Pa. House teams with Tracy Porter
By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, June 21, 2004
Lewisburg, Pa. — Lewisburg, Pa.— Pennsylvania House is teaming with designer Tracy Porter for a lifestyle furniture collection to be unveiled at the April 2005 High Point market.
The introduction will include bedroom, dining, upholstery, occasional, home office and master bathroom accent furniture, with around 50 wood pieces, 10 upholstery frames and eight wicker items.
Country European styles will predominate, with wood pieces in solid oak and pine, and some cherry.
Since leaving their urban lifestyle in Chicago and moving to rural Wisconsin in 1991, Tracy Porter and her husband, John, have grown their business from a small manufacturing facility into a multimillion-dollar licensed home furnishings brand.
The company designs products including dinnerware, rugs, top-of-the-bed goods and decorative accessories for mail order and retail distribution.
Tracy Porter has authored several decorating books and has been featured on television and in magazines.
"We are thrilled to partner with a designer that truly has her finger on the pulse of our customers," said Michael Foster, president of full-line manufacturer and importer Pennsylvania House.
"Unlike many celebrities who simply lend a name to a collection, Tracy Porter has found a way to bring experience and authenticity of design to life for today's consumer. As a working mother of three, she embodies the active life of our female customers and continues to find inspiration in the needs and aspirations of today's families," he said.
Foster said the fact that more people are working and entertaining at home, and staying closer to home in general, creates new design challenges.
"There will be a great deal of attention paid to scale, function, fun and feminine appeal as we approach the design of this collection," he said, noting that scale will be on the moderate side. "Our vice president of creative, Susan Blackman, and our upholstery merchandiser, Cynthia Tesh, are taking the lead in working with Tracy because we want to ensure a feminine point of view."
Porter said her designs will be comfortable and livable.
"They are not fussy or formal, but inviting and friendly, and are inspired by things held close to the heart — from family memories to our beloved countryside," she said. "We love to play with texture and pattern in order to create a lived-in look that is approachable rather than intimidating. With our designs, we hope to inspire people to create their own unique and personal spaces."
The bathroom and wicker pieces are in categories of growing importance, in the industry and at Pennsylvania House in particular.
"We'd done real well with the wicker in Summer Retreat (introduced this April) and in October we'll include 10 Victorian wicker pieces in our major introduction," Foster said. Bathroom pieces in the Tracy Porter line will include a towel chest, vanity and several mirrored items, he said.
Porter said her company's roots are in furniture, and that she's excited to be working with Pennsylvania House to create a well-rounded furniture collection.
"We are impressed with the quality and craftsmanship of their products and consider our partnership a distinct honor and one that we're thrilled to add to our repertoire of licensing programs," she said.
Tracy Porter Inc. is headquartered in Princeton, Wis., and is on the Web at www.tracyporter.com.
