Jeff Linville
Intros vary in size

HIGH POINT — Case goods introductions this market reveal an exercise in extremes, as styles, sizes and prices trend to polar opposites.

As Newton’s law said, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and market strategies this spring bear that out. For every company offering a smaller-sized bedroom, another is going big with its launch. Casual contemporary groups offer clean lines, but Italian and French designs provide plenty of movement and carvings to draw attention.

Universal’s Cortina is an opulent, grand-scale group with lots of movement; it hits the company’s top price points. The group comes with two dining tables, including one that reaches 76 inches. On the other hand, Universal has had success with its Upscale Small Scale program and is adding four new dining sets in smaller sizes.

Henredon’s Arabesque has a poster bed standing 104 inches high and a carved panel bed at 76 inches. Century’s No. 76 series French group, in 11 made-to-order finishes, includes a dining table that seats up to 16. Ferguson Copeland has a credenza with travertine marble and starburst veneer pattern; at 92 inches, it’s the largest in the company’s history.

Then again, Bassett Furniture’s new No. 2732 bedroom, inspired by European designs seen at the Cologne show, has been scaled down to fit in both master and second bedrooms.

Shermag’s new lifestyle addition to the Urban Living collection is scaled smaller for less spacious metropolitan homes. The company also is featuring six new silhouettes in its small-scale dining program.

Pulaski showed a prototype small dining table in Las Vegas and is introducing a 42-inch round “sophisticated dinette” group this market, according to Jim Kelly, executive vice president of product development and marketing.

Several of the companies offering these less-imposing dining groups also offer smaller cases for the room, such as a narrow console or buffet/hutch instead of a large sideboard, or a curio instead of a china cabinet.

The trend is toward growing pieces upward because of the lack of space devoted to dining in many homes, said Jeff Cook, Magnussen Home president and CEO. Rather than in a dining room, meals often are taken in a small area of the great room. A new sideboard stands 40 inches high, but takes up a smaller footprint than Magnussen’s typical piece.

Some consumers need modestly sized furniture, but the bigger homes need furnishings too, said Phil Haney, executive vice president, marketing and sales, for Stanley Collections. The company’s new Tre Venti and Serafina collections, with pecan, ash burl and oak cluster veneers, are aimed at families that entertain 10 or 12 people, he said. The group includes a 64-inch round table that expands to 84 inches with a leaf.

Hickory White’s Tuscan Home offers a 78-inch dining table that expands to 122 inches with two 22-inch leaves. However, it also is adding three tables and five chair designs to an informal dining line with breakfast nook tables at 40 inches.

This market, the Pottery Barn/Crate & Barrel influence remains in force, but curves and brighter finishes also abound.

Wynwood is offering something for everybody at this market, said Marc Abrams, vice president of sales. In its largest introduction ever, the company is featuring a wide range of styles, including contemporary, country casual and traditional.

The Bellclaire group represents Wynwood’s top quality with the best possible construction techniques and fancy veneers, said Abrams, creating “value-oriented high-end furniture.” At the same time, the company is dropping down a notch in price point, offering promotional groups out of Vietnam that retail for $1,499 for a four-piece set, half the price of Bellclaire.

Fine Furniture Design & Marketing is offering a contemporary look with glamour and motion in its Vogue collection, Old World charm with Centovalli, and a casual California take on Mission with Casa Bella.

“We’ve got high hopes for it to be one of our best markets,” said CEO Geoff Beaston. “We feel good about the response we got at premarket.”

Also, the company expects to reach more smaller retailers now that it has warehouse space in the United States, he said. Until now, FFDM only offered direct containers, but through an agreement with MGM Trucking, the importer will keep goods on hand for quick-ship service and smaller-order quantities.

Several collections this market land in the transitional category as manufacturers take traditional, lifestyle or contemporary designs and try to make them more accessible to the  public, especially young adults.

Magnussen Home targets a more youthful look with an updated version of Arts & Crafts.

And at Pennsylvania House, the strategy is “to leverage the brand and appeal to younger consumers in both case goods and upholstery offerings,” said Dave Sowinski, president. “Badin Ridge is a solid-wood collection with a lot of versatility. It can be accessorized to be relaxed traditional or transitional or cottage based on finish options, hardware options and eclectic pieces in the collection.”

Durham Furniture’s new line is targeting shoppers who are “young or young at heart,” according to Ron Fuhrman, vice president of marketing and product development.

The company is offering a new brand, Orville & Mead, in solid-wood construction, built in North America. The launch includes six lines using traditional woods like maple, cherry and ash, with 12 to 16 SKUs in each group. The quality and price points are in line with Durham’s typical offerings, Fuhrman said.

Two of the groups are crossover collections from Durham’s current line, where the finish and hardware are changed, but the other four are distinctive new looks, he said. The offerings are targeted to a different consumer and a different retail distribution network so that stores who hadn’t carried or could not get the Durham line can now look at these alternatives.

The line, named after Orville Mead, Durham’s president and CEO from 1992 to 2002, is handled by the same sales representatives, but will have a different catalog, point-of-purchase materials and consumer Web site. In three months, Fuhrman said Orville & Mead also will have a retailer site where stores can view an online image library.

For the first time this market, Jeffco is shifting its focus from hand-carved details to beautiful veneers with a more contemporary look and feel. Until now, all Jeffco’s furniture has been fully customized, but limited customization will be available in the new Signature, Rive Gauche and Campagna collections. This will allow Jeffco to make its goods available to a broader market at a more competitive price, the company said.

While Jeffco will continue to produce the hand-crafted, customized furniture that has become its trademark, this expansion adds a new look and feel, and hopefully will enable the company to reach a new customer base.

Overall, there appears to be  less new product this market than usual. Kincaid offers 75 SKUs with its all-imported Belfair collection and about 50 pieces with its solid-poplar Southport, but that is the exception to the rule.

Bassett is offering only two lower price point bedroom groups this market in order to focus on upholstery, leather and home entertainment. The company plans a broader case goods introduction in October.