Ladies' vanities add romance, elegant touch to bedrooms
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, May 1, 2005
High Point — Occasional furniture went retro at the April High Point market with the return of the lady's vanity.
Once a popular item, the vanity had all but disappeared in recent years until a resurgence that began with the introduction of Thomasville's Humphrey Bogart line in October 2002. At this spring show, ladies' vanities had a much greater presence with several producers and importers offering versions.
When Thomasville launched Bogart, the vanity became one of the better-selling pieces in the collection, said Mark Smiley, manager of national brand communications.
Inspired by an Art Deco antique adapted for modern use, the vanity drew attention from the late actor's family during market. Stephen Bogart said seeing the piece reminded him of watching his mother, Lauren Bacall, sitting in front of a mirror, brushing her hair and putting on makeup. Smiley said when Bacall saw the group, she gravitated toward a couple of pieces in particular, including the vanity, where she sat down and admired the craftsmanship.
"The Hollywood vanity is truly the most iconic piece in the Humphrey Bogart collection," said Smiley. "The popularity of this piece has not waned since the introduction of the collection. Like Lauren Bacall, our dealers love this piece and showcase it prominently."
Importers didn't immediately jump on the bandwagon and begin producing vanities right away. Another type of vanity— a sink cabinet for the bathroom — was the hot item. Both provided a similar benefit: softening up a room that can tend to feel hard.
Wood furniture often is masculine in nature, said some manufacturers, but the effect can be softened by adding gentle curves or a feminine finish. The vanity, on the other hand, is inherently feminine.
"The design creates a tenderness for a lady's setting," said Robbie LaMarche, president of LaMarche. "It reestablishes elegance and passion."
Brand bandwagon
Female designers and licensors have insisted on including a vanity in recent case goods collections, including Barbara Barry, Cristina Ferrare, Nancy Lindemeyer and Connie Post.
When Lindemeyer and Hooker were developing the Intimate Home collection last year, the designer considered the vanity a personal favorite and asked for it to be in the collection, said Kim Shaver, vice president of marketing communications for Hooker. The company had never introduced a vanity before, but ended up offering two at the October 2004 High Point market.
Magnussen Home offered a vanity with the first Cristina Ferrare group, Bel Canto, at the April 2004 market. Well received, the piece also was included in the new Ferrare collection introduced this spring — Sunset Boulevard.
Magnussen wanted to go with an elegant design with the second group, so it opted for Art Deco styling. Vanities must have been a popular piece in that era in the late 1920s and 1930s, said Karen Knoch, merchandise manager for occasional. Every book and reference material the design team leafed through included the item. In fact, she said, it was hard to narrow down all the designs they saw to form one new piece.
With these major introductions leading the way, the vanity came to the forefront this market. Designer Barbara Barry included one in her new collection with Henredon. Connie Post offered a small vanity with her accent collection with Butler Specialty. Collezione Europa, which has had success the past two years with an Art Deco vanity, offered five new ones this spring. And Pulaski included one in its Kenington bedroom collection.
Style plus function
The Powell Co., which started out as an accent company, has offered vanities for years, said Sean Slack, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing. The line now includes about eight models ranging from $99 to $699, he said, including a new step-up piece with a matching bench and tri-fold mirror.
Hooker offered a girl's vanity in Swedish Accents last fall, the company's launch of a youth division, SmartKids. This year, it included another with the new Chateau Philippe, clean Louis Philippe lines with a white finish.
This softening of the bedroom also led several companies to introduce jewelry armoires and lingerie chests. In addition to helping women organize their belongings, these items offer storage to keep clutter off bathroom counters and dresser tops.
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