Metal beds add zest to case goods lines
Pieces blend with groups or stand on own
By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, March 21, 2004
HIGH POINT — HIGH POINT — An effort to bring more variety to bedroom collections and give consumers an additional fashion option has more case goods manufacturers introducing all-metal beds in the past couple of years.
The success of metal bed specialists such as Fashion Bed Group, Wesley Allen and Elliott's Designs has proven the category works at retail. With more full-line case goods producers pursuing blended strategies of sourced and domestic product, perhaps even all-import lines, taking advantage of the value and look of metal beds, for the most part a sourced item, makes sense for many.
That's not to say all-metal beds are a brand new category for case goods producers. Bernhardt has offered a metal bed option in numerous collections for several years, for example. But the past two years have seen a number of case goods sources offer their first such products, either as part of a full introduction, or as a freestanding piece designed to complement existing wood collections.
"Visually, it's a way to break up a room that might otherwise be full of wood and wood finishes," said William Collett, vice president of residential case goods merchandising at Bernhardt. "Metal beds add a more eclectic material story."
He noted that one benefit that metal beds provide to producers — as opposed to just another wood version in an introduction — is that they encourage dealers to commit more deeply to new collections.
"It gives you a better shot at getting more than one bed from a collection placed with an account," Collett said. "They can use that (metal bed) as an accent piece that can be floored a lot of places in the store."
Customer input is an important part of the increase in metal beds.
Eye-catching and versatile
"We've asked manufacturers to come up with an eclectic bed to work within their collections — something that blends with the collections, or can even stand alone by itself," said Larry Cunningham, case goods merchandising manager at Fort Myers, Fla.-based Robb & Stucky.
He sees metal beds as an important part of the blended strategies many manufacturers are pursuing. Imported beds in alternative materials like metal, but also natural fibers, and mixtures of wood, leather or metal, have created some real excitement at retail.
"It also gives us more options to perhaps use that bed throughout the floor, even with another manufacturer's case goods," Cunningham said.
A case in point is a Royal Patina metal bed that was part of a collection whose case pieces were discontinued. Cunningham said Robb & Stucky has sold 1,000 of those beds mixed with other manufacturers' products.
Stanley's blending of sourced beds and accents with domestic cases led to its first metal bed introduction, a piece in heavy-gauge wire and tubing that was part of October 2002's Cottage Revival collection.
That bed is now the No. 2 best seller of the collection's four beds, said Kelly Cain, vice president and product manager of Stanley Collections.
"It's been a pleasant surprise," Cain said. "We didn't have high expectations — really no expectations — since it was our first metal bed, but it does appear people are grasping the idea that you can buy a metal bed that goes with a case goods collection."
While the bed is at the high end relative to other metal beds, it represents a value compared to corresponding wood models within the Cottage Revival collection. Stanley will include metal beds in two new collections buyers will see at next month's High Point market.
"Metal beds are a good example of the whole blended strategy approach," Cain said.
Scaling, fashion options
The metal bed from Thomas-ville's Urban Retreat was the October 2003 introduction's second best-selling bed. Metal beds are more compatible with many consumers' space requirements, said Doug Rozenboom, director of case goods design.
"A metal bed is inherently lighter scale than a wood bed, and people don't always have the visual space they think they do in their bedroom," he said. "You can make a design statement without taking up all that visual room."
Thomasville's Louis Philippe-inspired King Street introduction at April market will include a metal bed, something of a surprise in the style category, and an example of how vendors are working with the piece in new ways.
"We're trying to get more furniture aspects with the metal," Rozenboom said. "We need a finish on the metal that will hold par to what we're doing on the wood."
After introducing its first metal bed program last April with four models, Hooker added three more at October market, and has another four or five beds on tap for next month's High Point show.
The program has been a success, with all introductions to date making the cut to stay in the line, said Phil Garrett, bedroom product manager for Hooker.
"It's an item which a customer can match up with any of our domestic or import bedrooms," he said. "They also can marry it up with accents from our Seven Seas imported program, which people sometimes use as nightstands, to give the bedroom a more eclectic feel."
Metal beds offer consumers a low-price alternative to Hooker's wood beds, and are available headboard-only for even less.
"With all these metal beds, we offer a size range from twin through queen and both regular and California king," Garrett said.
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