Values, extra touches lift formal dining
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, January 25, 2010
HIGH POINT —
Formal dining may have ceded some floor space to more casual footprints, a category increasingly known as everyday dining. But formal is still a viable category for many vendors and retailers alike. They continue to sell a variety of large-scale groups with tables that seat anywhere from eight to 10 comfortably.
Many popular groups also are characterized by large-scale chinas or display cabinets, while others show just as well with a sideboard or buffet. These sets also tend to show well in larger homes with a separate area for dining and entertaining during holidays and other special events.
Featured here are four of the current top-selling groups in the marketplace.
Product: Fine Furniture Design & Marketing's Antebellum
Date introduced: April 2009
Key features: Antebellum is a relaxed traditional collection made with walnut solids and swirl mahogany veneers in a hand-rubbed brown finish called Hermitage. Featuring maple and ebony veneer inlays, it also comes in two other finishes — Classic Black and Gold and Gold Leaf.
Why it sells: “We like the high perceived value of Antebellum from FFDM, with its fine carvings on the table and chairs,” said Machiko Penny, merchandise manager for Chicago, Ill.-based Walter E. Smithe Furniture. “It is extraordinary today to have intricate carvings on both the front and back of the back splats of the chairs at a medium to high price point. Our clients have also voted positively on this group, which replicates period pieces, but is very relaxed in finish and quite approachable.”
Product: Fairmont Designs' Repertoire
Date introduced: Spring 2005
Key features: Repertoire is made with poplar and hardwood solids and pecan ash burl veneers in a chestnut finish. This glass-top table has French traditional design influences as seen in the carved frames and cabriole legs of the chairs and the massive carved pedestals. A table and six chairs retails at $1,900.
Why it sells: “It's just been a real successful group and has been (for) a long time at all of our four Mathis Brothers stores,” said Chad Wilson, vice president of merchandising of the Oklahoma City, Okla.-based retailer. He said that traditional looks such as these are doing well in his marketplace and that the single-pedestal version of this set is doing particularly well because it can go in either a formal dining room or separate breakfast room. The group is also a mid-priced set that's a notch above promotionally priced furniture. “That's where we have found there is less and less (product offerings),” he said. “There are not as many people doing mid-level and doing it well, and I think that is what makes it successful.”
Product: Pulaski Furniture's Alura
Date introduced: October 2008
Key features: Alura is made with hardwood solids and primavera veneers in a deep brown finish with auburn highlights. The group mixes contemporary and traditional shapes as seen in both the table and the chairs. The china shown in the background has a curved front and champagne-colored drop ring hardware. The suggested retail on a table, four side chairs and two arm chairs is $2,625.
Why it sells: “We bought this group in the early third quarter, sold out quickly and then replenished it and had strong fourth-quarter results,” said Steve Riley, general merchandise manager at Omaha, Neb.-based Nebraska Furniture Mart. “I believe the brown cherry finish and slightly scaled down size with a more transitional look has been very appealing to our customers.” He added that formal dining has decreased as a percentage of sales due to shifts toward casual, but that this set “lends itself to a slightly less formal look with softer clean lines as well as nicely toned-down hardware” on the cases.
Product: Universal Furniture's Villa Cortina
Date introduced: April 2006
Key features: Villa Cortina is one of Universal's best-selling formal dining sets. The European traditional group is made with Asian hardwood solids and laurel burl and cathedral cherry veneers. The table shown here starts out at 58 inches and has perimeter leaves that extend it to 76. A table, four sides and two arm chairs retails at $2,299.
Why it sells: Suzanne Melom, merchandise manager at Denver, Colo.-based Kacey Fine Furniture, said the group's design appeals to its customers. “It's definitely traditional, which is one of our main customer bases,” she said. “We show that round table and chairs in our showroom and it has been a very good seller.” Formal dining sets like this one also appeal to customers in the area with homes that have a separate dining room that accommodates such formal sets.”
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