'Chaising' comfort
Consumers respond to laid-back look, feel
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, April 2, 2006
High Point — Whether it's pronounced "chase" or "shayz," the chaise is clearly a winner on retail floors.
Long an outdoor staple, the chaise moved indoors big-time during the past several years to become a major seating piece. Comfort-conscious shoppers apparently like the laid-back look and feel of the chaise, boosting sales and making it one of the most popular accent pieces in the industry.
Now the chaise is part of seating's mass market, with prices and quality levels across the spectrum. In addition to the wide range of stand-alone chaises offered in every style imaginable, many manufacturers now include chaises as an option in their sectional lines.
For example, Century offers 36 stand-alone chaises in its line, said Ed Tashjian, vice president of marketing. They range from an elegant number in the Oscar de la Renta line, taken from the designer's own home, to stylish pieces made from water hyacinths.
The variety of design choices available gives chaises a wide appeal, Tashjian said. "There are lots of stylized, stand-alone chaises in lots of different styles. Typically, you'd see them in very traditional styles.
"But now, if you look in Metropolitan Home, there are all kinds of really upscale, very clean chaises."
Chaises also are becoming common in sectionals, he added. "It's almost like a built-in chair and ottoman where people can lounge and have it connected to the sofa."
England has chaises built into motion sectionals but has only one stand-alone piece. But that one piece, in the company's line for about six years, carries a lot of weight, according to Stefanie England-Tull, vice president of marketing and store development.
"We have sold a ton for a very long time," she said. "It's just a very clean, contemporary chaise at a fairly popular price point."
Appealing to women
England-Tull feels the market is "more for the female demographic. Obviously, too many males aren't going to select chaises." But there's an attraction to chaises, she said, as "something you can easily stretch out on and kind of get cozy in. I think that's why we sell so many of them — at least the one model that we have."
That's soon to be two. England is adding a traditional chaise in April at the High Point market.
The reason the company has such a tight selection of stand-alone chaises, she added, is that "we're very SKU-conscious in our line. We have to run several hundred of each piece that we do in order for it (manufacturing) to be efficient, so we don't have a lot of odd pieces, accent pieces, things like that.
"The one that we have in the line for the past few years has been one of our top sellers. I think there is a category there; maybe we just missed a little bit of it."
Popularity is growing
Companies interviewed for this story didn't share figures on chaise sales, but they know they're selling more of them.
"I can tell you the popularity has increased," said Nikki Didiano, an executive at Décor-Rest, a licensee of Alexander Julian. "People are relaxing more, and creating a special spot for them (chaises). And they're also practical, in that they are space-savers, and people can use them as a bed."
Didiano said that in the past, chaises were "more a luxury item. Now it's much more functional."
Other trends contributing to the chaise's growing popularity include the surge in home entertainment and the move toward cocooning by consumers.
"Their home is no longer just a showplace," Didiano said. "It's a place to entertain and relax with family and feel good about your surroundings and be comfortable in them."
With so many price points and styles, the appeal of the modern chaise is gender-neutral, Didiano said. "There's not too much difference between a chaise and a (recliner), you know."
Bruce Hirschhaut, vice president of marketing and sales for Carter, said chaises have become a key part of today's sectionals, serving as a focal point in homes, particularly between open kitchens and Great Rooms.
"The tailoring and the detail have become very important to us," he said, noting that the contemporary specialist has added bookcases around the back of one of its collections, the Nirvana.
"I think in a lot of ways it takes (business) away from some of the generic and lower-priced recliners," he said.
"But it really is a substitute for a lot of the contemporary manufacturers and specialists who want to have a piece that floats with very creative foot or floor treatments with chrome or wooden accents."
The chaise, besides being decorative, has other functions as well.
"It's really for all the couch potatoes and the late-night sports fanatics who end up sleeping on it," Hirschhaut said.
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