Accent chairs continue to sell across all style, price categories
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, September 24, 2006
High Point — For consumers looking to dress up a room, accent chairs remain a viable and often affordable alternative. The style mix continues to expand as well, giving them plenty of options to choose from when selecting a piece.
What's selling well in the marketplace right now depends on whom you ask. Some companies are having success with more traditional models. Others are selling more contemporary or transitional-style frames, most of which have cleaner lines, or curves based on Art Deco-inspired designs.
At P.A.M.A. Furniture, a high-end occasional and accent chair specialist, traditional, highly carved frames are selling better than the more contemporary styles.
The frames are imported, but the company does its own upholstering and finishing at a plant in Jamestown, N.C.
Anne Marie Pennisi-Page, vice president of sales and marketing, said Old World, rustic or textured finishes combined with plush, oversized cushions with soft velvet fabrics featuring muted prints are popular now in the marketplace.
Aged leathers also are popular, she said, noting that most of the models in P.A.M.A's accent chair line have a traditional or antique look.
"The more antiqued and aged looking it is, the better," she said of the leathers offered in its line.
Case goods importer Powell Co. launched an accent chair line about two-and-a-half years ago with three models in its Jamestown Landing collection. It now has about 16 models in its line, ranging from $199 to $499 retail.
The pieces having the most success are moderately carved traditional or transitional models, said John Conrad, vice president of merchandising.
He added that the category has been good for Powell, which got its start in the accent furniture business.
"We find that accent seating can go anywhere in the house," he said, adding that the company plans to bring out another eight models in October. "There are many opportunities to sell those items for many rooms in the house."
While Powell and P.A.M.A. are not having as much success with contemporary-style chairs, plenty of companies are.
That includes Sigla Furniture, which is doing well with both contemporary and transitional models retailing at $349 per chair. Traditional models are slightly higher, at $399 because of the carved elements.
"I think one of the things you say in America is that less is more," said President Ben Bakian, noting that about eight of his 40 SKUs of imported accent chair frames are contemporary or transitional styles. "That is what people want now. Less is always more. You can cut down on all the carving on the chair, and that is what you will get."
In Flexsteel Inds.' Charisma accent chair program, contemporary and transitional styles are growth areas, said Lee Fautsch, vice president of residential upholstery.
"It has been and continues to be a very important part of our line," he said of the company's accent chair program, noting that year-to-date sales are about level with last year. "We have offered a complete line of accent chairs for over 50 years, and for that reason our business has continued to be solid. It helps to round out and complement all the other parts of our line. Many retailers won't buy a fabric sofa unless they can also buy an accent chair."
Many vendors import fully finished and upholstered frames from overseas. But for many, customization is a key aspect of the program that helps bolster their remaining domestic operations.
At Flexsteel, for example, chairs are available in 1,000 inline fabrics. Another 1,000 fabric choices are available to those who run Flexsteel galleries.
In the past few years, P.A.M.A has set up its own finishing and upholstery departments to help customize orders. Sigla also brings in whitewood frames from overseas and finishes and upholsters those frames in a Los Angeles factory.
Century Furniture imports all of its 253 chair frames, offering them in 53 special-order finishes and 2,500 in-stock fabrics. That work is done in its Hickory, N.C., factory.
Like other companies, Century also allows customers to supply their own fabric, another factor that broadens the mix, which retails between $800 and $2,400 per chair.
"When you combine the finishing capability with the fabric capability in a dedicated plant, you have a killer business," said Ed Tashjian, vice president of marketing. Year-to-date sales in the category, he said, are up 6%.
Sam Moore Furniture is doing well with traditional-style leather club chairs. But it, too, is seeing the market shift more toward transitional and contemporary-style frames.
"That's a big category for us," said President Mike Moldenhauer, noting that wing chairs only represent 7% of sales, down from 19% a decade ago. "It seems like when we introduce a new style, it does well for us."
Its line of 300 chairs is mostly sold as proprietary products for various retailers, at retail price points ranging from $399 to $999 per chair.
Sam Moore still produces 80% of its line in a 400,000-square-foot factory in Bedford, Va. That domestic operation allows it to customize orders, with 500 fabrics and 100 leathers. It also has 30 custom finishes, all of which also are offered by suppliers in China and the Philippines for the remaining 20% of its line that's imported.
At Golden Chair, accent chairs remain a viable portion of the business, representing about 70% of sales. Upholstery represents the remaining 30%.
Today, the company is seeing success in a multitude of styles. These range from domestically made traditional wing and swivel chairs, at 25% of sales, to imported frames, which make up about 50% of sales and range from $199 to $299 retail per chair. Some of these are contemporary in design.
Golden Chair's goal is to focus on the styles that are doing the majority of the business. In many cases, that means tailoring an accent chair to a popular style of upholstery.
"The accent chair business is kind of a matching game," said Mark Holley, vice president of sales. "It's not necessarily the centerpiece of a room. (Consumers) have a sofa or loveseat as the statement piece, and chairs add the ambiance or give the room an upscale look."
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