Something in store for everybody
By Susan M. Andrews -- Furniture Today, March 19, 2007
Retailers shopping for upholstery at the spring High Point Market later this month will find the usual, of course — lots of sofas sporting plain body cloths and patterned accent pillows.
Fortunately, buyers will find other looks as well — especially velvets and petite chenilles that look like velvets, flocks on various interesting grounds, animal skin patterns, sparks of metallic threads, cottony chenille textures and glossy faux leathers. Such looks are designed to catch the imagination of those retailers willing and able to leave the pack behind in their pursuit of the ever-distracted American consumer.
In design, there is clearly a movement back to classic forms. This market, a variety of frames, paisleys and brocades have been updated by designers at such sources as Circa 1801, Wesley Mancini by Valdese Weavers, Krelan and Textile Fabric Associates to mate perfectly with traditional English and French silhouettes and carved wood trims.
Other important motifs include leaves, in everything from patterned velvets to geometric prints and wovens.
High-end statements
High-end manufacturers have combined custom-colored renditions of elegant cut velvets and silk velvets from legendary European mills with the top-line domestic producers like Valdese Weavers, L.A. Mills, Pacific Weavers Corp., Weave Corp. and Wearbest Sil-Tex, to name a few, to create unique, distinctive styles in colors that track far ahead of the main home furnishings market.
At the very upscale TRS Furniture, the spring market palette includes both edgy and comfortable colors — evolving from copper and bronze shades to pale mineral blue and mocha combinations as well as a strong, new emerald green. European and domestic mills are willing to do special custom colors even though "we don't get a hit every time," said Sumner Finch, president, "but we have the freedom to take some risks. People don't look here for midpriced upholstery — that's not us. Our challenge is to find the right combination of distribution, quality and the 'TRS look' in a fabric that will meet the objective of being elegant and unique."
At upmarket source Taylor King, the new color this season "is a wonderful 'cherry chocolate.'" said Tanya Comer, director of marketing. "We have a beautiful matelasse pattern from Wesley Mancini by Valdese Weavers line paired with a Glasgall Silk paisley from Weave in the same coloration."
Midmarket moves
Middle-of-the-market producrs have started using better fabrics as a means of differentiating themselves from the crowd as well, particularly with the frequently similar looks being offered through distributors and converters that source from China.
Collage applications give manufacturers a good opportunity to work in more upscale fabrics — beyond just pillows. At Southern, where the collage category has been steadily growing for some time, President Ken Church said "we continue to focus on more expensive and differentiating fabrics to create our look."
For manufacturers moving away from their traditional roots to a more contemporary look, fabric choices are a crucial element of the transition.
"We're seeing the contemporary category grow and expand," said Roy Calcagne, president of Craftmaster Furniture, which Universal acquired last year. "We're focusing on contemporary and modern looks in the front of the showroom with brighter colors.
"It's exciting for Craftmaster because it's a new category there and the timing is right for Universal because it opens up new business by entering that category," Calcagne said.
"At Universal, the direction is still opulent — that's our niche — luxurious and heavily carved. Most of the body cloths are still neutral, but we're showing brighter colors in great pillow patterns, including silk and embroidered patterns that are really cool," said Calcagne, who also is senior vice president of the upholstery division of Universal.
Opulent touches will be showcased at Norwalk Furniture as well, according to Jack Arthur, vice president of merchandising. Designer Candice Olson selected two sparkly patterns from Krelan — Maurice and Glitter —— that will cover the Maxine sofa, which has a short box-pleated skirt that Olson calls a "mini skirt" effect.
Olson also picked another gleaming fabric — Momentia from Wearbest — as part of her spa coloration for the spring market.
