New loft looks target 20- to 30-somethings
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, October 28, 2002
High Point — Many introductions in stationary upholstery showrooms were aimed at the 20- to 30-somethings, the consumers who flock to specialty stores like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel in search of something chic but shabby.
This market's buzzwords were slipcovers and loft looks.
Such styles, first popularized by manufacturers like Mitchell Gold and McCreary Modern, were widespread here. Producer after producer offered comfy denims, twills and cotton slipcovers — many of them removable and washable and designed for consumers with children and pets.
The pitch for slipcovers and loft upholstery took the shape of products that manufacturers say are more upscale and more tailored, scaled for smaller spaces, and upholstered in more sophisticated covers.
Contemporary house Lazar rolled out some nicely tailored looks and a collection done in partnership with Lucky jeans. A 14-ounce washed-denim slipcover sports the jeans maker's leather label and logo.
Many consumers like the slipcover look but "don't want the same thing as their friends," said Dana Bigman, director of marketing communications for Lazar. She sees the current wave of products — including the company's Urban Naturals collection — as progress. "They start with Ikea and move up," she said.
The Lucky jeans program is limited to two sofas, one 94 inches that will retail in the $1,599 range and the other 86 inches. The company expects the selection to grow.
Slipcovers are the highlight of Urban Naturals, a collection of scaled-down sofas for city spaces, softened by natural materials such as cotton, faille and linen.
Pennsylvania House included a couple of slipcovers in its introduction of PH Style, eight sofa frames to hit the $999 price point. The pieces are in denim and canvas, with a colorful striped contrast for pillows and ottomans. Georgia Hasse, a consultant for the company, said the manufacturer decided to start small and build on initial success.
Hasse said a selling point for the slipcovers is that they can be used on a fully upholstered piece in any of the program's 54 fabrics, which gives two different looks for about a $300 upcharge.
PH Style's fabrics are in two price categories that include solid twills, rush twills, leather ottomans and microfibers in hip colors. The scaled-down pieces mate easily with the company's case goods.
"They're for the young and the young at heart," said Hasse. "Because of the introductory price point, we believe it will bring that customer into Pennsylvania House."
J.J. Hyde Co. added a casual slipcover group in cotton in colors like aster, natural and paprika, and Leather Trend included slipcover looks in the launch of its fabric line called Sofa Trend.
Alexvale had a large introduction of slipcovers that included everything from cottage looks to velvet.
Other contemporary offerings in upholstery included a trend toward curvy, flowing styles in perky, fun colors or laid-back subtle shades like sage and spa blue. And the color palette is taking on an array of shades with colors like latte, cocoa, honey and plum.
Weiman took the spectrum to bright pink in a sectional designed by Stanley Jay Freidman. And there were lots of bright oranges and reds in the market's fabric rainbow.
Debbie McKirahan, corporate merchandising director for Norwalk, said that contemporary trends are coming under the influence of celebrity architects, including Frank Gehry (Bilboa), Rem Koolhaas (Prada), John Pawson (Calvin Klein) and William Solfield (Gucci). Designers like Philippe Starck and Michael Graves also are popularizing good design.
In contemporary, including pieces in Norwalk's Contempo collection, manufacturers are following a trend toward "chocolate blocking" using brown but bringing other colors such as blues, oranges, chartreuse and turquoise into the fabrics.
Danish contemporary specialist Club 8 uses an orange base toned down with tiny red dots on a modular piece. Other looks in the company's 54 fabric styles are subtler, done in apparel-like fabrics in flannel and herringbone.
"Europeans are a little more progressive in fabrics," said David Most, area sales manager. "We have to stay a couple of steps ahead and push the envelope."
