Wood sources stick with traditional
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, September 28, 2008
HIGH POINT — Case goods vendors are approaching the October market with largely traditional forms, some of which are updated with casual finishes and curves to appeal to today's consumer.
On collections large and small, design influences include Louis Philippe, European, Arts and Crafts and Shaker.
Manufacturers also are targeting upscale urban audiences with groups with contemporary and even modern flourishes, while cottage is making a comeback with several groups aimed at second homes in coastal markets.
One of the boldest examples of European traditional is in Hooker Furniture's Beladora collection. Made with maple and olive ash burl veneers, the 70-piece collection will be one of the largest at the High Point Market, which opens Oct. 20. Pieces feature cracked walnut veneer inlays and are available in a caramel finish with gold tipping.
On the dining side, signature pieces include a 72-inch round glass top table and an 89-inch leg table that extends to 129 inches. With four-poster beds retailing at $2,199, prices are about 20% higher than Hooker's starting bedrooms.
Its Arabella bedroom collection has Spanish design influences, as seen in the raised argyle motif on posts and diamond-shaped patterns on the framed panels of case pieces.
Fine Furniture Design & Marketing is launching Ravello, a 27-piece relaxed European style bedroom, dining room and occasional collection made with cherry veneers and walnut solids. Featuring walnut, cherry and ebony inlays on drawer fronts, pieces are available in distressed brown and antique ivory finishes.
European traditional influences also are seen in American Drew's European Traditions, A.R.T. Furniture's English Regency, and Bernhardt's Chateau Rustique collections.
Universal's Lakewood collection is a 30-piece traditional group of bedroom, dining room, occasional and home entertainment made with rustic cherry veneers and featuring a contemporized distressed finish.
Some collections have a relaxed, casual feel that borders on rustic, as seen in the heavily distressed finishes and heavy grain patterns.
Perhaps the most rustic of any group this market is Hekman's 40-piece Vineyards collection of dining room, home office and home entertainment. Influenced by French provincial, the group features table tops with diamond patterns of hand-hewn solids that alternate between mahogany and other hardwoods. The group is updated for 21st century users with drop-down drawer fronts and door storage for printers.
Arts and Crafts influences appear in Kincaid's domestically produced Rose Croft collection, which includes 42 pieces of bedroom, dining room, occasional and upholstery, as well as on a new 10-piece bedroom group by Fine Furniture that features rift-cut, quarter-sawn oak in a warm brown finish, and on SLF's Sedona bedroom line in pine solids.
New updated Louis Philippe groups are available at Broyhill, Fine Furniture, SLF, Largo, and Legacy Classic to name several. Meanwhile, American traditional styles appear in Riverside Furniture's Seville Square and Contata collections.
In contemporary, one of the most dramatic new groups is Bernhardt's Palomar, a 52-piece bedroom, dining room, occasional and entertainment collection made with Mozambique, zebra wood, lace wood and walnut veneers. An upholstered leather bed features button-tufted leather and bunching nightstands, with shelving and back panels that give the group a modular look and feel. A five-piece group with a king bed, nightstand and back panels retails for about $4,000.
Broyhill's Urban Solutions is a 28-piece contemporary-leaning collection made with figured maple veneers and available in merlot and maple finishes.
Hammary also is delving into contemporary with its 29-piece Classic Modern collection of bedroom, dining room, occasional and home entertainment furniture in primavera and walnut veneers, inspired by the architecture of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Contemporary or modern design influences also help shape collections including Zocalo's Ventana, Pulaski's Eastside, Universal's City Scape, Hurtado's Ados, American Drew's Wendover Crossing and Legacy Classic's 845 and 866 groups. Aspenhome's Kensington bedroom is a clean-lined transitional group with some Asian fusion design elements.
To capture the market for owners of coastal or second homes, some vendors are bringing back cottage or coastal inspired themes.
Vaughan-Bassett will roll out the domestically produced Cottage Colours collection, the latest in its Alexander Julian lineup. The group has two wood finishes, cherry and pinstripe pine, and four color finishes — black, antique yellow, pure white and island cottage blue.
Other examples of cottage or coastal influences can be seen in Stanley's 80-piece Coastal Living collection, Hooker Furniture's Island Retreat bedroom, and Lea Inds.' Seaside Retreat youth collection, which has twin, full and queen size bed options available in 10 colors.
Cottage design influences also are prevalent in a new case goods collection at Legacy Classic. Bedroom and dining room pieces are available in a light cherry finish and an antique white finish. Three different beds in the group retail at $699 while table and four chair sets featuring bell turnings on the table legs retail at $999.
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