Fighting the economic doldrums in an atmosphere clouded by larger world events, expectations of low attendance at the International Home Furnishings Market last week certainly came true. While some companies pulled back on product introductions, others decided a down market might be the right time to make a splash. The busier showrooms last week shared a determination to present product with a compelling story of style, price and value.
Lee
Lee Inds. gave an extra touch of style to this classic frame by combining three-inch bullion fringe with a quilted chenille in a diamond pattern.
Leda
New collections such as the Avante Garde bedroom shown here helped this Canadian company expand its U.S. business last week.
Wellington Hall
Remove the leaf, and this 76-inch formal oval table, a best seller last week, converts into a 52-inch round.
Pulaski
Part of The Antiques Roadshow collection, this bombé curio has early 1900s Louis XV style updated to today's tastes. With a hand-painted lacquered panel, the curio cabinet retails for $2,000.
Decoro
The Bentley, DeCoro's foray into home theater seating, was an eye-catching market addition.
French Heritage
This secretary/bookcase is constructed of solid cherry with select walnut burl veneer. Part of the Tribune collection, the unit features a roll top and pullout writing surface extension.
Nourison
The Versailles Palace collection brings formal 18th-century design to the medium price range. It is tufted in China of wool and faux silk, retailing at $700 for a 6′ by 9′.
King Hickory
King Hickory's conversation sofa features two sizes of nailhead trim and is covered in Whitaker's Hyatt Lane patterns with accent pillows in Magic Kingdom Sepia and Ascot Cordovan from P. Kaufman.
Nicoletti
No matter that it's red, Nicoletti has dubbed this bycast frame Silver because it is hot in any color.
Vaughan
This cabinet looks like a simple library bookcase, but the tall side compartments are built for gun storage.
Stanley
Young America by Stanley introduced the Isabella collection, featuring a mature, European influence. The bed sports a removable blue toile fabric headboard and footboard and a Winter White finish.
El Ran
Distinctive casual styling helped make this motion sectional from El Ran a market winner.
Bernhardt
While Arts & Crafts and Mission show up in the same breath in many showrooms, Arcadian Home eschewed the former with a concentration on the work of the Greene brothers.
Crawford Of Jamestown
A light cherry finish and May 1 shipping date made Washington Valley the hit of the market for this domestic solid-wood resource.
Riverside
An executive desk designed with all the function of a computer workstation, Riverside's American Antiquities unit includes front and rear access to the computer and numerous other features that will allow users to use their equipment and keep it out of sight.
American Drew
Crocodile leather and braided inlay were part of the dressed-down story of Bob Mackie Classics, the company's first major collection available via direct-container delivery.
Ruf/Betton
While the Cinema bed from Ruf/Betton doesn't include a projector or speakers in its $9,000 retail price, the motorized screen that raises out of the footboard gives videophiles a head start on the neighborhood's first home-theater bed.
Universal
Buyers liked the Avanti bedroom, inspired by classic Art Deco styling, for its white ash burl and exclusive glazed hardware complementing a beige finish.
Decor-Rest
This chair has a smart, buttoned-up look. Part of the company's new Alexander Julian At Home collection, the piece is covered in sueded microfiber with camel pinstripes and leather welting. The chair is targeted at the $899 price point.
Rowe
This sectional from Rowe's Robin Bruce line has a retro-1970s feel. Part of the Fire and Ice collection, in cotton twill, it retails for about $2,300.
Foreign Accents
Not for the faint of heart, Foreign Accents' hand-tufted Tasha collection features bold but simple designs in vivid colorations. Made in China of modacrylic, $399.
Sligh
Throwing a curve at the traditional modular home office, The Arc collection bypasses rectilinear lines for a more comfortable and perhaps efficient design, with all the pieces flowing toward the user. A U-shaped workstation will retail for about $6,000.
Vanguard
Matching chairs and ottoman were popular at market. This set scored well for Vanguard.
Largo
Jaclyn Smith branched out into metal beds at Largo with this addition to her Georgian Meadows collection, featuring a rustic taupe finish.
Bauhaus USA
This three-over-three contemporary silhouette, dressed in top-grain leather with flared arms and suede pillow accents, did well. Retail, $1,299.
John Widdicomb
The work of early-20th century French designers Andre Arbus and Jean-Michel Frank inspired the Moderne bedroom, a winner for this division of Stickley.
Emerald Home Furnishings
A new, larger showroom allowed full presentation of in-line and new product, including leather. This casual dining set was a winner in case goods.
Nichols & Stone
With a Williamsburg collection on the way for October, Nichols & Stone's sideboard in solid wood was a hot ticket at this month's market.
Broyhill
This buffet is part of the major's third antique-oriented collection, Charlestowne Square. While more formal in form than its predecessors, the collection shares a low-key approach to finish with rasped edges and rounded corners.
Bassett
Chris Madden's New American Living Rooms program allows consumers to choose from four arm styles, four backs and four bases, with similar options for coordinating occasional.
Dinaire
Dinaire introduced a new bar and chair set this market with a transitional feel. The 57-year-old company had never done contemporary and transitional styles until four years ago, but now these goods are an important part of its business.
Butler Specialty
This vanity/desk is part of the Artists' Originals collection. Shown in Wedgewood Blue, the piece has felt-lined drawers, two jewelry trays and large storage compartment. It retails for $999.
Wesley Allen
Crenshaw, in an old copper finish, won raves for its exciting use of mixed media.
La-Z-Boy
The Ryan was one of the company's big winners among its new fabric recliner offerings.
Flexsteel
Flexsteel's Trieste crescent-shaped sofa, featuring key arms and vertically sewn channel quilting on the outside and back, was the company's pièce de resistance this market.
Johnston Casuals
Johnston Casuals' hit this market was the Princeton collection, a five-piece group based on a traditional Chippendale style. Laser-cut backs and legs are made of hand-polished solid steel shown with a pewter finish and a clear gloss powdercoat.
Best Chairs
At 50 inches high and 43 inches wide, The Beast is one of the largest and heaviest recliners available.
Braxton Culler
The Brookefield sofa features a curved arm profile and turned legs. It's available in all of the company's finishes.
Harden Furniture
A hot item at market, this canopy bed offers several options, including a no-canopy version and a headboard-only with metal frame.
Feizy
The Rutherford collection is hand- tufted of wool with faux silk highlights. In traditional designs that adapt to today's casual mood, it retails at $699.
D-Scan
The ready-to-assemble Dream bedroom was introduced in two finishes, but the coffee-over-walnut veneer was the big winner. The nine-piece collection includes three beds retailing from $399 to $499.
Klaussner
Northwoods, the second major Dick Idol collection, scored for its rugged rendition of styles found in the Great Camps.
Michael Thomas
The arm panel on this tight-back transitional model, borrowed from a horseshoe nail design, drew retailers' praise. The arm in front is topped off with a brass cufflink. Leather from Moore & Giles and The Leather Collection (inside back, in a mottled finish).
Wynwood
Big and sprawling, with shaped and fluted pine fronts, the Hearthstone entertainment wall was a hit. This configuration would retail for about $3,000.
iJoy
From Interactive Health, the iJoy is a low-slung massage recliner, perfect for Playstation operators, that will be showing up soon in Top 100 stores. Available in four colors, it should retail for about $599.
Hurtado
Exquisite marquetry and massive scale distinguish this executive desk from Hurtado, the company's most successful introduction. The 90-inch width provides plenty of space for the inlays of walnut burl, Spanish walnut, olive and rosewood.
Legacy Classic
Formal dining at affordable price points, plus more configurations to accommodate consumers with smaller homes, keeps this resource growing.
Bradington-Young
Bradington-Young gets clubby with the Giovanni chair, one of 12 stationary reading chairs it debuted at market. Priced from $899 to $1,599 retail, depending on leather choice.
Hekman
Bay Harbor additions, which included this dresser in a Sand Dune finish, were among Hekman's market best sellers.
Craftique
This platform bed from the Belvedere collection is part of the high-end manufacturer's well-received efforts to offer lower price points along with finish and hardware options.
Ferguson Copeland
Taking a transitional tack, Del Mar drew attention with its curvature, accent welts and updated leathers.
Michelangelo Designs
The Harmony dining room drew a good response with its vibrant pedestals on an extension table, and mirror-back china with contoured door panels and contrasting columns.
Hammary
The Magellan collection includes this square cocktail table as well as bar tables, casual dining and home entertainment. The design is a global transitional style with organic shapes and materials, such as saber leg posts and faux crocodile leather accents.
Skovby
The Zen dining room in wengé wood got credit from buyers for its clean, contemporary aesthetic.
Ameriwood
One of several wood-front entertainment collections from Ameriwood, the solid oak here smoothly matches the paper-laminate cases as well as solid-wood occasional tables. This flat-pack unit will retail for about $299.
Dall'Agnese
Detailed carvings and other details add elegance to this 19th-century Italian bed.
Durham
The Saville Row sideboard was part of the solid-wood case goods manufacturer's well-received foray into dining room.
American Leather
The sleekness and well-packaged scaling of Elliott were well received at market. This frame is covered in an Ambassador leather.
Fashion Bed Group
Decorative side panels add visual interest to the Juliet sleighbed.
Coaster
Coaster made a statement in promotional leather with sharply styled numbers such as this piece.
Studio RTA
The steel structure behind these wood frames adds strength to Studio RTA's Home Tech collection. This RTA entertainment wall should retail for about $799.
Drexel Heritage
The Tuscan Sun collection, inspired by pieces in the Italian home of author Frances Mayes, was a solid hit for the high-end Heritage line.
Clayton Marcus
This sofa from Clayton Marcus won placements with its curvy, asymmetrical back.
Hellenic
This Kate Ward Thatcher design was a show-stopper at Hellenic. Hand-tufted contemporary designs retail at $399 for a 6′ by 9′.
Incanto Divani
Retailers welcomed Incanto Divani's U.S. rollout. Part of a three-tier pricing strategy, the promotional brand, Sofitalia, featured Pistoia in bycast leather with stitching detail.
Howard Miller
Last year, Howard Miller broke new ground with its clock/cocktail table introduction. This market, the company added a new style to the look with Galliano. The oval table has sculpted metal legs finished in antique gold to complement the gold accents on the carved acanthus leaf detailing.
Natuzzi
Marketgoers cheered the curvaceous shaping of this contemporary modular sectional from the Pasquale Natuzzi Collezione. The seat cushions are removable, and the components can be reconfigured.
Century
The heavy distressing and deeply featured wood design on this armoire from Sun Valley typify the collection's refined yet rugged appeal. Sun Valley looked like a winner here even before the official opening day.
Thomasville
The Islands Chair, designed to coordinate with Thomasville's new British West Indies-flavored Windward Bay collection, features double-caned sides and back with a reeded seat rail and ornately carved legs.
Maitland-Smith
A remerchandised showroom showcasing this high-end resource's eclectic mix of product in room settings won buyer approval. This china was a hit in the dining presentations.
Marge Carson
No sense playing musical chairs when you have the playful Cha Cha sofa from Marge Carson.
Hooker
The "future-proofed" entertainment center from Hooker appealed to retailers who don't want to sell cabinets that will be obsolete next week. This unit accommodates 36-inch direct-view televisions as well as wide-screen formats.
Schnadig
Schnadig's offering of leather seating correlates for its room groupings was well received. The Asian cut-and-sew program is assembled domestically.
Palliser
The Berkley reclining sofa features the increasingly popular two-seat design.
Drexel Heritage
Orleans, with its shaped, high-profile back, was one of three settees introduced this market in the Lillian August collection, licensed to Drexel Heritage.
Magnussen Home
Fossilized stone from the Philippines and an oval glass top set apart this round cocktail table from Magnussen Home Furnishings. The table is part of the Albany occasional collection.
Hickory At Home
Hickory At Home unrolled its Scrolls bed to good reviews.
