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Bonded Leather, Power Motion Star in Upholstery

Gary Evans , Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, September 24, 2011

Sculpted arms add style to this new sectional from 45th Parallel. It will retail for $1,499.HIGH POINT - Stationary and motion upholstery producers will add bonded leather, sectionals and power mechanisms to their lineups this fall, according to a number of vendors showing here at Premarket last week.
     Bonded is the new darling of the upholstery category as manufacturers look for new avenues of business in looks and prices that fill the void between most fabrics and leather.
     Broyhill, for example, will bring out 16 new pieces in the bonded product it calls Performance Leather at next month's High Point Market while others, including Craftmaster, tested the waters at Premarket and got good responses.
     Almost as ubiquitous are sectionals, which appear set to take over America's family rooms. "Every one of our retailers, coast-to-coast, say sectionals are one of their best sellers," said Cindy Goss, vice president of merchandising for Broyhill.
     Upholstery has been one of the brighter spots in home furnishings during the downturn, leaving some vendors more optimistic than their wood counterparts.
     "I think people have gotten their inventories right-sized," said Todd Campbell, vice president of sales, eastern region, for Fairmont Designs. He said customers reported good business over the Labor Day holiday and that he's hoping business will remain stable.
     In stationary, manufacturers are still going for transitional styles, but a new, cleaner traditional is beginning to slip back in. Another mini-trend showing up last week was deep-seat California casual, a clear response to consumers' love of the big screen TV and the need for nesting.
     Bernhardt, for instance, showed its new Grand Casual collection with touches of both modern and traditional. While most of the pieces - such as a five-piece modular in mushroom and a dove gray English arm sofa with cut velvet paisley pillows - were subdued, a woven rattan daybed with a linen body and rust-color print pillows provided drama for the collection.
     England set aside a special room for a new design-oriented collection of seven frames with details that include contrast welting, nickel nail heads, button tufting, an English arm and storage ottomans done in two fabrics. Despite all its detail, the collection will be only slightly higher than England's normal pricing structure, said Cara Cox, vice president of merchandising.
     Motion upholstery is all about power reclining mechanisms, which are rapidly gaining retail floor space even though they're priced $100 to $200 above items with traditional mechanisms.
     "Once you have experienced power, you don't want to go back to manual," said Harry Cierler, director of North American operations for leather upholstery producer Chateau d'Ax, one of several Premarket exhibitors now offering power mechanisms on all motion pieces.
     "Power is huge for us," said Palliser Upholstery President Cary Benson. "At least 60% of our home theater seats are sold with power."
     Leather upholstery resources focused on softer and lighter color palettes in hopes of getting away from the sea of dark brown and black covers that dominate many sales floors. Various shades of white, blue, gray and tan received a warm reception from buyers, as did a few bolder colors such as red.
     "Brown is still going to be the color that drives the business, but we think it's important for dealers to tell a color story," said Craig Young, senior vice president of sales at Bradington-Young.
     Other Premarket tidbits:
     ► Mayo will change two-thirds of its High Point showroom for market and will beef up its moderate price points and fill voids, said Don McCoy, senior vice president. "Change is the name of the game in upholstery," he said.
     ► New company 45th Parallel introduced two sectionals and a number of sofas at medium price points that emphasize construction methods, including a unitized wood frame, crushed foam, abundant arm padding and Bolso coils.
     ► Lane's introductions include 1960s style off-the-floor upholstery, which motion merchandise manager Greg Morgan said takes the company in a new contemporary direction.
     ► Craftmaster expanded its casual style, offered new collage looks and showed several frames in stripes. The company also is introducing a program of skirted and non-skirted sofas in the $599 price points as traffic builders, and is expanding its Better Homes & Gardens collection.
     ► Fairmont Designs is starting to ship a special order program from its Hickory, N.C., factory that coordinates 28 body cloths and 32 pillows, and is using the plant's capabilities to introduce three traditional groups.

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