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New office pieces work in any room

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, December 12, 2011

HIGH POINT - Home office furniture used to be relegated to a dedicated office. No longer. These days, it's not uncommon to see desks or workstations in living rooms, family rooms or even the master bedroom.
Often these units disguise themselves as chests with drawer and door function. Fold-down drawers reveal surfaces that can be pulled out for letter writing or laptop usage, while door compartments can hold files or a printer. Some pieces have an open hutch footprint with built-in wire management and charging stations.
Such space saving units make a beautiful piece of furniture functional and a functional piece of furniture beautiful when not in use. Here are some recently introduced examples.

Collection: Tangerine by Pulaski Furniture Date introduced: April 2011 Description: This transitional all-inone work station is made with primavera veneers and features polished nickel hardware. There are five Tangerine groups that include workstations. They retail from $699 to $999. What’s hot: The workstation gets high marks for its veneer story and contrasting nickel hardware. Dealers also like its tray-style drawers, which recede into the case when not in use. The work surface is large enough for a laptop and also has plenty for space behind the two doors for a printer and files.
	Collection: by Bassett Furniture Inds. Date introduced: October 2011 Description: Named after a section of historic Charleston, S.C., Moultrie Park has Southern traditional design influences and is made with cherry veneers. This chifferobe, shown in a Tea finish, retails from $1,799 to $1,999. What’s hot: Dealers at market responded well to the design and options on the collection, which features pieces available in three finishes, including Tea, the darker Rum and the lighter Parchment. They also like the functional aspects of pieces like the chifferobe, which has a removable work area suitable for laptop and iPad use and paperwork storage. “The ability to put a working desk in there made a lot of sense with all the tablets and laptops out there,” said Matt Johnson, vice president of product development and design for Bassett’s wood division. “It’s an added value, but on the rare instances where someone doesn’t want it, you can pull that out and have a deep sweater drawer in there.”
Collection: Primrose Hill by Hooker Furniture Date introduced: May 2011 Description: Named after an area on the north side of Regents Park in London, Primrose Hill is inspired by 19th century European antiques and comes in two main finishes, Villa Brown and Trellis White. This organizer hutch and console are shown in one of two accents finishes, Garden Grove. Falling within the best part of Hooker’s price structure, it is targeted to retail at $1,799 and began shipping in late November. What’s hot: Dealers like the finish and functional aspects, including a drop-front drawer and apothecary style cubby drawers. The piece also has a power center with an electrical outlet, USB ports and phone jacks. It also gets high marks for its design and scale, which allow it to show well in any room setting, whether it’s the kitchen, the living room or the bedroom.
	Collection: by Aspenhome Date introduced: August 2011 Description: The bedroom portion of Hathaway Hill is an extension of a successful private office collection. The bedroom lineup includes this desk chest, in distressed cherry veneers in a black truffle finish. Targeted to retail at $1,899, it is expected to hit stores in May. What’s hot: Dealers like the design and finish of the piece as well as the function. In addition to a pull-out drawer for laptop or iPad use, it has a shelf for a monitor and plenty of drawer and shelf storage. Other functional features that sparked interest and orders include a built-in StoreCharge area to plug in a laptop, cell phone and other electronic devices.

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