Posts filed under 'Furniture World News'
When Jed and Carol Silver asked designer Louise Mann to help them revive a dull, white-walled, heavy-timbered house they had built during the 1980s in Los Altos, she didn’t balk.
“I loved it. It is the only nice house around there,” Mann says.
Originally done by Modesto’s Blue Design, it was finished with counters and sinks by Silver. The house has thick stucco walls inset with niches, 14-foot ceilings, steel clerestory windows and wood doors.
“The architecture was perfect — large, the way I like it — but the furniture was way too small. The colors were too black and white, and I didn’t find it moving.
“They also have a fabulous old magnolia tree in the back garden and in good weather they could easily live outside under it,” says Mann.
But they didn’t, in part because the furniture wasn’t right for outdoors.
For less than $100,000, Mann changed it all (top right). She used Benjamin Moore copper metallic paint over archways that form niches for TVs, and placed stacked box shelves for drama. Walls were painted with a shade of warm ocher from Ralph Lauren.
Inexpensive door handles — and other fittings one touches — were replaced with heavy, well-made Baldwin pieces. The lighting had been poor, too. “I took out the worst of it and added indoor Vibia lighting and Hensley lights outdoors,” she says.
Mann suggested overscaled yet flexible recycled redwood outdoor furniture designed by her and her husband, Ron Mann, as just the touch to bring visible change indoors. Her bold-striped hemp fabrics mixed with celadon and golden hues were in keeping with the scale of the high ceilings.
Mann learned one essential interior design rule from her husband’s mentor, the late Michael Taylor: “It’s always about color and scale.”
Resources
Architecture
Harvey and Conrad Sanchez
Blue Design, Modesto
(209) 522-4882
Interior design and furniture
Louise Mann
House of Mann, San Francisco
(415) 994-9798
Zahid Sardar is The Chronicle design editor. To suggest a renovation project for Take Two, contact him at zsardar@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page CM - 10 of the San Francisco Chronicle
June 5th, 2007
107-year-old originator of historic Mission style plans “collector quality” showroom CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Grubb Properties and Casto Lifestyle Properties, partners in the emerging mixed-use neighborhood of Morrison in South Park, today announced that Stickley Furniture, one of the world’s most revered furniture makers, has leased a 13,770 square foot showroom space at Morrison.
Stickley, a 107-year-old firm based in Manlius, New York, designed and still manufactures the historic Mission Collection of furnishings as well as select pieces from the Williamsburg Reserve Collection and an extensive portfolio of traditional and more contemporary pieces. In addition to generations of standard-setting design, Stickley distinctives include elements like solid wood construction, hand finishing, and premium woods – cherry, curly maple, black walnut, white oak, and solid mahogany – from around the world.
Over the years, the fine craftsmanship of Stickley’s heirloom-quality furniture has been recognized by House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Metropolitan Home, The New Yorker, National Geographic, House & Garden, Forbes and Fortune magazine, among others.
The store is expected to open this fall.
“Stickley’s coming to Charlotte – and specifically to our Morrison neighborhood in South Park – says a lot about the appeal of this market for high-end merchants,” Jonathan Nance, director of commercial leasing for Grubb Properties, said. “They are a classic brand with a great sense for how prestigious furniture helps define home and our everyday life experiences. We believe they’ll be enormously successful at Morrison, and that Morrison’s streetscape will be enhanced by their presence at one of our most prominent corners.”
The Stickley showroom will share a breezeway with the upcoming Earth Fare gourmet grocer in a building that also includes Grubb’s luxury “721” condominiums and the upscale Sterling Morrison apartment homes. Other nearby merchants – across the street or just around Morrison’s traffic circle – include Capitol, Barnes & Noble, and the newly opened Arooji’s Wine Room Ristorante.
“We’re very excited about the new location at Morrison and are looking forward to meeting our neighbors,” Edward Audi, Stickley Furniture’s vice-president of strategic planning said. “We have a strong customer base in North Carolina and believe that we’ll be well positioned to serve the growing Charlotte market as well as discriminating buyers from Asheville and other convenient locations.”
The lease was negotiated for Morrison by Grubb Properties’ Jana Foreman.
For more information about Stickley Furniture, please visit www.Stickley.com.
Grubb Properties contact: Steve Biggerstaff, vice-president of marketing, 704.405.5168 or sbiggerstaff@grubbproperties.com.
About Grubb Properties
Grubb Properties was founded in 1963 in Lexington, NC. After an initial focus on building, financing and selling affordable homes to low-income families, the company has grown to become one of North Carolina’s leading real estate firms with integrated expertise in residential, commercial and mixed-use development, acquisition, financing, construction, property management, sales and leasing. Grubb Properties now has approximately 100 employees, a management and/or leasing portfolio of nearly one million square feet of office and retail space, and a focus on revitalizing properties, land and communities in North Carolina’s premier real estate markets. The company is headquartered in Charlotte and maintains offices in Cary and Lexington, North Carolina. For additional information visit www.grubbproperties.com.
About Casto Lifestyle Properties
Casto Lifestyle Properties, an affiliate company of CASTO, is based in Sarasota, Florida and focuses on the development of mixed-use lifestyle centers. Current projects include the firm’s redevelopment of the 524,000-square-foot Winter Park Village in Winter Park, Florida; One Hundred Central, a private-public partnership with the City of Sarasota, anchored by Whole Foods Market; Main Street at Lakewood Ranch, a 170,000 square-foot lifestyle center development located in the heart of the 28,000-acre Lakewood Ranch project; and Lakeside Village, a 500,000 square foot mixed-use lifestyle center located south of Lakeland, FL. To learn more about CASTO Lifestyle Properties call (941) 552-2700 or visit www.castolp.com.
CASTO, a fully integrated real estate organization since 1926, is a recognized leader in the ownership, management, acquisition and development of commercial shopping centers and multi-family residences, office buildings and corporate parks. CASTO’s growing portfolio currently includes over 20 million square feet of commercial property and nearly 7,000 residential units located primarily throughout the Midwestern and southeastern United States. The firm recently opened an office in Charlotte at 8929 J. M. Keynes Drive to accommodate its growth in the area. To learn more about CASTO call (888) 400-0878 or visit www.castoinfo.com.
June 5th, 2007
Michael J. Knell — Furniture Today,
OAKVILLE, Ontario — Canadian consumer spending on furniture will moderate this year, slowing its growth in response to declining consumer confidence, weaker income growth and a retrenching housing market, according to the Aktrin Furniture Information Centre, a private industry think tank here.
Even though the Canadian economy is outperforming that of the United States, Aktrin President Stefan Wille believes its annual growth rate will decline from the 2.8% seen in 2005 and 2006 to 2.4% this year. Personal income growth also will slow, he said.
“Growth of real disposable income in 2006 was 4.8%,” Wille said in the latest edition of Furniture Economics. “Growth will be much slower this year and is estimated to be only 2.9% and this in spite of the promised income tax cuts by the new government.”
While the Canadian residential housing market continued growing in 2006, Wille said that on a value basis housing starts only advanced 2.4% after expanding at rates of 3.2% in 2005 and 7.8% in 2004.
“However, the market is now saturated now and demand is waning,” he said. “We predict a negative growth rate of 1.7% this year. If mortgage rates continue to climb, it may even fall further. In unit terms, this represents a drop from 228,000 (housing starts) in 2006 to 205,000 this year.”
Consumer spending on all goods and services is likely to contract from the 4% growth rates in each of the past two years. “Due to the slowing economy, we anticipate a growth rate of 3.1% in 2007 and less than 3% in 2008,” Wille said.
Expenditures for durable consumer goods — including furniture and other big ticket home goods — grew at a healthy rate of 6.8%, on top of 5.5% growth in 2005. “However, as consumer confidence is declining, we expect durable consumer good sales to advance by only 4.3% this year and possibly still lower next year,” Wille said.
Measured at retail prices, Wille said the Canadian furniture market grew 8.9% in 2006, continuing a growth trend that started during the third quarter of 2002.
“For 2007, we predict a noticeable slowdown to a rate slightly below 3%,” he said. “The size of the Canadian furniture market in 2006 stood at C$11 billion (evaluated at retail prices and including sales taxes that average 14% nationally) and if our growth predictions are correct, the market valuation will reach approximately C$11.4 billion this year.”
June 5th, 2007
Clint Engel — Furniture Today
HIGH POINT — The nation’s largest furniture stores posted a 6.6% increase in sales last year, bettering all furniture stores as a whole during the toughest business climate in years.
U.S. furniture, bedding and accessories sales for Furniture|Today’s 27th annual Top 100 grew to $31.5 billion from nearly $29.5 billion for the same companies last year.
The growth rate topped that of all furniture stores, which posted a 6% gain to $63.9 billion, but the performance wasn’t nearly as blistering as the 8.3% sales increase for the previous year’s Top 100 companies. That beat the 4.1% gain for all furniture stores in 2005 by a wide margin.
This year’s Top 100 has a new No. 1 in Ashley Furniture HomeStores, the dedicated store network that’s on a torrid growth path with a 32.8% increase in sales to $2.1 billion — the first chain to top $2 billion — at nearly 300 stores by the end of the year. It supplanted No. 2 Rooms To Go, which had held the top spot for five consecutive years and grew a more-than-respectable 10% this year to $1.76 billion.
The Top 100 as a whole didn’t gain any market share, holding steady at 55% — while last year’s group of Top 100 stores added two percentage points to grab a 56% market share from 54% the previous year. This year’s holding pattern came despite opening more stores (a net 297 units) than last year’s group.
The results support a number of industry trends, including continuing consolidation, with the largest players getting even stronger, general tough economic times for industry with few signs of a letup and the relentless march of alternative distribution channels — the Costcos and Wal-Marts of the world who must be snatching volume lost by smaller independents and not accounted for by big furniture stores.
June 5th, 2007
Furniture Today,
LAS VEGAS — Eco-friendly home furnishings will be in the spotlight at the Las Vegas Market in July in a new Living Green Pavilion.
The World Market Center is establishing the display area in temporary space at the Sands Expo in cooperation with the Sustainable Furniture Council and Channel Logic, a sustainable products representation firm.
“One of the most important issues in the world today is protecting the environment, and so it’s no surprise that the home furnishings industry is becoming more in tune with consumer demand for use of sustainable resources in products,” said Tim Branscome, WMC’s director of international business development.
Branscome said it is important to raise the profile of companies that are leading the movement in sustainability. He said the Sustainable Furniture Council has established criteria to identify suppliers as truly sustainable.
“We are happy that World Market Center has asked us to be part of this market that is becoming increasingly important,” said Gerry Cooklin, president of SFC and CEO of manufacturer South Cone Inds.
“Our member companies will have a fairly large showing area, which will allow us to reinforce our message,” he said. “Sustainability is a topic of fast-growing concern, and even though our industry has been lagging other industries in this awareness, it’s never too late to catch up. We look forward to meeting many more new companies that will be ready to join us.”
One feature of the Living Green exhibit will be the “greenhouse gallery,” showcasing new design directions in sustainable home furnishings.
“We have discovered that furniture producers using sustainable materials are not only pioneers, but also design innovators,” said Branscome. “The introduction and availability of various new sustainable materials appears to have stimulated a whole new community of designers who are now finding their way into the market.”
Also slated for the July market is a panel discussion on Retail Sustainability, exploring how retailers have incorporated sustainable practices into their business plans.
For information about participating in Living Green, contact Tim Loveday at tim@channellogicusa.com or at (866) 435-8890, extension 303.
Summer market registration is now open. To register or book a discounted hotel room, visit http://www.lasvegasmarket.com/index.shtml or call (888) 962-7469.
The summer market will run July 30-Aug. 3. The Sands Expo temporary space, including the Living Green Pavilion, will be open July 31-Aug. 3.
June 5th, 2007
Furniture Today,
SAN FRANCISCO — Case goods and leather upholstery importer Zocalo has opened a warehouse in Surabaya, Indonesia.
The 11-year-old company will stock three of its best-selling collections in the 15,000-square-foot facility. They are Sterling Park, Cinnamon Bay and Breckenridge.
“The success of our warehouse in Vietnam prompted us to do the same in Indonesia,” said Mike Pierce, director of merchandising. “This will allow us to ship mixed direct containers quickly and will also give us a cushion against demand spikes.”
The warehouse expects to ship goods within two weeks of order. There’s room at the site for expansion, said Tasha Rassuli, public relations manager.
June 5th, 2007
DUBLIN, Ireland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c58696) has announced the addition of Household Furniture (Except Wood And Metal) Manufacturing Industry In The U.S. (Q2-2007 Edition) to their offering.
This industry report focuses upon the Household Furniture (except Wood and Metal) Manufacturing industry. This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing household-type furniture of materials other than wood or metal, such as plastics, reed, rattan, wicker, and fiberglass. The furniture may be made on a stock or custom basis and may be assembled or unassembled (i.e., knockdown).
NAICS Hierarchy:
337125 - Household Furniture (except Wood and Metal) Manufacturing
33712 - Household and Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
3371 - Household and Institutional Furniture and Kitchen Cabinet
Manufacturing
337 - Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
31-33 - Manufacturing Sector
SIC:
2499 - Wood Products, NEC (laundry hampers of reed, rattan, and
willow)
2519 - Household Furniture, NEC
This industry report includes 144 pages of the latest market research information on this industry. In addition to the detailed explanations of the provided statistical data, there are 112 charts, 18 tables, and 2 maps to effectively illustrate the content. Use this report as an in-depth analysis of the industry, an industry reference guide, an aid for benchmarking and forecasting, and as a tool for uncovering new business opportunities. The report is considered the most comprehensive research in the market.
INTRODUCTION
Navigation
Definition
NAICS Hierarchy
SIC Cross Reference
Related Industries
Comparison
History
Scope
Capacity, Supply and Demand
Quick Statistics
INCOME STATEMENT
Revenue: Value of Shipment, Net Sales
Trend: % of Revenue Growth
Compensation: Payroll & Fringe Benefits
Trend: Growth in %
Salaries as % of Sales
Wages as % of Sales
Distribution
Fringe Benefits
Cost of Materials
Trend: % of Growth
Material Cost Excluding Fuel & Energy
Cost of Materials as % of Sales
Electricity Cost
Fuel Cost
Energy & Fuel Cost as % of Sales
Product Codes
Material Codes
Gross Profit
Trend % Change
Gross Profit as % of Sales
Other Costs
Administrative, Sales and Marketing Expenses as % of Sales
Current and Deferred Taxes as % of Sales
Net Income
Income (or Loss) From Operations as % of Sales
Other Non-Operating Income as % of Sales
Income (or Loss) Before Income Taxes (NIBT) as % of Sales
Income (or Loss) After Income Taxes as % of Sales
Earnings before Interest, Depreciation & Taxes (EBIDT)
Pricing
Producer Price Index - Manufacturing Sector
Producer Price Indexes - US Industry
Producer Price Index - Wholesale Sector
Producer Price Index - Retail Sector
Consumer Price Index - By Major Categories
Buying Power Index (1980-2010)
Consumer Price Index (1980-2010)
Consumer Price Index (Year over Year % Change, 1980-2010)
Consumer Spending Distribution
BALANCE SHEET
Assets
Cash and Government Securities as % of Assets
Accounts Receivable as % of Assets
Inventories as % of Assets
Total Current Assets as % of Total Assets
Current Assets Distribution Chart
Property and Other Non-Current Assets as % of Assets
Liabilities
Current Liabilities as % of Total Assets
Total Liabilities as % of Total Assets
Equity
Stockholders Equity as % of Total Assets
Profit on Stockholders Equity before Income Tax
Profit on Total Asset before Income Tax
Total Current Assets to Total Current Liabilities
Total Cash & Government Securities to Total Current
Liabilities
CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
Trend
Expenditure Distribution
Building & Structure
Machine and Equipment Expenditure (including Automobile &
Computers)
Computers
Automobile & Highway
Other Machine & Equipment
LABOR AND COMPENSATION
Trend
Production Workers
Production Workers to Total Employees Ratio
Hourly Wages
Production Hours Trend
Contribution (Revenue) per Production Worker
Annual Wage per Production Worker
Production Worker Contribution Ratio
Relative to Revenue
Labor Productivity: Output Per Hour
Labor Input Index: Total Labor Hours
Output Index
Unit Labor Cost Index
Labor Compensation Index
Output per Worker Index
All Worker Index
ESTABLISHMENTS
Trend
Average Number of Employees per Establishment
Contribution per Establishment
IMPORT
Introduction of Import Process
Harmonized Tariff Schedule
Importing Countries Rank
Top 5vImporting Countries and Other
Top 25 Importing Countries
Importing Countries Insurance & Freight Cost Index
Import Total Value from 1996 to 2008
Import Total Quantity from 1996 to 2008
Import Export Total Value Comparison from 1996 to 2008
Import Export Total Quantity Comparison from 1996 to 2008
Import Price Indexes from 1996 to 2008
Comparison of Import & Export Price Indexes from 1996 to 2008
EXPORT
Domestic Exports
Foreign Exports (Re-exports)
Export Statistics Summary
Exporting Countries’ Rankings
Top 5 Exporting Countries and Other
Top 25 Exporting Countries
Export Total Value from 1996 to 2008
Export Total Quantity from 1996 to 2008
Export Price Indexes from 1996 to 2008
INDUSTRY PLAYERS
Major Players
LINKS
Trade Associations
Trade Publications
Trade Shows
APPENDIX A - SALES & MARKETING
APPENDIX B - INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
APPENDIX C - FOREIGN TRADE AND US STATES STATISTIC
APPENDIX D - INDUSTRY’S 4-YEAR FINANCIAL STATEMENT
APPENDIX E - REPORT METHODOLOGY
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c58696
June 5th, 2007
— Furniture Today,
HIGH POINT — Chambers Fabrics, one of the last purely domestic mills still supplying the upholstered furniture industry, has acquired all the assets of Stantex, the former chenille manufacturer for Culp Inc.
“We acquired everything except the building as part of our strategy to be as vertical an operation as possible in our chenille business,” said Ray Chambers, president of Chamber Fabrics.
He said he believes that vertical integration is key to surviving in the current business climate.
“Because we’re vertical, we don’t have to worry about sourcing yarn — and what we don’t make ourselves we triple source — so we don’t have that worry.” In addition to making its own chenille yarn, the company does everything from weaving to finishing.
Chambers Fabrics, which was founded by Chambers in 1989 as a converter, began manufacturing in 1996. The company has 114 employees and operates a 150,000-square-foot plant on South Elm Street in High Point, making promotional to mid-priced upholstery fabrics.
June 5th, 2007
Heath E. Combs — Furniture Today,
ARCHBOLD, Ohio — Case goods manufacturer and importer Progressive Furniture filed a suit last week seeking antidumping monies, but the CEO of its parent company said today the suit will be withdrawn.
A similar action by manufacturer Thornwood Furniture, however, appears to remain active.
The suits are similar to ones Furniture Brands International and Standard Furniture filed earlier against the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. International Trade Commission. The companies are seeking a share of the antidumping duties the U.S. government has collected from importers of wood bedroom furniture from China.
Currently, those funds are distributed only to the U.S. companies that originally petitioned the government to investigate Chinese producers for dumping, or selling goods at below reasonable cost. Progressive, Thornwood, Furniture Brands and Standard were not among the petitioners.
Kevin Sauder, president and CEO of ready-to-assemble giant Sauder Woodworking, parent company of Progressive, said today that the company will withdraw the suit it filed on May 22 in the Court of International Trade.
Progressive, like Furniture Brands and Standard, had begun to explore its options last year to seek a cut of the antidumping monies. But for Progressive to seek a share of the funds when it imports more than half of its bedroom line “makes no sense,” Sauder said.
“Of course our Claremont (N.C.) factory is being hurt by Chinese imports. But our corporate bottom line is also being helped by them. I never thought this suit smelled right, and I still don’t,” he said.
Progressive began filing claims on the money last year through the U.S. Department of Commerce and with Customs, which distributes antidumping disbursements. Its claims were either denied or got no response.
Customs distributed $21.9 million in funds last year to the petitioners. This year, the agency listed $57 million in preliminary funds available as of April.
In its lawsuit, Progressive had claimed it was a victim of discrimination. It argued that even though it was similar to companies receiving the money, it was denied disbursement status because it didn’t support the 2003 antidumping petition. That amounted to a denial of the company’s free speech rights and equal protection under the law, the suit said.
Phoenix-based Thornwood made a similar argument in a suit it filed in March, saying that “(o)n its face, the antidumping law is so overbroad because it may compel speech in violation of the First Amendment.”
On May 18, the ITC responded that Thornwood was too late in filing its claim.
Thornwood officials did not return phone calls to Furniture/Today.
In the FBI and Thornwood cases, attorneys for Vaughan-Bassett and the petitioners’ group, the American Manufacturers Committee for Legal Trade, filed intervenor defendant motions, making them a party to the action.
Associate Editor Thomas Russell contributed to this story.
June 5th, 2007
Casual Living,
Southern Patio, manufacturer of the FiberGlast and Southern Butterfly Offset umbrella lines, is launching a new domestic program called Hearth & Patio Reddi Ship at The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishing Market, July 13-16.
“Our Hearth & Patio Reddi Ship program is going to open our market for the smaller, independent retailers, who don’t necessarily need a full container of product,” said Joe Fraser, Southern Patio president.
Hearth & Patio Reddi Ship will incorporate items from the FiberGlast, PerfectPlanter and urn categories, along with gazebos, Southern Butterfly Offset umbrellas, Southern Radiance Solar umbrellas, crank and tilt umbrellas, and a new fireplace accessory line.
Jay Winkler, vice president of sales for food and drug accounts, has been instrumental in developing this program.
“At the trade shows, we meet with a lot of smaller accounts who love our items but with only a few stores in their chains, they don’t have the volume need or space required to buy full containers,” Winkler said. “By developing the Hearth & Patio Reddi Ship program, we are allowing these independents access to similar items that the large chains carry, but that are designed with the independent retailer in mind. With these special designs, and low $500 order minimums, we are fulfilling a need for these retailers, and ultimately for the final consumer.”
Geared for the late 2007 and 2008 seasons, the domestic inventory will be warehoused and shipped from Southern Patio’s Orangeburg, S.C., warehouse for the initial roll-out.
June 5th, 2007
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