Handy Living teams with TV's Surmelis
By Ray Allegrezza -- Furniture Today, February 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS — LAS VEGAS — Furniture importer Handy Living has announced a multi-year partnership with celebrity designer and television host Angelo Surmelis to create an affordable yet design-driven upholstered furniture line.
Set to launch this summer, the Modern/Classics line by angelo:Home — which initially will be targeted to Internet retailers — will offer an initial lineup of more than 20 pieces including chairs, sofas, loveseats and ottomans expected to retail from $299 to $799.
The collection will be manufactured in northern China, where the fabric also is sourced.
Handy Living is a three-year-old design and development company that specializes in knock-down upholstery that includes elements of fine furniture, such as pocket-coil and eight-way hand-tied construction. Handy Living's product can be shipped via UPS, making it popular with the growing channel of Internet retailers.
Tom Erdman, general manager for Handy Living, said Surmelis will be closely involved in developing the new line.
“We source all the components and Angelo is involved in every step, from engineering to the choice of fabrics, making this a true collaborative effort,” said Erdman.
“I liked the fact that Tom's company makes great furniture at prices that make sense,” Surmelis said. “While there will always be a place for very high-end furniture, that's not what most of us can afford. What most of us want to live well and be surrounded by great-looking furniture that we can afford.”
Handy Living didn't show at last week's Las Vegas Market, but Erdman and Surmelis attended the show to firm up commitments from retailers who have signed on to carry the line.
Surmelis has been designing furniture for private clients for more than 15 years and owns a Los Angeles design firm, online at www.swell-space.com. He has launched television design shows including “Merge” for Lifetime and “Clean Sweep” for TLC and has appeared on other shows.
“His passion for well-designed furniture at affordable prices mirrors our commitment to offer furniture products to consumers that always deliver quality and value,” said Erdman.
Surmelis said the new collection “will speak to the American consumer in a new way, which for us, means elevating style without additional cost.”
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