by As the brand celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, its style continues to evolve, offering a new generation of consumers options beyond its core Mission aesthetic
MANLIUS, N.Y. — As L.&J.G. Stickley Furniture celebrates the 125th anniversary of the Stickley brand this year, a core part of the company’s design aesthetic so popular among its fans around the world remains intact.
Spanning from its core Mission to its Scottish-influenced Highlands, its British-influenced Surrey Hills and its California-influenced Pasadena Bungalow collections, Arts and Crafts design elements remain a major part of its appeal along with its use of North American wood species such as solid white oak and solid cherry.
“One of the things that we are very lucky to have in our history is Arts and Crafts,” said Jim Torres, merchandising director. “So we continue to develop that product quite aggressively because it still sells so well.”
Yet while these styles and materials remain important to the brand, the company has kept them fresh for today’s consumers, while also forging a path forward with new styles and designs that are gaining appeal with young and older consumers alike.
The latest example of this is its new 25-piece Hudson Valley collection, which has traditional updated contemporary Americana design influences that reference the historic region of Upstate New York. It features 14 living room pieces, seven bedroom pieces and four dining pieces. The wood pieces are made with American black walnut in a Dark Roast finish, which contrasts with natural maple accents. In addition, select items feature marquetry inspired by American quilt patterns and made with walnut, maple and black dyed veneers.
“It was incredibly moving to reflect on the makers of the past and how the act of creating was so central to their lives,” said Stickley Director of Design Marissa Brown in describing the influences for the new collection. “At the same time, we see so many makers today returning from the cities to rural communities, where they’ve integrated rural traditions with their urban sensibility. That mingling of influences inspired us as we looked for ways to renew Americana style.”
Upholstery highlights in the collection include an 86-inch sofa, a wood-frame accent chair in black walnut, a 40.5-inch-high wing chair with a swivel-base option, and a 54-inch settee available with either black walnut or maple frames.
This market, the company is also adding pieces to its Portfolio120 collection, along with new upholstery pieces that are part of its Stickley Fine Upholstery line and a new Design Your Own system for upholstery in its Walnut Grove collection.
Indeed, Walnut Grove is another example of its evolving design direction and is also its most popular collection after Mission. Made with solid walnut, it features a fresh take on midcentury-modern design elements.
Meanwhile, its Portfolio120 features modern design elements that juxtapose clean-lined solid white oak frames and case pieces featuring mixed media such as raffia and reclaimed copper panels, for example. In addition, its midcentury-inspired Martine collection features solid cherry on case pieces, some of which feature soft rounded curves on drawer fronts, table aprons and table bases, to name a few.
Meanwhile, Maidstone brings a relaxed coastal casual design aesthetic to the mix, featuring dry light and dark cerused finishes that emphasize the beauty of solid red oak wood grains. It too features mixed-media elements such as glass-top occasional tables and case pieces with woven Jupe accents. The updated design aesthetic in particular broadens the appeal of the Stickley line to areas such as Florida along with other coastal areas.
In addition, the company has developed Origins, a starting-priced line that offers bedroom, dining room and home office pieces available in multiple finish options.
“It is geared to be an introduction to Stickley,” Torres said of Origins, adding, “It is a little lower price point and is a little more casual with some finish options and hardware options. … It is geared toward a younger consumer to introduce them to Stickley construction and the Stickley name.”
In addition to developing new designs and products, the company is reaching out to customers in new ways, particularly on digital and social media platforms where they shop and look for inspiration. That includes younger consumers that are new to the Stickley line but may have heard of the name from their parents or grandparents.
“Younger consumers are very brand aspirational and they like storytelling,” said John Batten, vice president of sales and marketing. “So we’re working on ways to get that message out to make sure we are continually evolving that customer base and to make sure we are casting a wider net.”
He added that while Stickley has a strong foundation in Mission, the company’s evolution into other styles and price points is part of the story it has to tell to new and existing customers alike. Social media, he said, is an excellent platform to communicate that message of not only its roots in Mission, but also the diversity of styling that exists throughout its product mix, including case goods, upholstery, rugs, lighting and accent furniture.
“We’ve got exceptional products,” he said. “We just have to figure out how to tell our story and get them out in front of more people. … Social media is a great medium to tell stories and drive more awareness of what the brand is, where it came from and what the range of the brand is and making sure we’re representing the brand across those channels.”
With those and other marketing vehicles in place, the goal is to drive traffic to both its dealers and its own retail stores, where customers can see and buy the product in person while also learning about the company’s history and loyal following in the marketplace.
Of course another central part of the storytelling strategy is its showroom in High Point where it introduces new products twice a year at the April and October High Point Markets. In April 2023 it moved from its former location at the corner of Elm and English to its 13,000-square-foot showroom in Space 135 of 200 N. Hamilton St., which is in the Hamilton Design District, placing it in an easier to access location for its core customers.
But the showroom also offers a different approach to showing its product, leading with the newer designs seen at the front of the space, while the core Mission line is toward the back of the space complemented by its leather upholstery offerings. The intent is not to disorient its clients, but rather showcase the company’s evolving design direction.
“It excites people who enjoy doing business with Stickley, but are in markets where some of our core products have more limited appeal than they would in the Northeast or the West,” said Edward Audi, president. “So I think it really is an enabler for us. … We also have close to 12 times the traffic in our new location than our old location. And when people walk in they look at the front door to make sure it’s Stickley because it’s a completely modern set of upholstery or a coastal look. So we’re intentionally trying to wow them with the things they didn’t know about Stickley.”
