Vibrant reds, plums, blues perk up upholstery intros
By Gary Evans and Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, March 24, 2002
HIGH POINT — HIGH POINT — If color is reflective of the economy — drab for bad, bright for good — then the industry is in for a great ride.
Cover selections for April, on display at last week's premarket here, are anything but drab and may signify the upbeat mood of manufacturers and retailers alike. Upholstery showrooms haven't abandoned the browns, beiges and sages of past markets, but the trend is clearly toward the upper lights of the color spectrum.
Red remains hot in all shades and subtleties, from the bright red and brick red in Klaussner's new slipcover program to other shades at Benchcraft, Ashley, Clayton Marcus and others.
"Red is retailing well, and people are very comfortable with it," said Cherry Whitener, vice president, fashion merchandising, for Clayton Marcus. She added that with housing configurations featuring open areas and neutral walls, consumers are looking for color to add zing to their surroundings.
Besides the reds, manufacturers will put plums, blues, yellows, and other vibrant colors in the spotlight next month.
"Everyone is so tired of good old green and beige," said Kerry Lebensburger, president of sales for Ashley's upholstery division, which also is spinning the color wheel for April. "We going to do it in salable colors to brighten up the (retail) floors."
'Chemical' colors stand out
Likewise, Benchcraft is adding stationary sofas in red tones, plums and greens. "We're seeing a lot of the chemical colors," said Dwight Hardison, vice president, citing "clear" blues and greens as examples.
"Yellows and reds are happy colors," said Tom Staats, general manager of Highland House, and that matched the mood of retailers at premarket. "They are in anticipation of better business, and I think it's beginning to show."
Besides color, the opulent, plush, pattern-on-pattern, exposed wood look continues strong. Faux suedes and chenilles are everywhere, and sectionals retain their importance for filling space in open rooms. And companies are trotting out whole new lineups with expectations of a good year.
Rowe, for example, has launched the Jami L Design division of 96-inch to 102-inch oversized sofas with deep seating to hit the $699 to $899 price points. Corey Keifetz, vice president of merchandising, said Rowe's sales force is already introducing the line, which is available for two-week delivery. Dealers will be equipped with swatch programs with large coordinated fabrics and fringe where applicable, that will team with Benjamin Moore paints to make it easy for consumers to do a whole room.
The company already has two divisions, Robin Bruce at the upper end and Rowe in the middle.
"We're tying to have the good, better, best," said Rowe President Bruce Birnbach. "We manufacture furniture, so there's no reason we shouldn't be in a segment. This will be a fast track product — boom, boom, boom," he said.
Broyhill has big introduction
Broyhill won't hold back in April, either. Ray Calcagne, vice president of merchandising, upholstery, said the company will introduce 40-45 upholstery SKUs as part of its contemporary Portfolio collection.
Portfolio includes three style variations in upholstery, case goods and occasional — California casual in lighter fabrics and woods, Manhattan Metro in dark cherry with deeper, richer fabrics, and Lake-shore, a Chicago loft style in medium cherry and neutral fabrics. Sofas will retail for $699 to $999.
Calcagne said Broyhill is known for its traditional and transitional styles, "and this gives us a real entrée into contemporary, which we see as a good growth opportunity for the upholstery division."
Contemporary was the style of choice for many motion upholstery producers as well, with companies including Berkline, Lane, PeopLoungers, Catnapper and Franklin showing models to premarket buyers. They're hoping the new products will keep fueling the brisk sales momentum that has been building since late last year.
"Our business has been phenomenal," said Chuck Tidwell, product manager at Franklin. "We're in the hiring mode now (at the factory), and it has been long time since we've done that."
Tidwell and others believe that aggressive pricing is a key to keeping the momentum. Motion sectionals retailing for $1,599 to $1,899 in fabric got considerable attention, as did motion sofas at $799 to $999.
Recliners retailing for $299 and $399 in fabric were the center of attention in many showrooms, and Berkline even offered a $399 recliner with a leather/vinyl cover.
"When you have momentum … it's hard to keep it. You can't let up," said Bob Young, merchandise manager for recliners at Lane, which reported success with a new lineup of $399 traditional recliners and $499 glider recliners.
| Best Chair covers this corner chair in a wine red. |
| Klaussner's new slipcover program includes vibrant colors such as bright red and brick red. |
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