by Wood furniture and upholstery introductions are aggressive in size and scope, while also offering some competitive pricing
HIGH POINT — The fall market cycle kicked off in typical fashion this week with plenty of new product for those dealers already looking ahead to refresh their floors in time for next spring.
While not all of the estimated 140-plus companies open at the event were set up and ready for the October market, most of the sponsoring companies that help defray the costs of dealers attending the event were close to 100% market ready. This allowed those dealers in town to catch a glimpse of wood furniture and upholstery that others won’t see until the Oct. 26-30 market, while also allowing some exclusive first dibs on goods in their respective markets.
Some also had more product on the way, given that not everything arrived in time for the event.
Premarket sponsor Liberty Furniture showcased some 100 collections across various categories including bedroom, dining room, upholstery, home office and occasional. Also included in the mix were six whole-home collections that highlight its capabilities in wood furniture and upholstery. More product is on the way for the October market, offering dealers another reason to come back, while bolstering the mix even further for those who weren’t at premarket.
Bernhardt showcased two whole-home case goods collections, including its 25-piece Monolith, an organic modern collection made with white oak veneers and solids with textured faux stone and cast aluminum elements offering a contrast to the natural low-sheen wood finish. Key pieces include a double-ped rectangular table retailing around $3,200, a round dining table retailing at $2,600 and a fully upholstered king bed retailing at $2,800.
Its 25-piece Tempo collection, made with white oak veneers, also has organic modern design elements that are characterized with a dry wood-tone finish and mixed-media elements such as textured metal seen on the frames and bands of consoles, cocktail and dining tables. This same material also provides visual interest to the fronts of case pieces, offering a linear/vertical presentation alongside the wood veneers.
Key pieces include a $2,400 upholstered panel bed, a round-to-oval dining table with a faux stone base that retails at $2,200 and a rectangular table that also retails at $2,200.
Also new at premarket were 24 new case goods pieces and five new upholstery groups in Interiors and six new standalone occasional groups. In upholstery, the company showed 10 new groups of stationary upholstery, half in leather and half in fabric, and five new groups in motion that combine both functionality with design so that the groups don’t look like typical motion furniture.
“We are designing for the female consumer who is focused on style,” Heather Eidenmiller, director of brand development, said of the motion category.
Vaughan-Bassett’s latest collection, Tide & Timber, offers a new chapter in its custom offerings begun last market with its solid wood Custom Express program.
This time the bedroom lineup features veneered groups featuring maple and oak construction. The maple groups are available in soft blue and soft white finishes and the oak groups come in a clear oak and gray oak finishes.
There are two wood beds, including a fretwork panel bed retailing at $999, and a pencil poster bed retailing at $1,099. A third bed is fully upholstered and available in eight different fabrics. It retails around $1,299 in queen. The wood beds are available in king and queen, and the fabric beds are available in twin, full, queen and king.
Bed, dresser and mirror combinations retail from $3,299 to $3,599, which is about $300 to $400 less than the offerings in Custom Express.
There are also fabric day beds retailing at $1,799 that are available in the eight different fabrics and that feature wood-stained feet.
Given the mix of pieces, fabrics and finishes, the line creates some 200 pieces to choose from, offering consumers plenty of options and ways to buy the collection.
“This is a big expansion for us,” said Doug Bassett, president, adding that given the diversity of the product mix “dealers can floor the mix any way they choose to floor it.”
He also said while it has appeal for coastal areas, the mix of finishes and fabrics broaden the appeal throughout the U.S., hence the timber part of the name.
“We just think it’s going to be huge,” he added, noting that it begins to ship in November.
Other significant case goods introductions seen at premarket included:
+ Universal Furniture’s 66 new pieces in its Modern collection, which feature casual modern design elements including soft rounded edges on case pieces made with oak veneers in two main finishes, a darker Sable and a lighter Desert. These also feature mixed-media elements such as cast aluminum, pyrite and travertine, to name a few. Key pieces include a round-to-oval pedestal table and a rectangular leg table with convex shaping to the edges. Signature beds include an upholstered, wood-framed shelter bed and a wood panel bed.
+ Universal also showed a second collection called Dwell, which features architectural design elements that offer a soft modern design aesthetic that can be taken either coastal or more traditional depending on the finish. The 60-piece collection is made with pine solids and veneers in two main finishes, a lighter River Rock and a darker tone called Boulder. Key pieces include a rectangular dining table with an open pedestal base that comes through the top of the table and a round-to-oval dining table with a pedestal base. There are also two beds including a fully upholstered bed with four wood posts, two dressers and five nightstand options. Select pieces also are available in a darker accent finish called Basalt.
Hooker Furniture’s mix offered three case goods collections including:
+ The 31-piece soft modern Westwood collection, which is made with quartered oak veneers, in a Polished Limestone finish. It includes three beds, three dining tables and two dressers. Other key design elements include plated hardware and silver leaf detailing.
+ The 37-piece Archives collection that mixes “modern and trendy styles” with historic design elements. Pieces feature several different veneer species including figured walnut in swirl, quartered and split heart patterns, and ash burl on select pieces. The collection comes in a clear Classic Walnut finish and select items are in a Mottled Amber faux-tortoise shell accent finish. There are also mixed-media accents including top-grain leather as seen on a signature upholstered shelter bed with buttonless tufting, woven raffia and polished marble seen on the tops of a sideboard and an accent drawer chest. Other signature pieces include an upholstered panel bed, a wood panel bed, a round pedestal dining table and a gathering dining table with turned legs, to name a few.
+ Hooker4’s 21-piece casual modern Banyon Bay collection is made with white oak solids and veneers in a Desert Oak finish. Key pieces include a panel bed with a leather headboard and wood base, a fully upholstered bed, a round-to-oval dining table, a gathering dining table and a double-ped rectangular dining table.
All three collections were shown with upholstery that has been developed to complement the style aesthetic of the wood assortment.
Sister companies Pulaski and SLF also had a full mix of introductions highlighting their long-time commitment to being market ready at the event. At Pulaski, this included the transitional/contemporary Archer Way bedroom and dining collection, the classic traditional/neotraditional-inspired Asher Park, the updated traditional Winthrop Park and the transitional Carlton Park.
SLF’s mix included six standalone bedroom groups and two bedroom and dining collections — the cottage/rustic transitional Westover Trace and the midcentury modern-inspired Iron Loft, which is made with elm veneers in a finish called Rare Wood, whose clarity and depth emphasizes dramatic grain patterns.
A-America showcased 15 new collections covering the bedroom, dining and occasional categories. Each showcases the company’s traditional solid wood construction withs woods such as mahogany, New Zealand pine, mango and red oak to name a few, and covering style categories ranging from urban French to mission. Pieces also featured the company’s signature design and construction elements including dining tables with self-storing butterfly leaves.
FD Home also is expanding its bedroom lineup for the market cycle, including five groups it showed at premarket targeting retail price points around $1,699 for four pieces. Its mix showcased the company’s design leadership in the mid-level price points, featuring styles ranging from Southwest traditional in its Midland collection to modern farmhouse design elements seen in its Finder’s Loft collection. Meanwhile, updated traditional designs were seen in its New Garden bedroom and rustic transitional elements were on display in its Outfitter’s Post made with knotty oak veneers and poplar solids in a Bourbon finish.
The company also has adding functionality to its mix since last market with wireless charging in nightstands, which complement existing USB A/C charging ports on the backs of the same units.
Austin Group showed 14 new bedrooms targeted to retail from $1,199 to $1,299 for a bed, dresser and mirror. These also captured a variety of styles that appeal to different segments of the market.
Full-line furniture resource HH2 Home showed at market for the first time since its new ownership acquired the former Hillsdale Furniture earlier this past summer. Its mix included three whole-home collections featuring upholstery, bedroom, dining, occasional and home entertainment furniture. The presentation also included standalone items that showcase the diversity of its sourcing, including India, while also showcasing a diversity of styles throughout its line ranging from midcentury modern and traditional to farmhouse and casual transitional, for example.
“It’s important to tell a story and to get our sales team behind it,” said Liz Wood, head of merchandising. “We have a good variety of product that can appeal to the masses.”
Legacy Classic | Modern showcased two new collections, including its 40-piece Torrance, a California casual group made with white oak veneers in a dusty driftwood finish, and Fenmore, a 30-piece early American-inspired collection made with cherry veneers in a dark mocha finish.
It also unveiled its newest youth collection, which is part of the licensed Trisha Yearwood Home collection and based off the popular Today’s Traditions, in the same collection. In addition to twin and full-sized panel and poster beds, it offers twin-over-twin and twin over full-sized bunk beds.
“The shaping and styling of it lends itself perfectly to a youth collection,” said Christopher Phillips, director of marketing.
On the upholstery side, resources such as Albany Industries, Craftmaster, Corinthian and DiGio Leather were among those showcasing a number of new groups in new fabrics and/or leathers.
DiGio showcased seven new leather stationary groups offering a mix of traditional and transitional to midcentury styles, said Steve Lush, the company’s new president of sales for North and South America. He noted that another five models will be shown during the October market.
Its mix at premarket also included a number of bestsellers that it recovered in new leathers.
Its strategy this market was to offer more entry-level-grade leathers that offer a step-up product at a minimal upcharge, while also falling within its core price points.
“We start with a 9-grade and we needed a bridge so we developed an 11,” Lush said, noting that it tops out at 16. “With just two small steps, they looked like a 15 grade. This is a bridge that didn’t exist before. You can get a nicer leather for a small step up.”
Like others, he noted that attendance was lighter than expected. Still, he said, it had good meetings with those dealers that did attend.
“We expect to open several new major accounts from this premarket,” he said. “We also gained new placements with many of our existing dealers. In our eyes, it was very successful. We feel like this is momentum we can carry through to the October market.”
