Wood vendors offer range of styles, prices
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, October 17, 2009
HIGH POINT — Many case goods buyers in town this week may be feeling a sense of déjà vu. After all, it was just a month ago that they shopped several million square feet worth of product at the Las Vegas Market.
While some of the product they are seeing will be the same, they'll also see plenty of new goods and vendors they didn't get to see a month ago. Others who weren't at Las Vegas will see many pieces for the first time.
Here's a look at some of the highlights High Point will have to offer in collections large and small, covering a range of styles, price points and product features. There will also be some expanded licensed collections and custom approaches aimed at designers and their clients.
Generous selections
Hooker Furniture will be showing 65 pieces in Sanctuary, a bedroom, dining room and occasional collection with Italian, Portuguese and English design influences. Seven finish options take traditional forms into different style statements that marry the pieces to settings ranging from urban lofts to lodge, farmhouse and cottage retreats. It also hits a range of price points with items such as a $799 sleigh bed and a $1,799 four-poster bed.
In addition, Hooker is bringing out Abbott Place, a 50-piece updated traditional collection that covers bedroom, dining room, home office, home entertainment and occasional. The group features two finishes, a warm cherry and natural cherry with a maple tone.
Stanley Furniture is showing two new 50-plus SKU collections that also hit different style categories. One is Costa del Sol, a 51-piece bedroom, dining room, and occasional collection with casual traditional design influences from the Adriatic and Iberian regions of Europe. The collection has a mixed-media story, with materials that include hand-forged iron, leather, glass and nailhead trim.
Stanley's Modern Craftsman is a 58-piece bedroom, dining room and occasional collection with Mission and Arts & Crafts design influences. Like Costa del Sol, it has mixed-media elements, such as hammered metal, top-grain leather and cathedral cherry veneers.
Other sizable case goods groups being shown this market can be seen at Universal and Schnadig, the latter of which has 70 new bedroom pieces spread across three different groupings.
Licenses galore
Chromcraft Revington is expanding its Southern Living Home line with two collections — Gresham Park and Rittenhouse Square — and a third, short dining group called Garden Party. That brings the number of collections in the Southern Living Home line to six since it was launched in April.
The styles of the new collections range from casual traditional to contemporary, giving the line broad appeal.
“We are working hard to bring good design at an affordable price point,” said Derick Belden, Southern Living's executive editor. “People are more design savvy, but they also are more cautious about how they are spending their money. If we can provide both design and affordability, that is where we can have a home run.”
Revco International is expanding its Candice Olson-licensed collection with the line's first bedroom and dining room offerings.
The launch includes 11 new solid dining tables priced from $1,400 to $1,795 and several upholstered chairs in the $450 to $499 range. The table and chairs come in multiple finishes. The dining category also includes round pedestal and rectangular dining tables with turned and cabriole legs with polished nickel ferruled feet.
Vaughan Furniture is expanding its Kathy Ireland Home line with nine new bedrooms priced from $899 to $1,399. Three of those have formal dining sets.
Much of the styling falls in the contemporary realm, but some are more traditional.
The Kathy Ireland introductions from Vaughan also will include 12 new casual dining sets that retail from $350 to $799 for a table and four chairs.
Other new or expanded licensed collections will be available at Starmount Home Furnishings (Nautica), Hammary (B. Smith Home), American Drew (Jessica McClintock) and Universal (Better Homes and Gardens).
Made to order
Customization is a big story at domestic producers such as Stanley and Linwood Furniture.
Stanley is offering 60 finish options across 10 collections in its Young America line, which includes the 20 now in myHaven. The added finish options tie in with the company's plans to produce the entire Young America line domestically starting this fall. The pieces will be shipped in 30 days or less and most can be shipped in half that time, according to company officials.
Linwood Furniture is offering more than 500 painted finish options in its Villages of Gulf Breeze collection. The bedroom, dining and occasional collection currently has seven standard finishes, which remain available. Those goods can now be shipped within 10 business days. Goods with any of the 500-plus new finishes can be shipped within 20 business days.
President Bryan Starnes said Linwood decided to expand its finish options in response to customer inquiries on whether certain colors were available on various pieces. Since the company already inventories the collection in whitewood, he said it made sense to grow the number of custom options.
“It's not like I have to rebuild a special piece for them,” he said, adding “Why can't the customer pick the paint they want?”
Pieces in the seven existing finishes will be on display in the company's new Market Square showroom. Various props will show an additional 12 to 15 of the new colors..
Other companies that continue to offer custom finishes or made-to-order product include E.J. Victor, Henredon, Maitland-Smith and P.A.M.A Furniture.
The price is right
In this economy, price remains a key selling point and there will be plenty of price-driven groups available.
Trade Masters has 20 new bedrooms across a variety of styles. Five-piece sets start as low as $899 and go up to $1,999, said President Ron O'Dell. Queen-sized wall beds with two nightstands retail from $399 to $599.
“The area of case goods we concentrate in is the promotional end of the business to the mid-range,” O'Dell said. “The reason we are continuing in that vein — which is the same thing we have done for many years — is that in today's economy, customers are looking for product they can advertise to bring traffic into their stores.”
He added that many large customers have been in the market for bed, dresser and mirror combinations for $1,000.
“Almost everything we have in that combination can be sold for under $1,000,” O'Dell said.
Standard has 10 new U.S.-made laminate bedrooms retailing from $499 to $1,499. It also has six new imported wood bedrooms retailing from $999 to $1,499.
Hooker is offering two new contemporary bedrooms in its popular Envision program that retail at $1,699 for container- direct, four-piece groups. Two other new Envision bedrooms also are being offered at $1,999 for container-direct, four-piece sets, bringing the total number of Envision bedrooms in that price range to 11.
Magnussen Home has 13 new 7- to 10-piece bedrooms covering a variety of styles ranging from traditional to modern. Most are in the $1,299 to $1,499 retail range. The items have also been tested in the marketplace, meaning that Magnussen has sought input into what consumers are looking for at this time.
Adding value to these and other company lineups are functional elements, ranging from hidden linen storage on buffets to USB ports and docking stations on nightstands and chests. Storage and wall beds with headboard lighting also continue to play an important role in the market, addressing the needs of consumers with smaller homes or second homes with smaller bedrooms.
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