Bush Expands my/space Collection
Bush Furniture added six new items to its my/space collection to address what the company said has been a strong consumer response to the brand.
“This has been a very popular collection for Bush Furniture,” said Jim Sherbert, CEO of Bush Industries. “We’re confident that these recent additions to the line will continue to attract customers seeking attractive furnishings, but may be challenged by smaller spaces and budgets.”
The new Aero End Tables and Coffee Table feature elliptical quarter-turned legs and gray tinted glass-top shelves for a contemporary look. The modern Aero Desk features a durable frame and a sizeable work surface, and it complements the end tables and coffee table. The Alamosa Bookcase comes with a compact footprint, making it ideal for small spaces. The Ontario Desk has clean lines and traditional design details. The Aero TV Stand was shown with a new Classic Black finish.
Bush also added new desk accessories to its kathy ireland Office line. Each of the four collections in the line now come with coordinating storage bins, a charging station, desktop paper tray, magazine file and foldable storage bin solutions. The kathy ireland Office collection is scheduled to hit retail stores this fall.
Lexington’s Mirage Shines in the Desert
Lexington made a modern statement in Las Vegas with its new Mirage collection. Featuring rich sable finishes and decorative bases of polished stainless steel, designs reflected refined metropolitan styling.
One of the most dramatic pieces in the sophisticated collection is a 42-inch decorative mirror with radiating stainless blades inspired by the turbofan of a Rolls Royce jet engine. A gentleman’s chest features Mappa Burl drawer fronts behind back-lit glass doors. The centerpiece of the collection is the Audrey Sofa, with supple ivory leather with legs of metallic silver.
“Consumer preferences today are clearly trending to a modern design perspective,” said Phil Haney, president and CEO of Lexington Home Brands. “Their view of contemporary home furnishings lends emphasis to strong, clean lines, finishes that embrace the character and quality of the wood, and the use of metal accents whose sparkle punctuates the look.”
Lexington also showed its Henry Link branded offerings at the Vegas market for the first time. The Henry Link brand reflects the “design and discovery of unique and distinctive items from the far corners of the globe, ranging from the timeless to the exotic,” the company said. The collection, comprised of more than 180 pieces, is made of materials including marble, penn shell, aged metal, bamboo, rattan, and exotic skins.
Safavieh Adds Upholstery and Accent Furniture
Safavieh introduced 150 SKUs of stationary upholstery in Las Vegas, along with 100 SKUs of accent and occasional furniture.
The emphasis at Las Vegas market was on transitional furniture design. Safavieh said it has noticed a void in hip, directional styling in quality transitional furniture at affordable price points.
At Safavieh’s World Market Center showroom, the company also announced an expanded Quick Ship program with maximum three to five day delivery anywhere in the United States.
To underscore the commitment to state of the art of quick ship, 12-inch square QR Codes was added to the windows of Safavieh’s Las Vegas showroom. Buyers could scan the codes with their cell phones and link directly to Safavieh’s website.
Safavieh is preparing to package all product with QR Codes starting in January 2012. Consumers who shop for Safavieh products in stores can use their cell phones to scan the code and then use the code at home to link to the store’s website. The service allows consumers to study the product at home, discuss with family and friends, and also helps the retailer retain the customer after she leaves the store.
Powell Home Fashions Mixes Sparkle And Glitz with Accent Pieces
Accent furniture took center stage in the showroom of Powell Home Fashions at the Vegas Market.
The company introduced Foundry, a 11-piece industrial-inspired mix of contemporary design with a throwback to turn-of-the-century assembly lines. The group features handpainted faux-rust treatments along with handpainted wooden tops with handcarved details. The collection includes nesting tables, accent tables, baker’s rack, bookshelves, benches, coat and wine racks.
“Our goal is to help the consumer dress up the room with one item,” said John Conrad, Powell’s senior vice president of merchandising. “We really think we’ve done that with all of the introductions here at the show.”
Black Crackle Platinum, also new at the show for Powell, is a collection of mirrored accent furniture that reflects light to brighten the decor. The collection includes plant stands, end tables, consoles and hall chests.
Powell also showed two new collections for the tween and teen market: New Albany and Northbridge. New Albany is a campaign-inspired collection in dark walnut finish. Northbridge has a transitional look featuring a proprietary champagne finish with mild distressing for an Old World feel.
AICO Debuts Discoveries
Home furnishings importer AICO introduced Discoveries, Accents by Michael Amini, an accent furniture division inspired by the international and domestic travels of company founder and CEO Michael Amini.
“For years, AICO has been creating unique items within our collections,” Amini said. “We felt it was time to focus on a new line of product offerings that targeted customers looking for products that address the needs their customers have for unique style, size and scale.”
Chuck Reilly, senior vice president of sales and marketing said the accent pieces can work in any room and include accent tables, consoles, storage items, trunks, trunk cocktail tables and foyer tables. The pieces mix materials that include shell, stone, and tile, and other exotic materials, plus ornate finishes and carvings. The program has more than 50 items, showcasing design from different parts of the world and different eras.
“It’s not a matchy-matchy kind of ensemble of product,” Reilly said. “It’s a real eclectic mix of problem-solving tables and accents that people can discover on their own and fill voids in their assortment, or fill voids in their home.”
AICO also expanded its Jane Seymour-branded offerings with Beverly Boulevard, a contemporary lifestyle collection featuring living, dining and bedroom furniture. The company also entered the barstool category at the show.
Rosy New Looks at The Import Collection
While The Import Collection covers a number of product categories, accessories is its largest group, and that area became even larger at the recent summer markets. Among the introductions were new mercury glass items, which have been strong performers for the company.
“We’re selling a lot of mercury glass so we expanded the collection,” said Josh Hong, vice president of design. “It creates a fine elegance.”
While the company added about 30 new mercury glass items overall, about eight were of a rose color, which has been getting a positive response, Hong added.
Other products focused on other themes such as the industrial look, which included metal caliper tabletop stands and a stool with an iron finish and a black stone top. The company also added decorative pillows. “It’s a trending hot look—people are asking for a quick way to change up a room,” he said. The pillows come in 14 different patterns and in two sizes: the lumbar (12-by-24-inch) and large euro sham (32-inch-square) sizes.
Protect-A-Bed Looks to Luxury With Vegas Introductions
Protect-A-Bed rolled the dice with two luxury products during last month’s Las Vegas Market.
The company debuted the Luxury Mattress Protector and the Luxury Pillow Protector during the market. Designed for those with sensitive skin, both products are made with eucalyptus-based fiber, which has natural hypoallergenic properties. They are also 100 percent waterproof, thus wicking away moisture while protecting the mattress from dust mites, allergens and bacteria.
Protect-A-Bed also unveiled a new retail merchandising unit during the market, which is designed for consumer interaction as well as serving as a selling tool for retail sales associates. The unit includes in-depth product information through streaming videos, product samples, demonstrations of the products’ features and benefits, and information that shoppers can take with them.
The unit also has QR codes that link to videos with the products’ benefits and features. “This is part of Protect-A-Bed’s accelerated approach to in-store marketing and innovative display concepts that help store associates easily showcase their products,” the company said.
Since the beginning of the summer, Protect-A-Bed has kept the momentum going on its marketing efforts. In July, the company introduced the Bed Bug Plague game as an addition to its iPhone application. In this, players try to stop a bunch of bed bugs that are rushing to infest a bed.
In August, Protect-A-Bed initiated the Healthy Sleep Zone Back to School sweepstakes. This gives consumers a chance to win a number of Protect-A-Bed products, focusing on its Student Bedding Protection Kit, which is designed for students living in college dorms.
Pacific Coast Lighting Goes Industrial, Colorful
The industrial look was a hit at Las Vegas Market for Pacific Coast Lighting, which added several new items to this style, including the Industrial Large Gear table lamp, the show’s best seller.
In addition, Pacific Coast Lighting expanded its colorful ceramic and glass portable lamp line as well as items made of natural materials. “We see less resin and more natural materials such as glass, grasses and ceramic,” said Rick Spicer, vice president of sales and marketing, and its natural basket weave lamp introductions were well received at the show.
“Ceramic give us access to an unlimited assortment of colors, glass gives us richness and translucency, while grasses provide excellent textures,” Spicer said. “This is a refreshing change.”
In Las Vegas, 12 ceramic and four glass table lamps were added, and they are all made in the U.S. “The glass lamps we introduced at the Las Vegas market consist of glass that is painted on the inside making it easier to match today’s trendy colors in bedding,” said Spicer. Colors included Pantone’s color of the year — Honeysuckle — as well as Regatta Blue, Buff Yellow and turquoise, its best color. The upcoming High Point Market will see even more ceramic items, hand cut and hand textured ceramics, assorted glazes, metallic inlays, hand blown multi-colored glass and much more in both contemporary and casual looks.
Four Hands Introduces d-Bodhi
Four Hands continued to expand its eco-friendly collections and brands with d-Bodhi during the Las Vegas Summer Market.
Created by Indonesian artisans, the collection features a variety of reclaimed materials and boat wood fused with scrap iron and recycled denim. d-Bodhi marries the edgy, urban look of galvanized steel with the warmth of reclaimed teak and recycled boat wood. The seasoned wood adds another element of mixing wood and metal.
“d-Bodhi has always grabbed our attention with cutting edge design combined with some of the most impressive visual merchandising in the industry,” said Matthew Briggs, CEO and president of Four Hands. “They have a very dynamic design team and emphasize minimizing their eco-foot print. That philosophy marries well with our existing eco-friendly product lines, and we are thrilled to bring the d-Bodhi collections to America.”
Working at Home Made Easy by aspenhome
Phoenix-based aspenhome continued to recognize the modern home office with numerous thoughtful introductions. The company targeted home offices that utilized the family living space, as well as traditional home offices with dedicated space.
“Home workspace is the most changing landscape in our industry,” said Bryan Edwards, aspenhome’s vice president of s ales. “Individual and personal decisions directed by the type of work, method of work and amount of space available are determining the area dedicated for work.
Aspenhome’s new Hathaway Hill Private Office collection targets the traditional work space with a black truffle finish, grand scale design and master carved appointments. The group reflects a vintage design, but incorporates tech-ready features to accommodate laptops and flat screens.
The E2 Class addressed more economical consumers with functionally shaped desks designed to maximize the working area. E2 Class features a traditional style with a casual cherry finish, or clean-lined transitional styling with a java finish.
Loft 102’s Landsdown Collection Offers Solutions
Recognizing that today’s consumers want as much style and smart function in their furniture as they can get for their dollars, Loft 102 has created Landsdown, a seven-piece modular, multi-purpose home office and entertainment collection.
Featuring a transitional design that complements both traditional and contemporary decor, Landsdown sports aw medium-toned, warm umber finish with metal accents in a black rubbed-through tone.
In home office, the collection includes an eye-catching desk with an optional cubbyhole deck. The desk’s side storage unit and optional return unit can be configured for right- or left-handed use. A castered file cabinet nudges under either the desk or return, and a metal-framed bookcase serves as office storage or serves as flanking display units beside the collection’s TV consoles.
Entertainment options include two sizes of metal-framed TV consoles—a 55-inch model and a 70-inch version. Each console features plenty of component and media storage.
Loft 102 is a division of Sligh Furniture, a Holland, Mich.-based, family owned company. Sligh announced at the show that it had redesigned its web sites sligh.com, and lof102forthehome.com, adding new functions and features. The company also announced an iPad application with information about the company’s products, including features, sizes and photos along with information on inventory and shipping times.
“If a consumer is interested in a particular Sligh piece, a retail salesperson can use the iPad app to show the lifestyle photography, other pieces in the collection, pricing and availability,” said Rob Sligh, president of Sligh Furniture. “They won’t have to run back to the resource room to jump on their computer because all of the information will be right at their fingertips.”
Adesso Raises the Bar on Shades
Known for its contemporary style, Adesso went in a new direction at Las Vegas Market, debuting the Adesso Traditions collection of table and floor lamps and torchieres. While the look is more formal and transitional for the company and is an addition to its other lines, Adesso Traditions demonstrates the company’s emphasis on shade quality.
“The overall lamp shade quality in the U.S. appears to be at an all-time low, whether it’s a lamp shade by itself or a shade sold on a lamp,” said Paul Berk, vice president, sales. “We feel there is a large need in the market for lamps with top-quality lamp shades that are still affordable. The lamp shade is the most noticeable part of the lamp, it should be beautiful.”
Adesso’s shades come under the direction of Jim Prexta, known as “The Lamp Shade King,” Berk said. Having been in the shade business for decades, Prexta joined Adesso two years ago, and has re-taught Adesso’s factories on making high-quality shades to his standards, Berk said. “We are well on the way to building our shade business with the cornerstone of our shade business being our industry bar raising shade quality,” Berk said, for not only Adesso Traditions but for the entire Adesso line.