Colorful Adler designs for Rowe
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, April 3, 2005
McLean, Va. — Hoping to broaden its distribution and expand into higher price points, Rowe Furniture will introduce its first licensed collection of upholstery and occasional furniture at next week's High Point market.
The collection, from hip New York designer Jonathan Adler, known for his zany pottery collections, will include six upholstery groups and selected wood pieces. Unlike Rowe divisions Jamie L, Robin Bruce and Earth & Elements, Jonathan Adler Furniture will be marketed as a stand-alone company with the Rowe affiliation visible only to the trade.
Pricing will be above Rowe's upper-end Robin Bruce line. Adler upholstery will be made in a "boutique" manufacturing process outside Rowe's standard "cell" production.
Each of Adler's upholstery groups is designed around a distinctive sofa and has two cushion options, down-filled and poly-filled.
The collection will start with 63 fabrics, from cotton/linen blends to boucles to velvets, as well as contrasting welting.
Two complementary imported table groups are in the lineup. One is in hardwoods finished in a dove white lacquer with polished nickel accents and customized hardware. The other is in solid hardwood with a layer of linen molded on, to create a seamless finish in ether moss or natural. Other items include accent pieces, tables, screen, buffet and a desk.
Each furniture group is named for a movie character that inspires Adler, such as Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate" and Eve Harrington in "All About Eve."
President Bruce Birnbach said Rowe had several opportunities to license brands but was "waiting for the right opportunity. We were looking for someone who's really recognized in our industry — both at the retail level and the consumer level. The credibility of Jonathan in both the retail and the consumer marketplace was really the appeal."
"Jonathan Adler's style is quite unique because it is sort of retro in appeal," said Stefanie Lucas, Rowe's senior vice president. "I think it appeals to a broad range of people. Sometimes he references the '60s Palm Beach and things like that, and people remember that era and are drawn to it. And then younger people are certainly drawn to it since it is quite modern."
Lucas said Adler's styling is "very eclectic." While the standard upholstery introduction includes a sofa, chair and loveseat, his groups may include a sofa and a day lounger, or a sofa with a chair that "doesn't quite match completely," she said.
"Then we bring in unexpected color pairings and shapes. For instance, you might have a green and white sofa with a blue and white rug. You might have geometric patterns where at first you think they're too bold, but when you put it together with all the other pieces and the pottery, it makes perfect sense," said Lucas.
The company expects the collection to pull in a whole new set of accounts. Lucas said likely candidates for the Adler line are boutique retailers, upper-end department stores and lifestyle stores.
"The most important thing for the retailer who carries it is that they show it in its complete story," she said. "They're not just going to put in a table or a sofa. It's got to be the complete collection with accessories and everything because that's what really gives his stuff the look. He is a growing brand himself."
Birnbach indicated The Rowe Companies' retail chain, Storehouse, probably will decide on a market-by-market basis whether it will include the collection.
Adler is known for his signature mod shapes, vibrant colors and organic patterns. His career as a potter has soared in the past decade, and he has branched into interior design and top-of-bed, bath, stationery and tabletop.
He operates four stores in Manhattan's SoHo district, Los Angeles, Miami and East Hampton, N.Y.
Adler said his partnership with Rowe is "the logical next step" in creating a home collection.
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Colorful Adler designs for Rowe
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