Luana Living coming to life
By Joan Gunin -- Furniture Today, April 17, 2006
San Diego, Calif. — Luana Living, the new company created by Luana Davis to debut at next week's High Point market, will bring a fresh approach to "mixed media" upholstery in leather and fabric, with diverse textures, bold color and sophisticated comfort.
Davis, who has worked in merchandising and product development for LeatherTrend, Natuzzi and Bauhaus USA, says the company specializes in "complex design looks at highly competitive midlevel pricing."
The startup company is positioned to sell container-direct to midpriced to high-end retailers, Davis said.
After 25 years experience in retailing and manufacturing, Davis found herself drawn to the production side because it offered her greater creative control.
"Long term, my goal was always to operate a company on my own, but I always figured it would be in retail — a store of some kind," she said. But after numerous trips to Asia, she found "incredible opportunities" in manufacturing sources and decided the time was right to design a line of furniture to be made in China.
She spent most of the past eight months in China working on the launch.
Luana Living offers "a completely coordinated collection" of leather, fabric and mixed-media upholstery, as well as correlated upscale casual dining and such occasional pieces as cocktail ottomans, tables and accent chairs, she said.
In creating the line, she drew on her training and experience in fashion and apparel design. The products feature a mixture of modern, transitional and vintage styles.
"Each collection consists of coordinated fabrics and leathers with varying textures and surface treatments that can be mixed and matched for a truly unique look," Davis said. "Retailers (at High Point's premarket last month) have been impressed by our range."
The groups include some 20 leathers showcasing full grains, pearlized tips, metallics, embossed crocodile, hair-on-calf and distressed bycast. The tailored, loose-cushion sofas also feature pillows trimmed with welting, buttons, fringe and other details.
Contrasting with the leathers are lively fabric prints in rich oranges, reds, golds and browns, with many fabrics exclusive to Luana Living. The raw materials are finished in China and the fabrics are from U.S-owned mills based in China.
The 13-sofa assortment is built on hardwood-blend frames and incorporates Leggett & Platt drop-in coil units. Cushions are wrapped in channeled ticking bags packed with feather down and fiber blend. The cushions have high-resilience foam and meet California fire resistance standards.
Dining pieces and the wood trims are finished in either dark walnut or an antique distressed mid-tone.
The company's vice president of operations, Mark Znamiec, is an engineer — which, according to Davis, is an asset to the company. "When importing, it is key to understand that all design specifications are followed and that the product is structurally sound," she said.
Chief Financial Officer Bob Hisert rounds out the management team.
Luana Living's showroom in Centennial Center, 325 Russell Avenue, second level, will expand for the October market as the company adds more casual dining collections as well as new upholstery.
China short on workers
10/04/2009Luana Living coming to life
04/19/2006Davis launching import firm
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