Casual dining goes upscale
By Jeff Linville and Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, May 22, 2006
High Point — While counter-height size was all the rage in casual dining the past two years, the looks were pretty similar. Most introductions were casual contemporary and cottage designs with little carving or shaping.
At last week's market, however, more companies broadened their offerings to include styles like Mission, Shaker and even upscale traditional looks.
Formal dining sales haven't been as strong for many companies because the tables are too big to fit in the dining areas of many of today's newer homes. But some companies took stylistic touches of formal dining and adding them to counter-height sets — a kind of casual-formal crossover.
Seay Style, for instance, introduced six "deluxe gathering tables" here, including a Cosmopolitan group with cherry veneers, pedestal base and microfiber-upholstered, memory-swivel chairs.
Variety and function also proved popular at market. At Bermex, President Daniel Walker said the company added to its chair offerings, now with 100 styles, including an upholstered seat option. One new feature that sold well at Bermex was a self-storage system on all drop-leaf tables. The company also introduced the option of custom sizing.
Canadel's biggest color push in three years was well received here, said Jean Deveault, sales and communication coordinator. The company introduced 10 colors in two of its lines, Canadel and ColorShop, Deveault said.
Casual dining business so far this year has been strong for Canadel, with the company making gains with retail clients who have left other suppliers, Deveault said.
Casual dining sales continue to grow at Klaussner, with counter-height models leading the way. The company's introductions included Veranda and Metro sets with 60-inch tops, a 54-inch table added to the Dick Idol Urban Craftsman collection, and the Brookhaven table, which expands to 60 inches with a butterfly leaf.
Bench seating in casual dining ventured more from a typical Early American style format, said Ed Grund of ART Furniture. The company introduced a relaxed casual upholstered bench seat as part of its Oakdale collection.
At Johnston Casuals, the company's first venture into pressure-curved wood backs on steel-based chairs was well received with the Cascade collection, designed by John LeShane. The collection also featured a pneumatic-adjustable barstool.
Designer Alexander Julian added two tables to his licensed line at Manchester. One is a standard counter-height size while the other, Mai Tai, is a small, square table Julian said would be good for sharing a drink with an old friend.
