Bringing sofas to life takes right blend of fabric, frame
Savvy sofa merchandisers know how to balance color, shape, pattern and price
By Susan M. Andrews -- Furniture Today, February 27, 2006
High Point — Putting a stunning textile or leather in a great color on a well-proportioned frame doesn't guarantee a beautiful result. All the elements are there, but they don't necessarily combine to create a winning look. Why not? When they do create a winning look, what's the secret?
The secret is in the "eye" and experience of the merchandiser who makes fabric-to-frame choices based on the manufacturer's market segment and associated price constraints as well as the colors, shapes, constructions and patterns of the fabrics and frames.
Here Global Textiles Today presents two more stylish upholstery pieces featuring happy marriages of fabric and frame, with insights from the merchandisers on what makes the marriage work. This is the third in an ongoing series about fabric-to-frame design and merchandising.
Sandi Moore, King Hickory, director of merchandising
Sandi Moore, director of merchandising at King Hickory Furniture, is often inspired by a fabric's design or feel or color. "Planning a collection usually starts with a fabric that I just cannot get out of my mind. Sometimes it is a unique pattern, other times it is the hand, and color often plays into the mix."
She had ample inspiration for the Nevada sofa. Although the pleasing silhouette could just as easily work for a vintage style, Moore took it in a decidedly Western direction for the recent Las Vegas furniture show.
For leather-fabric combinations, which continue to grow in their appeal at retail, the mix is key.
For the Nevada sofa, the leather was selected for its distressed appearance and wonderful hand, achieved through hand-antiquing and sanding to add depth and character.
"It's a true chameleon, blending with most fabrics in our line," Moore said. "The all-cotton velvet (on the inside back) blends so nicely with the leather that it's hard to notice where one ends and the other begins.
"For the accent pillows, I was drawn to the dramatic flair of the saddle blanket styling."
Nevada, as shown, retails for about $2,500.
What makes this marriage work?
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Frame's shapely back, slightly flared arms and bolster pillows make it a natural for vintage or Western styling
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Styling evokes Western, Mountain Elegance, Rustic and Vintage Chic trends
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Layering of fabrics with different textures creates an inviting embrace for the consumer
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Intricate weave detail of the blanket-pattern pillows set off the monochromatic tone of the group
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Hair-on hide adds sophisticated appeal to the rustic frame
Fabric sources
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Euroleather — Cambridge, antiqued and sanded leather
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Quaker Fabric — Wam-pum, blanket pattern
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J.B. Martin — Como, all-cotton velvet, chocolate
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Hair-on hides — available in brown-and-white, dark brindle and tri-color, hand-selected in Brazil
Cindy Goss, Klaussner Furniture Inds., merchandising manager
Merchandising Manager Cindy Goss poses on Klaussner's Piermont sofa Model 53510, a tight-back roll-arm with tapered wood feet and nailhead trim.
Goss liked the rich tomato red of this high-performance bodycloth fabric and accented it with pillows featuring a classic kilim pattern. Piermont's approximate retail price is $699.
"This fabric has a total wear story, just like the suede fabrics. The colors available in Woolsuede are great and are suitable for many different styles. It has the hand of a chenille with the look of wool."
Woolsuede is constructed of domestically made yarn from American Fibers & Yarns, engineered for softness, luster and durability as well as soap-and-water clean-up.
What makes this marriage work?
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Performance fabric adds value for retailer and consumer
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Fabric is inherently stain-resistant, bleach-cleanable, colorfast and durable
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Chenille hand, wool look
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Tomato red highlights neat tailoring details and can withstand direct sunlight without fading
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Kilim rug-inspired pillow pattern adds interest to the tailored frame and plain bodycloth
Fabric sources
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Sofa — Quaker Fabric, Woolsuede
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Pillows — Quaker Fabric, Beartrap
