Furniture Manufacturers Redefine Value

American Drew

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The world’s largest exhibition of new home furnishings designs opened here today, and an early look at some of the largest new collections turned up some fresh looks, some familiar favorites and a powerful push on the part of manufacturers to redefine “value.”

American Drew is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Cherry Grove, believed to be the longest running traditional furniture collection in America. Originally introduced in 1960, the Queen Anne style cherry group was designed to resonate with a young, thriving consumer.

Cherry Grove was updated through the years, although American Drew always stayed true to the classic 18th century design. Today the company unveils New Generation Cherry Grove, 55 pieces of dining, bedroom, home office, entertainment and occasional furniture with a fresh finish, custom-designed hardware and an infusion of modern day function. Officials at American Drew say they tried to keep New Generation Cherry Grove traditional enough to say, “I’m successful and investing,” while sporting enough functionality to say, “I’m smart and modern.”

Kincaid

Several other manufacturers focused on familiar, traditional forms, keeping it safe for consumers who still feel beleaguered by economic uncertainty:

• Clairmont is a European traditional collection from Kincaid Furniture that is crafted in mahogany. Among the 35 bedroom, dining room and occasional pieces is a traditional tall poster bed with graceful turned posts that are an obvious nod to the past.

• European Farmhouse is a rustic traditional collection from Stanley Furniture. More than 45 pieces for bedroom, dining room, family room and home office have familiar shapes, but they are executed in a contemporary blend of finishes and materials to showcase the company’s craftsmanship. The accent finishes include “chalkboard” black and “Temps,” a labor-intensive, artistic blend of gray and cream.

• Louis Philippe styling is one of the most popular traditional styles of the last 15 years, but Pennsylvania House is giving it a modern makeover with New Lou. Cast iron accents add a contemporary, heavy industrial accent to this update crafted in solid alder wood.

Henredon

• Henredon combines the best of 18th and 19th century European Neoclassic style for Osterley Manor, characterized by simple geometric forms embellished with architectural elements such as columns and pediments. The company added gold tipping, custom lacquer finishes and elegant veneers to create tradition with a twist.

• Building on the 140-piece Sanctuary Collection introduced last fall, Hooker Furniture unveiled 100 new pieces that, once again, are based on timeless designs rich in historical references but reinterpreted and updated for today. Mirrored finishes, along with touches of both gold and silver leaf, give the new Sanctuary a little glitz, and two finishes – a creamy, latte shade called Surfside and a hand-rubbed chocolate shade called Dockside – expand the palette of this extensive collection that includes bedroom, dining room, occasional, home office and entertainment.

Hickory Chair

Even the leading edge in American modern design this spring is defined by reproductions or adaptations of traditional forms. For over a decade, Thomas O’Brien has been one of the design industry’s best known modern tastemakers. His wide range of interiors is widely acclaimed for their modern character, but O’Brien’s focus, first and foremost, is on vintage forms translated for modern living.

To celebrate O’Brien’s 10th anniversary of home furnishings design, Hickory Chair has introduced The Library Collection. It is an amalgamation of items that are reproductions or adaptations of pieces O’Brien has collected for his own home and library. This collector’s pick of memorable pieces seems to suggest that even the well-heeled may long for traditional guideposts for a calming and familiar – though perhaps also luxurious – interior.

Century

Similarly, Century Furniture introduces a collection rooted in serenity; a visual calm to noisy, metropolitan lives. Tribecca features 30 pieces of bedroom, dining and occasional furnishings named after an exclusive and historic residential neighborhood in New York. Graceful, simplified forms are married with beautiful American walnut and a soft, hand-rubbed finish for an elegant collection designed to create a sophisticated sanctuary.

These collections from Century and Hickory Chair appeal to a mature consumer – both in mind and wallet – but similar themes are playing out in modern collections targeted to younger consumers.
 

Pulaski

Pulaski Furniture has developed a new line of fresh, affordable and functional furnishings specifically to appeal to today’s Gen Y digital generation. Called Tangerine, the line includes 30 pieces in a portfolio of four collections. Beds feature storage drawers and nightstands can charge up to four electronic devices at once. Desk/vanity pieces offer wire management and a drop down center drawer for using, storing and recharging laptops. Consumers in this generation define themselves by their technology, and manufacturers like Pulaski are quickly learning to meet their needs.

Avery Avenue from Broyhill was actually reviewed by consumers prior to its introduction to retail buyers today. Young consumers liked the versatility of pieces that can serve in a variety of rooms, like a hall chest that can be a room divider and a drop-front writing desk that can move from dining room to bedroom to living room and look at home in each setting. Although transitional in design, its warm cathedral cherry veneers and bright, jewelry-like chrome hardware, make it more formal than other collections targeted to this demographic.

Universal

Finally, striking a happy mid-point between the hunger for vintage and the preference for spare lines and edited details is Rough Luxe from Universal Furniture. Crafted in oak veneers with a casual, earthy finish, Rough Luxe includes bedroom, dining room, entertainment and occasional furnishings distinguished by low profiles with architectural details. It is targeted to a generation that is accustomed to streamlined forms but is ready to graduate from the ready-to-assemble rooms of their college days.

Hooker

Stanley

 

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