High Point — Cottage looks, long considered a bit too quaint, rustic and casual for some consumers' master bedrooms, got a facelift at market here, with increased scale and greater finish and design sophistication.
Long a staple for youth and coastal collections, cottage was an important style for several new lines, mostly for bedroom but in some cases for dining as well.
Cottage has grown up, and that's no surprise to exhibitors who made it a focus of their fall introductions.
"It's always been out there, but now it's coming into its own," said Gary Hokanson, vice president and director of design for Stanley, which counts Cottage Revival among its new collections. "It's a warm, cozy style category and easy to live with. With the situation in the world today, and all the emphasis placed on the home these days, it's no wonder."
Flexible and eclectic
Cottage Revival was a good example of the new cottage. Along with a painted white finish, the collection also comes in natural pine, as well as a black accent finish.
"Cottage is so flexible as a style," Hokanson said. "It's inherently a collection of unusual pieces, so you have a great amount of choice for the consumer and for display."
He also noted that shelter magazines put the category before consumers regularly.
While the new Alexander Julian line got the most attention at Universal, a cottage collection in two finishes was an important new bedroom and dining room offering. Mountain Retreat is in natural pine and Bayside Cottage is in white.
"Our dealers tell us customers are coming in and requesting it," said Virginia Bremer, Universal's vice president of marketing. "It's versatile enough for second bedrooms, and it's a familiar, easy look to live with."
While it can be suitable for master bedrooms, the cottage look is a good fit for second bedrooms, vacation homes and condominiums, a segment Bremer said Universal wanted to address.
Cottage's natural eclecticism makes it suited to those categories.
"People often don't put as much effort into accessorizing their extra bedrooms," Bremer said. "When you have a lot of design in the piece, consumers have enough decorative elements to let the furniture stand alone without as much accessorization."
Drexel Heritage made Chelsea Cottage an important part of its drive to offer more product at middle price points through its Drexel brand. The collection features a European-flavored cottage look, with particular attention to finish.
"It's an updated cottage style," said Jeff Young, president and chief executive officer. "We're using a white emulsion finish on a gray base. Dry-brushing allows some of the base to come through."
Chelsea Cottage also has a warm green accent finish, again treated to allow white highlights to shine through.
The Lily Pond flavor of Bernhardt's licensed collection with Martha Stewart had numerous pieces with a casual cottage undertone. While many cases carried painted finishes typical of cottage, they were clean and smooth, adding an almost contemporary touch of elegance to the simple country forms. The style was a good fit for the collection's price points, many of which are well below Bernhardt's standard line.
"The design and simpler scale benefits when you hit this price point, and the styling and dimension are appropriate for older as well as new homes," said Rountree Collett, executive vice president at Bernhardt. "It complements what we do at upper price points in its range of styles and environments."
De la Renta likes it too
And while most would not associate the cottage looks with Century, its licensed collection with Oscar de la Renta had pieces reflecting some coastal cottage characteristics.
It's really not much of a stretch, since part of the collection is derived from the designer's estate in the Dominican Republic, with many pieces based on comfortable antiques that reflect the relaxed atmosphere of that home versus the styles based on his New York townhouse and Connecticut estate.
The white finish and slats on the Punta Cana island bed reflect a casual feel with cottage undertones.
"De la Renta believes that great design should be available for everyone," said Ed Tashjian, corporate marketing director for Century. "This is the least expensive bed in our collection. It can retail at $2,500 in king size. He wanted to make this collection accessible to as many consumers as possible."
