Superior's Color Studio offers more than 1,000 paint options
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, May 25, 2008
Grand Rapids, Mich. — When accent and occasional furniture resource Superior Furniture partnered with Jasper Cabinet last year, the goal was simple — make both lines available in 50 finish options.
Those finishes continue to be a core part of the signature offerings of the two companies. Now Superior is taking the arrangement to a whole new level by offering more than 1,000 color options.
The new Color Studio program aims to give customers more choices, to customize the furniture to fit alongside a particular color fabric or wall pattern.
The colors are available through a supplier in Michigan that is working with Superior. Superior does the finishing on its own items and products in the Jasper Cabinet line at Superior facilities in Lowell, Mich.
"This will drive our special-order business," said Bill Lee, president and CEO of Superior, which like Jasper sells accent and occasional furniture. "At the point of sale, it gives the retailer another option to make the sale, and that turns into repeat business."
The program also offers retailers a new merchandising opportunity that lets them pair an occasional or accent piece with any upholstery fabric on display in the showroom.
"They can tie it into their upholstery and sell it as a package," Lee said.
Unveiled at the recent High Point Market, the Color Studio program resonated with many dealers and designers who visited the showroom that Jasper Cabinet and Superior Furniture share near Noble's restaurant.
"The accounts that came in understand the opportunity to match up fabric and wood trim with these colors," said Robert Cribbs, president of Jasper. He said the program offers a nice alternative to the multitude of brown finishes in the marketplace.
Colors range from soft pink and deep red to mocha and lime green. There are also shades of grays, yellows, oranges and blues.
The colors are displayed on a hand-held color wheel similar to those in paint stores. That makes it simple to match a color on the wheel with a color on a piece of fabric or wallpaper.
The colors are available at a 20% upcharge of the wholesale cost of the piece. The company also offers two-tone paint jobs at no additional charge beyond the initial 20%.
"It gives someone a chance to have some color in their home," Cribbs said. "This is putting us above the fray of being a me-too company."
The partnership has a community-minded aspect too. Superior will donate some paints not used to local schools and nonprofits that can use the materials.
