Occasional, accent pieces stick with recent trends

Rustic, mixed media offerings popular

Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, April 28, 2011

HIGH POINT — Occasional and accent sources will be out en masse at this week's market here with looks that aren't too far out but continue recent style trends.

Rustic reclaimed and driftwood looks are still doing well for Stein World and others, mixed media and wire-brushing are on tap for Riverside and Magnussen Home, walnut is an emphasis for Powell and updating traditional styles like Arts and Crafts continue to serve as inspiration for many.

Riverside has about 10 new occasional groups in a variety of styles, said Mike Charlton, senior vice president of product development. That includes new looks in wire-brushed ash veneers and solid hickory - a seldom- used wood for the company - metallic finishes in a sophisticated weathered rust tones, and many mixed media looks.

Planked looks and pine finishes also get a nod from the company in new occasional groups. Adding mixed media elements and reinterpreting a style has been a recent source of success for the company, Charlton said.

That's been especially true with traditional styles like the company's Arts and Crafts Craftsman Home collection Riverside Furniture’s Logan Square occasional group features transitional styling and mixed media touches such as tubular metal bases in an antique pewter finish and solid hickory planked tops.with stone accents and a sophisticated oak. That group's sales took off last year, he said.

Riverside is still aiming for a $299 retail price on cocktail tables and Charlton said he expects retailers to be looking for anything that's fresh, new and a good value.

While retailers will know a good new look when they see it, it's hard to say which styles are leading the pack these days, he added.

"Three years ago you could walk into a retailers store and you could say, ‘Show me what your best seller is in occasional tables,' and they could show you their top five," Charlton said. "Now you can ask the same question and they'll tell you, ‘My best seller is the one I just sold.' Because they can't get a bead on the customer because the customer's all over the board in terms of style and price."

At Stein World piece, introductions feature reclaimed rustic looks in gray driftwood and other natural colors. Some pieces have glossy and metallic finishes, and use exotic materials like capiz shell, mahogany seeds and faux alligator leather.

Retailers are looking for ways to differentiate their product offerings in the face of rising costs, said Stein World President Richard Olmeda.

They also want to upgrade their floors with more fashion- oriented goods to separate themselves from others, especially online retailers with lower operating costs that might have a price advantage, he said.

Olmeda said the focus at Stein World is on staying current with fashion trends but not outpacing dealers.

"If price isn't your only competitive advantage - since there's so many ways to buy furniture these days, like Internet and wholesale buying clubs - then how do you compete and differentiate yourself to allow for growth? We provide them the opportunity through product to differentiate themselves from the competition," Olmeda said.

Magnussen will have 22 new occasional groups that cover the style bases with a big emphasis on mixed media, according to Nathan Cressman, vice president of sales and marketing. Among those looks are a smattering of rustic styles, pine and walnut woods, coffee and umber finishes - all with commercial twists.

Sizes run the gamut from 48-inch rectangular cocktail tables up to 60-inch groups. Cressman said the sizes are getting back toward pre-recession norms.

"When the economy tanked, people were saying, ‘Smaller upholstery, smaller upholstery, the sizes of houses are going down.' Cocktail sizes went down and I think proportionally they don't look right, and we've gone back to the 52-inch standard size on the (rectangular) cocktail," he said.

The company continues to release contemporary groups with bent plywood looks, which is becoming a sought-after specialty from Magnussen, he said.

Magnussen also is sourcing from the Philippines again after several years' absence for the value of looks from the island nation, especially after receiving numerous requests for fossil stone and other native materials the country is known for, he added.

Cressman said he's expecting a good market this week as the economy continues to get moderately better.

Ray Steele, co-founder of Gail's Accents, said he's expecting higher-end looks at moderate prices to become more prevalent. Gail's Accents has about 120 new items for this market, coming off the company's launch with about 100 items in the fall.

Gail's Accents is offering design touches including painted finishes, coastal looks, floral motifs and wrapped cord carvings on an assortment of accent chairs, mirrors, bombe chests, curios and other items.

Steele said that at market, he'll emphasize how accents should be shown in a store so they're easily accessible for customers.

"For furniture retailers, (accent items) account for less than 3% of their volume. Our emphasis is to try and show them where they could increase 3% to 6% without blinking an eye," he said. He said a $1,200 investment in product for display "can change the whole look of the store," Steele said.

Powell will have more than 30 new occasional pieces here including two accent collections - Walnut, with a variety of hand-painted pieces from hall consoles to bunching cubes, and the Mirrored Collection.

The company also has several new pieces in accent seating with polyurethane covers, marble-topped cabinets, silver finishes and black and platinum crackle paints.

According to David Horvath, vice president-merchandising, Powell's big push this market is the mini-collection - made up of an initial piece that has had a small collection built around it.

Horvath said the company has moderate pricing strategy. In its Walnut Collection, a 36-inch wide by 18-inches deep by 28-inches high, hall console with three drawers could sell at $299 at over full mark up.
Sizing up business this year, he said sales to brick and mortar stores have better year-over-year and that e-commerce sales were extremely strong thus far in 2011. Retailers' inventories have become more manageable and they'll be looking for value at market, Horvath said - meaning a lot of look and a little innovation at a great price.

"The accent category for us has always been very successful for us," he said. "People still look to us as being one of the leaders in this category. We're not looking to reinvent the wheel but get a little more creative."