Authentic Home Furnishings Assn. unveils new logo

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, December 3, 2012

The Authentic Home Furnishings Assn., formerly the Unfinished Furniture Assn., has a new logo.SPOFFORD, N.H. - The Authentic Home Furnishings Assn. has unveiled a new logo aimed at emphasizing the quality and beauty of wood used in its members' products.
     The logo, which is in green letters, incorporates a leaf and stem with the association's name and its slogan, "Your real wood authority."
     "Our customers are not just shopping for furniture, they are looking for ways to make their home more comfortable, functional and attractive for their family and friends," the group said in a statement. "The emphasis on home is our outreach to this aspiration and our declaration that we are a genuine resource for its fulfillment."
     In addition to conveying members' use of real wood in their products, the logo also aims to convey a sense of custom design and custom finishing capabilities as well as the appeal of buying green and locally made products.
    Since 1990, the group had been called the Unfinished Furniture Assn. and its members have primarily consisted of manufacturers and retailers of unfinished furniture.
     Last year, members decided the association needed to come up with a new direction, partly to convey their custom finishing and construction capabilities. The group hired consultant Larry McManis to help reposition the organization and his recommendations included the name change, which officials announced at the association's annual Real Wood Furniture Show in Orlando, Fla., in June.
     The association said it also is developing programs and materials for member manufacturers and retailers to help implement the Authentic Home Furnishings brand into their marketing materials and operating plans.
    "These programs will go well beyond the basics of signage and advertising and will be designed to stimulate a fresh look at store layout, merchandising and ways to enhance the consumer's experience and appreciation of our segment of the home furnishings industry" the association said.