Miles Talbott to offer Shabby Chic furniture line

Upholstery line to blend elegance, casual style

Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, February 23, 2010

HIGH POINT — Upholstery maker Miles Talbott has partnered with Shabby Chic Brands for a line of furniture featuring the big, mushy look that has spawned an industry of knockoffs over the past 20 years.

The collection, which will blend English elegance with California casual to create the aesthetic made famous by designer Rachel Ashwell, will debut at the April market here in three locations: the International Home Furnishings Center's InterHall, space 202; the GuildMaster showroom in the C&D building, IA and 1G; and the Miles Talbott showroom at 1690 English Road.

Jim Stokes, managing partner with Miles Talbott, said the Shabby Chic Collection will include six style groups and a number of occasional chairs. It will stick close "to what people have come to know and love about Shabby Chic" with updated designs, "and what is true and holy about Shabby Chic."

That will include thick, puddling cushions, extreme comfort, soft tailoring and that California casual look, according to Stokes. Cushions will be standard with 1.8 density foam and a proprietary method of construction that preserves the lived-in look, or with optional down.

The originals designs were giant sofas with ample white denim slipcovers. Besides slipcovers, Miles Talbott will offer the collection fully upholstered with a number of the pieces in leather. Pricing will fall within Miles Talbott's mid-to-upper price structure.

Miles Talbott has two other licensed collections, with designers B. Smith and Joe Ruggerio.

Company President George Jordan called the Shabby Chic addition "a fabulous addition to our assortment."

Ramez Toubassy, president of Brand Sense Partners, the brand management and business development firm that acquired the Shabby Chic brand in 2009, said, "We feel that, now more than ever, the consumer is looking for design-driven and elegant, yet livable and casual, home furnishings products and that Miles Talbott is the best partner to deliver the brands core tenets of beauty, comfort and function as they relate to upholstered furniture."

"We have worked with Miles Talbott to create a lovely collection of chairs, loveseats and sofas, each with the qualities the Shabby Chic brand is famous for," said Ashwell, who lives in Santa Monica where she has a Shabby Chic store. There also is a store in New York. In addition, she is the author of a number of Shabby Chic books.