Function, fashion drive high end
Consumers seek creative solutions for new electronic gear
By Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, January 23, 2005
High Point — Both sides of the Fusion equation, office and entertainment, have been power categories for high-end furniture producers.
Providing a combination of function and fashion suitable for large homes, these companies report robust results recently, especially with their larger-ticket items.
Rob Sligh, president of Sligh Furniture & Clocks, said the connection between the latest generation of electronics and better home furnishings is clear.
"Home entertainment is one of the fastest-growing furniture categories, and it's being powered by the growth in the television market," he said. "The televisions that are selling are high-end televisions, and those consumers need furniture to match."
The experience at Stanley Furniture, where home office and entertainment are both stronger toward the top of the line, would seem to confirm that theory.
"Our success has been with the larger-scale pieces that work in the large homes that are being built today," said Kelly Cain, vice president and product manager. "The nine-foot ceiling has become the norm for home construction, and you need that for some of the new pieces we've been offering."
Cain said that Stanley's success might be a function of rarefied air being less populated: "There's so much competition for smaller pieces at lower price points that the value is hard to differentiate. With several of our large-scale collections, though, they recognize the value immediately."
The high-end activity is not limited to entertainment, Sligh added.
"That was in a slump for a time, but since the beginning of 2003, the home office business started growing again, and it's been doing quite nicely."
Sligh added that home offices are occupying more prominent spaces in today's homes, and consumers want desks and storage that are stylish as well as functional.
For both categories, the old husband-and-wife shopping theory still seems to apply, which may help explain why people are making style statements with their furniture as well as their electronic equipment.
"One of the dynamics that's always interesting is that often it's a couple making the decision," Sligh said. "The man is interested in the technology while the woman wants it all to work in the home. It's interesting to watch that dialogue occur, but we know that we have to please both of them."
Another theory that may explain why the high-end is percolating is the fact that larger, more expensive entertainment and office collections offer more function simply because of their size.
"It's kind of a all-in-one solution for the den," said Marco Lucioni, president of South Cone Trading. "With one piece, we provide a place for the TV, music, music, books, storage and decorative display."
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