Occasional offers more pieces from proven lines
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, October 14, 2001
HIGH POINT — With the furniture industry as a whole suffering from lower sales, many manufacturers are being a little more cautious with their occasional introductions this week.
Rather than experiment with lots of new collections, companies are offering more pieces in successful collections from the past year. Also, vendors are increasingly tying occasional pieces to upholstery or case goods groups.
The Ernest Hemingway line, for example, has been successful for Thomasville and drew attention to a style that other manufacturers have imitated. The company has 10 new occasional pieces to go with the Hemingway Windemere collection, at lower price points than existing Hemingway tables.
The rugged collection features a table with a cast resin base resembling antlers, with leather wrapping and a glass top. The Crooked Tree accent table has a marble top and a cast base in the shape of a tree. A cocktail table has a top made from oak flooring material.
Ashley tried its hand at bombé chests a year ago with six introductions. From that success came eight more chests at the April market. Expanding on those successes, this fall the company has 10 table groups, most with bombé chests and secretaries.
A big success for Butler Specialty has been its Plantation Cherry line, which began a year ago. The manufacturer is introducing 30 new pieces in the collection — in a variety of 18th century styles — including tables, desks and accent pieces.
Table it
Broyhill has 17 table groups showing this market, five of which are tied into collections. Indulgence is an upper tier line featuring collection like Plantation Manor with lots of carvings, Essex, Parthenon and Madison Avenue. The company is trying to put more value into these pieces, while staying close to the price points that have made the company popular, according to Don Essenberg, vice president of merchandising for case goods.
At the same time, Broyhill is one of the companies trying to catch as many retailers as possible with a variety of occasional tables in the other 12 collections.
Klaussner also introduced several table groups at one time, including the 744 series with a rich brown finish, metal hardware, glass top and drawer storage on all three side. The 845 series has a white wash finish, massive legs and a metal scroll stretcher. The 841 has a plank-style top, while the 859 incorporates woven baskets.
Magnussen/Presidential has several table groups in vastly different styles.
"Sooner or later, we're going to get you. You can't visit our showroom and say you couldn't find anything you liked," said President Jeff Cook. At the same time, a popular table in April was a fossil stone model with a suspended ball design under the top; the company came up with new spins on the same concept.
Magnussen/Presidential is also adding a menu of bombé chests, consoles and mirrors to showcase in the showroom it expanded by 40% for this market.
Glass and sass
The sparkle of glass shines throughout the occasional category, often in contemporary stylings. Andrew Pearson Design adds a splash of color to its offerings: the Metallic group has a Verdi green shade with gold metallic flakes, while Translucence has light muted colors such as goldenrod and cobalt blue.
At H Studio, colors are primary in a coffee table with an acrylic base topped by primary-color glass balls supporting a glass top.
Even when glass isn't the primary medium of the piece, it can be an eye-catching element as in Philip Reinisch's collectors cabinet with triple-curved glass sides and door.
Other curio cabinets make equally striking use of glass — as in a Glober curio with glass shelves and mirror back or in Howard Miller's Embassy III cabinet with glass front, sides and shelves with mirror back. Producer Brent Jacobs is showcasing three occasional pedestals with inset glass shelves.
At Collezione Europa, glass combines with a host of other media — wood, resin, metal, marble and steel — in its 11 new occasional table groups.
Mixing media
Introducing its Villa Toscano collection of casual dining, bedroom and occasional tables, Hammary offers Italian villa-style pieces using materials such as wood, leather, wrought iron, stone and tile.
At Elements by Grapevine, iron-and-wood groups such as the Exotic Journeys II are being showcased to attract dealer interest with special touches like a hand-painted still-life oil painting on the back of a wine storage buffet. Another piece from the group, a country dining upholstered armchair, features a fleur-de-lis pattern in a blended gold- and silver-leaf finish.
Several producers are bringing out product with a West Indies style — some through design and others through a blend of bamboo and rattan.
Emerald Home Furnishings will introduce its Bristol collection of three tables in British West Indies style, featuring fluted legs and warm brown cherry finish.
A blend of bamboo shows up at J.D. Chamberlain in its oval coffee table reminiscent of island breezes.
Companies such as Pennsylvania House bring a touch of the tropics into play with a collection called Sea Grass, six pieces featuring a distinctive casual weave pattern.
| Hammary's Chianti wine cabinet is part of the Villa Toscano collection, inspired by the Italian countryside with its farmhouses and villas. |
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New At Market: Occasional
Sep 30, 2001
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Wright Labels
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