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Stiff competition boosts selection in bombé stylings

By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, November 4, 2001

HIGH POINT — Retailers at the recent International Home Furnishings Market here found bombé chests and similarly shaped pieces with better prices and more detailing thanks to stiff competition between importers.

"Business in the category is very strong right now," said Sean Slack, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing for The Powell Co. However, at the same time, bombé chests are an advertisable product, he said, and companies are striving for market share in the category. For Powell, mixed media products have sold the best.

"Bombés allow for creativity," said Terry Everson, vice president of Ashley's international division. In designing the products, he said he could "put a lot of sparkle and detail into it, and they don't take up much space."

Everson said the category is strong for Ashley, as lots of handmade details make the goods special. Increased labor goes into the pieces, but they are made affordable through overseas sourcing.

Domestic manufacturers can't match the prices offered by overseas producers, said Jeff Cook, president of Magnussen/Presidential.

"Bombé chests are great accent pieces," said Andy Stein, president of Stein World. "Our showroom is packed full of them. We believe strongly in them — that's why we carry so many." He said consumers are looking for stand-alone pieces that can enhance the looks of a room without spending a lot of money.

Ultimate Accents introduced 40 items at the October market, and seven were bombés, said President Gail Steele.

"They're really the core of the hand-painted business. That's what everybody is looking for when they walk through the door," Steele said. "The rest of it feeds off the bombés." She added that metal leaf touches are doing well for the company, especially when combined with hand tooling.

A drawback for some retailers has been the long delivery times on imported goods, said Cook, so

Magnussen/Presidential has stocked its offerings for weekly delivery as part of its Magnussen Express Program. Some other importers are doing the same.

The success of bombé chests has led to manufacturers using the style on other case goods.

Hooker's new Victoria Manor collection featured the famous bowed shape on all the pieces including the headboard and footboard, bachelor chest, armoire and dresser.

Mike Spece, vice president of Hooker's import division, said when he worked in Dallas, bombé chests were very popular, so he believed a full collection would be well received, too. He said he got a good reaction from many buyers — people had an immediate reaction to like it or dislike it, but most of the comments were positive.

Pulaski added a bombé touch to its new Charlemagne bedroom collection, while keeping costs down. The front side edges were curved, giving the pieces a similar feel without the cost of shaping the entire side, noted Page Wilson, vice president of sales.

MEDITERRANEAN STYLE The bombé style accents this sideboard and hutch from The Powell Co. Part of the Toscana collection, the sideboard has a cast-metal base with a two-tone decoration and hand-painted design. The wrought-iron hutch has two wood shelves.

SMALL WORLD Magnussen/Presidential shrunk the classic bombé chest down into a chairside table for its Hamilton collection. The table is available in a crackle or a leather top. Both versions retail between $499 and $599.

GREAT PLAINS Imitation antelope horns are the legs to Butler Specialty's Empress bombé chest in the 58 Regency finish with hand painting.

CURVES COUNT Hooker's Victoria Manor collection makes use of bombé curves on all its pieces including this dresser.

FLOWERS AND RIBBONS A hand-painted offering from Ultimate Accents, the Red Scarf Bombé has three drawers and hardware that complements the flourish of the painted red scarf.

CREAM OF THE CROP Stein World is drawing interest to its showroom with this four-drawer accent bombé dresser in a cream finish sitting at the entrance.

GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP From Pulaski's Charlemagne collection comes this nightstand with curved accent to the front edge.

AGED LEATHER Ashley's new bombé chest has a double curve, faux cracked leather top with nailhead look, and a hand-painted design. It retails between $359 and $399.

SILVER SPOON At upper price points comes this Amalf 1 commode from Casa Stradivari. The piece has a Paradisio marble top over the case in F215 Provincial finish with silver patina trim. Available in 50 finishes, it retails for about $4000.

More than curves

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE Often positioned to complement existing lines, these pieces are a great place for the special touches such as hand-painting or decorative hardware.
MADE TO SCALE Bombé chests range from small chairside pieces to large chests with lots of storage.
SETTING THE TONE For some collections, the bombé style of voluptuous curves sets the tone for the entire collection.
MIX AND MATCH A great place to combine media, bombé pieces often feature materials such as stone, leather, iron and glass.

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