Jeff Linville — Furniture Today
AT THE MARKET — After showing a limited home office group last market, Drexel

Heritage has its Walt Disney Signature collection in full swing.

“We definitely believe this will be one of our most successful collections to date,” said President Lenwood Rich. “We’ve had a tremendous response to our Walt Disney Signature office selections.”

April’s teaser offered 12 pieces based on furniture in Walt Disney’s studio in Burbank, Calif., in modern styling that definitely is for adults, not children. With those goods nearly ready for the retail launch, Drexel is bringing out more than 50 new items in case goods and upholstery here.

“Everything is very detailed, in the sense that it all has Art Moderne or Art Deco styling,” said Rich. “It makes for a very glamorous, streamlined, clean feeling — and a very sophisticated, yet livable look.”

Pam Lifford, senior vice president of global home and infant for Disney Consumer Products, said furniture buyers in April “not only responded to Walt Disney Signature’s quality and design, but understood how the brand represented Walt’s authenticity and personal style.”

Unlike Disney’s other ventures in furniture (such as its youth license with Delta), the Drexel Heritage partnership is the first non-character, adult collection the corporation has tried.

Creating the collection took several months as both Drexel and Disney were determined to be original and yet stay true to the life and vision of Walt Disney, said Kim Green, Drexel’s director of training.

To authentically interpret Walt Disney’s designs, Drexel Heritage designers got special access to the Disney archives, which include the furniture from the entertainment icon’s office.

Highlighting the case goods are exotic veneers with highly figured graining, including glossy West African mozambique, rosewood, Asian walnut and South American primavera. Rather than adding rosewood just as an accent, Green said, the collection makes heavy use of the wood because of its beautiful grain.

Accenting the veneers are nickel-plated hardware, silver leafing, leather, black granite and parchment.

Stephen Teglas, Disney Consumer Products vice president and general manager, said that in the past few years his organization has developed a deeper understanding of the household market. The division used to have a one-size-fits-all approach to home furnishings, but now has three distinct distribution channels and three price points.

Delta makes promotional goods that can sell at discount mass merchants. Rooms To Go has an exclusive line of goods at medium price points. Drexel Heritage’s Walt Disney Signature hits finer furniture stores and boutiques with upper-end pricing.

Not that the collection is nosebleed expensive. Lisa Harris, vice president of marketing, said the Animator end table with pullout martini shelf is $799, while the Studio console/sofa table is $1,799.

Among the signature pieces in the line is a bookcase bed modeled after one of Walt Disney’s office cabinets.

The headboard features door cabinets raised on metal rods, and the footboard also has door storage.

The upholstered bed comes with a suede option, a first for Drexel. The Smoketree mirror shown over the sideboard has black glass bordering the mirror, another first. The Legacy hall chest has a new finish, Shadow, a dark brownish-black taken from a scene in a Disney cartoon.

The color was used in a winter scene in “Bambi,” said Lifford. Wall art above the chest recreates a frame from the movie with that patina used.

The home office group will have a retail launch in November on the West Coast, with dealers nationwide receiving the goods in January. This expanded group should be shipping in May.