AICO, Seymour partner in design
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, February 1, 2010
In this story:
Collections include:
LAS VEGAS —
The new Michael Amini & Jane Seymour — A Design Collaboration is not just one of the largest case goods and upholstery launches this market. It also represents more than a year of product development efforts that will give AICO its first major celebrity licensed line.
The initial launch will include between 40 and 50 SKUs in each of three distinct collections the AICO team has been working on with Seymour since early last year.
In designing each collection, the AICO team made several visits to her home, and Seymour also spent time at the company's headquarters. Conveniently, both are in Southern California.
The goal was to create a line that mirrors Seymour's lifestyle, particularly in her home in California, which AICO officials describe as a relaxed and warm environment that reflects her sensibilities as an actress, artist and mom.
“What she brings is not only her artistic talent and a good eye toward color and coordination,” said AICO President Larry Rinaldi. “These are styles for living. When you visit her home, you can see how comfortable she is in her home.”
Rinaldi said Seymour was an active participant in the design process, including the review of product sketches. That involvement sparked a sense of collaboration that inspired the name of the collection.
“She is a wonderful person and very artistic in her approach,” said Michael Amini, company founder and CEO. “She has been a delight to work with.”
In turn, Seymour told AICO executives that she was impressed with Amini's artistic and design talents as well as the company's product line.
The three new collections cover an array of styles and finishes that AICO believes will appeal to a wide demographic. Without revealing specific price points, Rinaldi said the line falls mostly in the middle part of the market with some prices falling just below the upper-middle realm.
Collections include:
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Cobblestone Road, a traditional, relaxed European-influenced collection that includes a Tuscan-influenced metal bed with wood posts, and a wood poster bed with open twist-turned posts. It also has two dining tables, including rectangular and a round version with pedestal storage, both of which are in a finish called British Brown.
Pieces are available in six finishes, among them crackled gray, Antiqua white, teal and Barcelona black.
Cobblestone Road also has three living room settings with sofas, chaises and sectionals. -
Palace Gates is a traditional collection with British design influences that is more formal than Cobblestone Road. Available in a finish called Royal Sable, it includes a mansion bed with a button-tufted headboard and a European style platform bed with traditional design elements.
On the dining side, a rectangular trestle base table has a carved seashell motif and extends to about 12 feet, seating at least 10 comfortably. Arm and side chairs are leather upholstered.
“There is some carving, but it is quite elegant — there is something royal and regal about it,” Rinaldi said.
Palace Gates upholstery includes a sofa, chaise, settee, wood chair and swivel chair with carved frames similar to the carved elements on the wood side. -
Hollywood Swank is more modern, with design elements inspired by Hollywood glamour. The bedroom has an upholstered mansion bed with a winged headboard, while the leg dining table has a top with smoked-glass inserts and a platinum finish on the legs and apron. Other cases pieces are wrapped in alligator vinyl and have multiple finishes.
The upholstery group has a sofa, an armless chaise, a settee and a high back chair.
In Las Vegas, AICO will devote about 5,500 square feet of its showroom in World Market Center C-1601 to the new line. Rinaldi noted that dealers can effectively show a good representation of 30 to 40 SKUs in a smaller space.
“It will give consumers a good view of what the offering is,” he said.
He added that each piece reflects Seymour's lifestyle, and that a number of items feature her artwork.
“I don't think the retailer just needs more furniture for their floor,” he said. “They need furniture that is distinctive and that has a little story to it.”
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