Metal bed vendors work hard to revive category
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, October 15, 2007
High Point — Metal bed vendors here didn't let a tough retail climate stall their efforts to revitalize the category.
From the low to the high end, many resources offered new looks and design strategies aimed at making metal beds more attractive to retailers.
Iron beds design leader and manufacturer Wesley Allen had 11 new models and seven new, mostly textured finishes. Among the top performers was the traditional Sparta, a $2,200 retail bed with an upholstered head and footboard and classic Greek-inspired design elements.
Another hit at Wesley Allen was the New Orleans upholstered bed, which retails for $2,000. In the works for three years, the design was inspired by the scroll work seen in iron railings along balconies in the French Quarter.
These and other new models come in 42 finishes, including the seven new ones.
Canadian metal bed manufacturer Amisco drew strong interest and order-writing with three new contemporary designs: the $599 retail Delaney, the $599 Graham and the $449 Theodore. These transitional/contemporary pieces come in 10 finishes and ship in six to 10 days from the company's domestic warehouse.
These and other metal beds have finishes that tie in with case goods and floor and wall mirrors in Amisco's line. The Graham bed even has a wood extension on top of the head and footboard that matches the finish on the companion dresser and nightstand.
Fashion Bed Group had no designs that were entirely new, but did offer three contemporary Asian fusion-inspired styles in platform options. These include the $399 retail Brooklyn and Fulton models and the $299 Plaza. The beds can be used in standard or platform-only footprints. The same choice is available on four other beds in the line.
"It gives the consumer the option of using the mattress and box spring or just the mattress," said Ron Ainsworth, senior vice president of procurement for company parent Leggett & Platt. "That's what people really like. It gives their customers another option."
Hooker Furniture had success with its two metal bed introductions, including a transitional model in an aged brass finish that is merchandised with a new line of hand-painted Westcott accent drawer chests. The presentation was popular with dealers largely because the finish on the bed complements the case pieces.
Largo had two new beds and added decorative side rails to an existing model. The most popular new model was the Charleston, a sleigh bed with thin vertical slats and matching headboard and footboard shaping. Available in an old iron powder-coated finish, and also with decorative side rails, the bed retails for $399.
The second new Largo bed is the Gypsy, at $299 retail. Available in an old bronze finish, it has medallion-shaped castings and twisted iron spindles and scrollwork on both the head and footboard.
"We're finding the metal bed business to be very good," said Vernon Piehl, Largo's vice president of sales and marketing for case goods. "It is a growing category."
Wesley Allen saw a drop in traffic early during the market, but was pleased with the response its new beds received from those that did stop by. For that reason, it believes its design and marketing efforts paid off.
"It's not the best of times in the furniture industry," said President Victor Sawan. "In such times, you have to give dealers reasons to buy. You have to innovate more and provide better designs."
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10/04/2007Metal beds add zest to case goods lines
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