Stanley previews Coastal Living with sales representatives

Collection includes 70 pieces of coastal-cottage case goods, plus upholstery

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, August 28, 2008

HIGH POINT — Stanley Furniture invited in sales reps around the country on Monday to preview its newest licensed collection, Coastal Living by Stanley Furniture.

 

The meeting gave reps a chance to preview one of Stanley's best-kept secrets in recent memory and familiarize themselves with the collection's unique color palette.

Coastal Living Editor-in-Chief Kay Fuston stands by a color palette on display in Stanley Furniture’s High Point showroom.

Stanley Furniture President and CEO Jeff Scheffer and Coastal Living Editor-in-Chief Kay Fuston stand near the summer house panel bed, one of four beds available in the collection. It has a louvered headboard and is shown here in a sand dollar finish.

The collection, which includes 70 pieces of coastal-cottage bedroom, dining room, home office, home entertainment and occasional and accent furniture, comes in 13 color finishes and one wood finish called boardwalk.

Stanley also revealed that it will offer coordinating upholstery pieces merchandised in living room settings with the occasional and accent furniture. Produced by Vanguard Furniture, these come in a variety of fabric options, most of which tie in with the color palette.

These 13 colors fall under three different themes called Sea Glass, Pastel and Americana.

The Sea Glass colors mirror the tones seen in salt- and sand-washed glass found along the beach and bear names such as sea grass, high tide, sand dollar, shell, sea mist and morning sky.

Pastel repeats some of the same colors in Sea Glass as well as a light pink conch, and a yellow called lemon twist. Americana, meanwhile, includes red, white and blue tones with colors that include beach cruiser red, navy, deep water and wave.

The colors were partly influenced by the coastal-inspired colors seen in the magazine, which has about 3.5 million readers, 70% of which are female and many of whom own second homes. Many times, readers contact the magazine to learn the name of colors shown in different room settings, said Coastal Living Editor-in-Chief Kay Fuston, who was at the Stanley showroom on Aug. 25 to help preview the line.

"It's a very casual lifestyle," she said. "People have a passion for the coast and that carries over to this magazine. We like to think of ourselves as a niche magazine with mass appeal."

Calling the collection a great collaboration between the two companies, she added that Stanley is the right partner at the right time.

"We have a huge respect for what they do," she said, noting that Coastal Living was able to weigh in on many different facets of the collection. "They have solid, quality furniture at a good price. They have a great mix, and we felt this was a great fit for our reader."

"I think they will have a great response from the Coastal Living reader," she added. "The reader has the discretionary income to buy the product, and this is in line with what she wants."

This dining table is one of three tables offered in the collection. The top has a boardwalk finish and the apron and legs are shown here in a sand dollar finish. This and other wood pieces are made with maple and poplar solids and veneers.

These bungalow twin beds are shown in a morning sky finish and the small writing desk in the middle is in a lemon twist finish.

This panel bed features woven abaca, a natural material that provides the collection with a green story to share with retailers and consumers.

The line officially launched this month and will be seen by many retailers for the first time either at the Sept. 15-16 premarket or the October High Point Market. Produced domestically, the collection will start shipping just before Thanksgiving.

Stanley President and CEO Jeff Scheffer said Stanley initially developed the product without any formal link to a brand name. Part of that was to keep the collaboration under wraps but also to create a unique line that could sell on its own.

"It all starts with product," Scheffer said. "In the development of this product, the words Coastal Living were never used with the retailer or the sales rep. We wanted the product to stand on its own."

He added that the partnership with Coastal Living has been a "fantastic marriage between product and a lifestyle."

"My travels tell me that the retailer is looking for something new, different and fresh," he said. "Cottage is not new, but the approach to it is unlike anything the industry has seen."

"They (Coastal Living) have been a great partner."

Scheffer and others note that the domestic nature of the collection also is allowing for a broad mix of colors as well as the ability to ship in four weeks from the time of order.

Coastal Living will help promote the collection in its magazine and will display it in one of two Idea Houses it will feature in a 20-page section of the magazine next year.
It also plans to have editors help promote the collection at various retail events and display it in special magazine/catalogue publications made available to various stores that carry the line.

The magazine's Web site also will have a link to a special Stanley Furniture Web site dedicated to the line.