Casual dining

By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, April 16, 2006

All prices retail • In-depth stories on casual dining introductions will appear in Furniture/Today's opening-day issue

Archatrive

108 S. Lindsay St., 3rd floor

Pedestal dining table, top available in 42-inch and 60-inch diameters with an optional 18-inch leaf; top in painted wood, stained fir or antique boards; choose any of 35 hand-painted finishes.

Bernhardt

IHFC D-600

Bar Essentials, 16 different barstool collections, bar and counter heights for each; traditional, contemporary and transitional designs; some are based on existing groups with bars while others are freestanding.

Brooks Furniture

FP 515

• Hearthstone, 54-inch, counter-height gathering table and 48-inch square or round pedestal table in antique cherry finish and wrought iron with wood and slate top; $899 to $999 for five-piece counter-height set and $799 to $899 for the pedestal set.

Canadel

NFM 310

• Chairs, 10 new styles for its Color Shop and Canadel lines; retailing around $299 each.

• Finishes, 10 new regular and antique finishes for each program line.

Strategy: Showing new gallery setups in its expanded showroom. Canadel now fills the entire third floor of the National Furniture Mart with the entrance in its Furniture Plaza annex.

Cramco

243 S. Main St., 1st Floor

Offering three-piece dinette in a box at suggested retail of $99 featuring fully welded chairs. Boxes can be stacked for in-store promotion display. Also adding six new pub-height groups featuring curved metal back chairs with laser-cut patterns with glass or laminate tops at $299 retail. Five new groups will be added to its higher-end Design Line collections.

Emerson et Cíe

200 N. Hamilton S-205

Entering the dining category this market with six tables, including two that are part of occasional groups.

• Prodigy, 12 occasional and dining pieces, Louis XIII styling in distressed oak; from $945 to $4,199.

• Palermo, 12 occasional and dining, Italian-inspired antique reproductions; $735 to $3,285.

Habersham

MS 142

Adding several casual dining furniture items as part of a 45-piece introduction. Featuring kitchen and bath cabinets with a European casual lifestyle.

Hamilton & Spill

CP 118

• Fifth Avenue, café-style transitional group in solid hardwood and cherry veneers with a warm finish; tabletop has diamond-inlay pattern, chair has same pattern on chair back and front, counter height; with matching server.

Hekman Furniture

200 N. Hamilton S-107

• Copley Square, 25-year-old group gets 24 new pieces including eight dining; line features crotch mahogany, ebony and satinwood inlay fan medallions; Georgian, Hepplewhite and Chippendale influences.

• Repertory, new dining chairs for April 2005 group; transitional from Neoclassic/Empire era.

• Metropolis, new table added to October 2005 group; X-style base on rectangular dining table off the group's best-selling cocktail table.

Marketing programs: Added a second theme for retail environment concepts; in addition to Rue de Bac antique shop theme, added a Turkish Bazaar with lavish rugs and Moorish hand-painted wall designs. Promotions and reward programs for commitments at market.

Idealsedia

220 Elm 205

• Ischia, new expansion dining table with chocolate glass, oak veneer and metal accents; 39 by 71 inches to 87 inches long; group comes with a server buffet and high storage units; $1,399 to $1,699 table.

• Farro, four buffet/storage pieces, oak veneer and chocolate glass; also available in natural oak, cherry-stained oak, oak stained in a dark wenge finish. Choose wood or glass fronts; available in 51-inch, 77-inch or 102-inch widths; $1,399 to $2,899.

• No. 247A, three chairs, contemporary in any of its fabrics and finish options, more than 200 options; in beech or oak; $229 to $299.

Lane Home Furnishings

IHFC C-800

Adding three imported casual dining groups — Kingsbridge, Blackstone and Seabrook — featuring traditional styling with two-tone color applications. Constructed in solids and veneers to hit the key $999 price point for a five-piece suite.

Laneventure

IHFC C-867

Rachael Ray, three new pieces to the licensed dining collection. Vicki barstool has a double-ring back design representing Rachael's recent wedding, $500; Emily counter stool, features twist design, swivel back, $560; and modular kitchen preparation center, birch veneer with granite top, single-door storage cabinet can be combined with either one shelf or two shelving units to create a prep center to fit individual needs; $1,300.

Linon Home Décor

220 Elm 202

• Nook, five dining pieces, New Zealand pine bench, chairs, corner seat and trestle table in a Honey Pine finish; $499 to $599 group.

• Kitchen island, end-grain butcher-block top, stationary bottom shelf, pull-out shelf and storage drawers, steel hardware, locking casters and hooks; $259 to $329.

Luana Living

325 Russell, 2nd level

Mondrian is a 21-piece casual dining group in hardwood and birch veneer with clean lines, dark walnut finish with inlays and brushed chrome hardware.

Master Design

PS 309

• Value Line, eight new counter-height dining groups — finishes range from beech and merlot to black-and-cherry and black-and-oak combinations; starting from $399 to 599; two new conventional-height dining groups in urban contemporary and West Indies styles; five-piece starts from $599.

• Barstool and Seating, seven silhouettes in an array of looks at both 24-inch and 29-inch sizes; pricing starts at $199 and $249.

• Parsons chairs, No. 584-140 and No. 586-140 are two flexible chairs that can go with existing tables or stand alone; start at $99.

• Oak dining, three suites with oak solids and veneers in an eclectic presentation.

• Laminate Top, two counter-height sets, oak set in Medium Oak finish with a tobacco granite laminate top; birch set in Praline Estate finish with creamy light granite laminate top; prices start at $699.

Powell Co.

NFM 100

• La Questa, occasional and casual dining, part of the Michael Payne Collections, Spanish-Mediterranean styles, solid wood and cottonwood veneers, textured metal; based on dining styles used at wine tastings in vineyards; with 12-inch leaf, seats eight; hand-carved, lyre-shaped legs, hand-forged steel supports, textured bronze finish; group includes side chairs, armchairs and sideboard with baker's rack hutch; table and four is $1,299.

• Powell Café, building on success from October market, adding four wood and three metal-and-glass groups, with names derived from spices like Bay, Clove and Oregano, styles range from casual contemporary to transitional and traditional; $299 to $699; also five additions to kitchen butler, cart and island line, generous storage and function; $249 to $599.

Reflections

101 N. Main St.

Manhattan is one of several new casual dining suites offering extension leaf or hideaway leaf glass tables. Some tables close down to 32 by 49 inches while extending to 96 inches long. Groups are offered in standard, counter and bar heights. Suggested retail starts at $699. Also adding tables featuring Brazilian hardwood pedestals supporting granite tops.

Saloom

IHFC H-1015

Hampshire Farm is a new New England-themed country casual collection. Plank table tops are constructed of solid maple and cherry and aged by hand. Consumers can custom order table size, shape and finish color. Multi-layered, distressed finishes complete the look. Four groups in first offering: Woodstock, Windham, Berkshire and Camden.

Shawna Stoney

SMS M-427

Francis dining, woven leather chair, hand-grooved three-part base; designed by Peter Myrner and Linda Donohue; chair is $469, table is $999.

Superior

310 N. Hamilton

Café Dining, country casual in solid cherry with select hardwoods, new drop-leaf table with turned single-pedestal base and 42-inch drop-leaf top; bistro table, 42-inch top for counter-height stools; two pub tables, 42-inch round top in 36-inch and 42-inch heights; kitchen island in solid alder, one drawer, three shelves, wine rack, spice rack, will accommodate four stools. These pieces are all available in the 45 finish options.

Universal Furniture

2622 Uwharrie Road

Four casual dining groups:

• Rockbridge, eight pieces, traditional cherry with turned legs; $799 for five-piece set.

• Café, eight traditional pieces, Buttermilk and Oak finishes, carved legs; five-piece is $799.

• Barclay Meadows, six traditional pieces in mixed media, $799.

• Redondo, five-piece contemporary set in cherry; $799.

Strategy: Extending its assortment and building on the success of its top-performing products.

Wynwood

PS 407

• Atria, metal and glass with botanical design etched into metal; $699 table and four.

• Cordoba, metal and glass in an Antiguo Blanco finish; $499.

• Seville, metal and glass with unique etched design and nailhead trim on chairbacks; $599.