Store adds suppliers, revamps presentation
Carole Sloan — Furniture Today, January 12, 2016
NEW YORK — Bloomingdale’s is celebrating the revamp of the furniture floor at its flagship store here with a month-long celebration, including events showcasing its “new vision.”

Nine famous apparel designers have covered a Bernhardt chair with signature fabrics as part of a display celebrating Bloomingdale’s new furniture direction. These are from Diane von Furstenberg, left, and Michael Kors.
That vision includes an array of new suppliers and merchandise as well as a new approach to presentation.

Several brands on the redesigned fifth-floor furniture department are holdovers from the previous lineup, including designer headliners Barbara Barry, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Ralph Lauren, plus an expanded offering from Calligaris, according to Jim Coia, vice president and divisional merchandise manager, furniture and bedding. Among the newcomers are Thayer Coggin, Kartell, Asian Loft and painted pieces from Grange.

“With the new floor and the revamped merchandise, we are talking to a younger customer, a broader audience that is looking for unique and different product,” Coia said. “These customers buy a piece or two or three — not necessarily a whole room. We’re featuring more color and fabric.”

Bloomie’s says its new approach embraces styles from “city sleek to casual chic” with an emphasis on exclusivity and customization.

Some 50% of the merchandise mix at the flagship 59th Street store is exclusive to that location, Coia added.

The first event marking the new look, which launched last week and continues through Jan. 18, showcases a chair from Bernhardt that has been dressed in apparel fabrics by nine stellar fashion designers — Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Monique L’huillier, Zac Posen, Anna Sui and Diane von Furstenberg. The chairs are highlighted in the store’s Lexington Avenue windows and consumers are encouraged to blog and vote on which chairs are best.

Later, the designer chairs will move to the furniture floor, where a silent auction will be held Jan. 28-29. Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit foundation Council of Fashion Designers of America.

The official grand opening of the new furniture floor will be a Jan. 28 event hosted by Michael Gould, chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale’s; Margaret Russell, editor in chief of Elle Décor; and designer Diane von Furstenberg, who is president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

The celebration will continue with The Big Window Challenge, which Coia described as “a promotion focusing on the store’s ability to decorate for small spaces.” Calligaris is co-sponsoring this event, which will feature merchandise settings in the Lexington Avenue windows that reflect “very cool, very young, very hip” designs for small living areas, such as city apartments.

Another element of the month-long activity is a tie-in with Apartment Therapy, an online interior design chat blog that has chapters around the country, Coia said.

Taken from http://www.furnituretoday.com/