by Margaritaville, Jessica Simpson and Erin & Ben Napier are among the major launches that added color, style and personality to the mix
HIGH POINT — Once again, licensing was one of the highlights of the October market, offering a mix of new design perspectives across both case goods and upholstery with both new and existing partnerships.
New this market were the Margaritaville collection at Hooker Furnishings, the Jessica Simpson Home collection at Steve Silver Co., plus new licensed Erin & Ben Napier collections featuring upholstery at Best Home Furnishings and a new line of American-made rugs at Natco.
The Margaritaville collection brought more than 200 pieces across four statement collections at Hooker Furnishings divisions Hooker Furniture, Hooker Upholstery, HF Custom, Bradington Young, H Contract and Sunset West. Four unique style statements that aim to appeal to consumers around the U.S. are:
+ Island Reserve – Coastal casual styling in indoor and outdoor furniture “with high-performance fabrics and artisan textures.”
+ JWB Signature – A segment the company describes as “sophisticated comfort with elevated finishes” featuring “woods, leathers and nods to Jimmy Buffett’s lifestyle passions.”
+ Paradise Valley – A collection the company described as “Grounded, nature-inspired luxury for non-coastal markets. Rugged and relaxing and retail-ready channeling the mountain lifestyle that Jimmy called heaven on earth.”
+ St. Somewhere – Of this, the company said, “Playful, colorful and expressive, this collection leans into the spirited Caribbean lifestyle. A standout story that makes a statement.”
Company CEO Jeremy Hoff told Home News Now that the designs seek to appeal to a broad mix of consumers.
“What is interesting about Margaritaville, is that a lot of people think coastal, but half of our 14,000-square-foot home in the showroom is coastal and the other half is not coastal,” he said. “The name is as recognizable as any name in our industry and the consumer for Margaritaville is 70% younger than 50 and they have money. That is a pretty good combo. We feel like we captured some lightning in a bottle. And our team — the talent of our merchants and product development team — that is the only reason we are able to pull it off. You just can’t do what you just walked through without having that talent.”
In addition to whimsical pieces such as the surfboard-shaped Cruiser gathering table made with maple and walnut and shapely mirrors made with natural woven materials, there were plenty of pops of color in the fabrics of bedside benches/ottomans and chairs such as the Slow Roll, an upholstered dining chair featuring a blue and white wave pattern reminiscent of Japanese wave art.
The Jessica Simpson Home collection at Steve Silver features more than 70 pieces of wood furniture and upholstery. This includes roughly 44 wood pieces, some of which are in several different finishes, taking the SKU count higher. The balance is upholstery, including sofas, sectionals, accent chairs, banquette seating and ottomans. The mix also offers two swivel accent chairs and two electric slider/sleeper sofas, including one with storage.
There are 35 fabrics available on the upholstery side including a zebra pattern seen on a bench and other animal prints on dining chairs, offering what the company describes as “mainstream appeal with customizable pops of color and texture to suit both eclectic and classic tastes.”
The new licensing partnership with Erin & Ben Napier at Best Home Furnishings also features splashes of color including florals, stripes and solids across sofas, chairs and ottomans. The goal was to evoke a sense of comfort and familiarity from days gone by.
“In the ’90s, our moms’ houses had floral sofas and plaid sofas and striped sofas and that was the time in our life we felt the most comforted and happy and safe,” Erin Napier told Home News Now. “And I feel like the world has just gotten so far away from safety. It just feels like the world has become so electronic, so digital. We are not finding any real connection with people anymore because we just use our phones to connect.”
“I am just craving this return to a time that felt where we were comforted and safe and the world was less complicated,” she added. “And in that time we go back and watch those movies, we watch those shows where those living rooms glow with amber warmth and the sofas are always patterns. My momma’s sofas were always patterns and I just want that feeling back. So that is what the whole collection is about.”
Also new this market was a licensing partnership between Linon Home Décor and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. It features three bath vanity collections that were designed to bring Wright’s principles of “organic architecture, geometric purity and harmony with nature into bathroom design.”
“We are honored to partner with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to expand his design legacy into a new category for Linon,” said Linon Home Décor CEO Jim Ziozis in a statement announcing the collection heading into the October market. “These bathroom collections embody Wright’s philosophy of beauty and function coexisting seamlessly.”
He added that each purchase of a Frank Lloyd Wright vanity will include a Certificate of Authenticity from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, “underscoring the exclusivity and heritage of this collaboration.”
Field & Stream magazine brought its passion and celebration of the outdoors to a solid wood occasional, dining and bedroom collection by Urban Barnwood. Manufactured in the company’s Amish workshop in Sugarcreek, Ohio, the pieces are made with reclaimed barn wood and other North American hardwood species.
This is the publication’s second licensing partnership with a furniture company, following last October’s launch of its licensed upholstery line with manufacturer Best Home Furnishings. In addition to occasional tables, several of which were also shown with the Best upholstery line at that company’s showroom at market, Urban Barnwood showed a mix of beds, dining tables and companion case pieces in multiple finishes, showcasing its finishing and production capabilities.
At market, companies also expanded collections with existing licensing partners. Below are some highlights Home News Now saw at market.
+ Lexington Home Brands showed its newest Tommy Bahama collection, Copacabana, which features 30 case goods pieces and about 10 new upholstery frames. Made with white oak veneers, it has soft contemporary design elements.
+ Vaughan-Bassett also expanded its solid wood Artisan & Post bedroom line with Pure Maple, which is also part of the Erin & Ben Napier licensed collection. Made with solid maple, it includes several bed options and companion case pieces in several finish options and also has an upholstered bed in several fabric options. “This is our first solid wood collection with everything in maple,” said Erin Napier, noting that the U.S.-made nature of the collection also is resonating with many buyers in an environment where tariffs are still an issue. “This year, American-made is top of mind.”
+ Legacy Classic offered its second licensed Country Living collection with Lake House, a 74-piece collection offering some items in multiple finish options. Made with rustic birch veneers and hardwoods, the core finishes in the Lake House collection include a midtone brown Pinecone finish, a darker Dried Tobacco tone and a neutral painted finish called Sail Cloth. Accent finishes called Sea Glass and Golden Hour are available on select items.
