Style-conscious occasional tables run gamut
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, February 1, 2004
High Point — Occasional table specialists believe their category is the most style-conscious in the industry.
With most production already moved offshore, they believe prices are about as low as possible, so they must rely on a steady stream of new looks to move the goods.
"We see a breadth of styles selling today — contemporary, traditional, urban, transitional and modern," said Ron Carpenter, vice president of marketing for Magnussen Home, which typically introduces 18 to 20 table groups each High Point market.
"There does seem to be a trend toward more casual interpretations of all styles," he said.
Casual certainly is popular at Universal. One of its top October introductions was a relaxed look with a cherry finish with a rub-through to a black undercoat.
Emerson et Cíe emphasized European casual in October. The look is distinctly European but more relaxed, said Mark Emerson Smith, vice president of marketing.
At Hekman Furniture, "There's a new traditional," said Neil McKenzie, vice president of sales and marketing. "Cleaner line, but still it's traditional." The new pieces aren't as ornately carved and finished as five years ago, he said, but those goods are still vital in the table business.
"Anything transitional or casual contemporary is doing well," said Hammary President John Labarowski. Mixed media is doing well in many combinations, including marble, wood and leather, he said.
Transitional is fairly new for Butler Specialty, but the look is growing fast, said Dan Sumner, vice president of sales and marketing. He said Butler's painted line is its fastest-growing segment. The top seller continues to be its Plantation Cherry line.
Contemporary and traditional are the top styles in tables now from Collezione Europa, said Bob Carpenter, vice president of merchandising and key accounts.
"Our trend is more toward transitional," said Jeff Behmer, Bernhardt's merchandise manager for residential case goods in occasional and wall units. "Contemporary is becoming more and more important." Still, "traditional continues to have a stable percentage of our business overall," he said.
Stein World is becoming more mainstream, said President Andy Stein. Rich wood tones and leather accents have been recent successes, where the company originally focused on hand-painted accent and occasional pieces. "We don't want to 'paint' ourselves into a corner," said James Franks, chief operating officer.
Mixed media is doing well at Bernhardt and Magnussen Home.
Kincaid is known for its solid-wood story, but mixed-media tabled in its Treasures line are selling briskly. Consumers are becoming more discerning, appreciating more tasteful, subtle combinations, company officials said.
Emerson et Cíe is selling more tables with fancy veneers and inlays, and pine, cherry, walnut and oak are all in demand, Smith said, but "stone is not selling, iron has really slowed down, and painted looks are down."
At Magnussen, "Slate is hot and we are seeing a comeback of chrome," said Carpenter. "Cherry, oak and maple are staples in wood species, with fresh finishes being popular."
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