options available in formal dining

Jul 29, 2008

New licenses, slimmer scaling mark wood furniture intros

Apr 7, 2008

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