Motion amps up with comfort, gadgets

Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, October 13, 2012

HIGH POINT - Hoping to jump-start fall and winter sales after a typically sluggish summer, motion furniture vendors are emphasizing seating comfort and creature comforts for the fall market.
     The seating comfort comes in the form of improved foam, fiber and coils in the cushioning, while the creature comforts include gadgets like reading lights, USB ports and iPod docking stations for our electronics-obsessed world.
     Producers say they're trying to strike a balance between those two distinctly different types of comfort, which means they have to design a relaxing place to sit that doesn't go overboard with gadgets.
     "People want to have all the modern conveniences at their fingertips," said Chuck Tidwell, vice president of merchandising and product development at Franklin. "But we have to remember that most of our customers are not in the electronics business."
One of Norwalk’s newest recliners, Jet, is a contemporary interpretation of a classic wing chair.     Having said that, Tidwell and other executives said they believe that demand for charging stations, USB ports and other gadgets related to consumer electronics will only increase in the coming years.
     "We're taking a lot of the function that we used to see in home theater and applying it to other motion products," said Chad Long, product portfolio director at Lane. "But we still have to pay attention to things like seat depth and the height of the back."
     In order to achieve that, Tidwell and other executives say their motion products will continue to follow the lead of the automotive industry on everything from the seat design to the placement of items such as cell phone charging stations and cup holders.
     That means buyers at market will see more automotive-style bucket seat designs - sometimes called scoop seats - in addition to improved cushioning and seat construction.
     Best Home Furnishings, for example, is using a foam-encased coil seating system in its two new recliners, while Lane is making extensive use of the pad-over chaise seat design in its newest motion seating groups.
     Franklin, meanwhile, is featuring a pair of new modular sectionals at $1,999 to $2,499 that include gadgets such as drop-down tables, reading lights and heat/massage units, while Klaussner is unveiling a modular sectional at $2,099 that has a dropdown table and three reclining seats.
     Not to be outdone, Prestige Motion has a new sectional with four power reclining seats at $1,899 with a leather match cover, while Palliser is introducing a home theater group that has bucket seating, arm storage units, and optional tray tables and tablet PC holders.
     On the recliner front, Franklin is expanding its assortment of models with pushback mechanisms that retail for $499, and is introducing a collection of recliners for a "Buy One, Get One Free" promotion that retail for $499 to $999.
In addition, Lane has no fewer than seven new recliners, HomeStretch has a pair of new models at $399 and $499, and Norwalk's newest entry is a contemporary interpretation of a classic wing chair.
     Norwalk's contemporary entry, which comes with a power reclining mechanism, is joined by a classic wingback reclining chair to round out the company's latest recliner additions.
     There also are two key introductions in the normally sleepy category of sofa-sleepers. Both Palliser and Lane are taking cues from the mattress industry by unveiling sleeper mattresses that blend gel and memory foam.
Palliser's gel-infused mattress is part of the company's new My Comfort line of upper end sleepers. The new models retail for $2,399 to $2,499 in fabric and $2,999 to $3,199 in leather.