Jeff Linville and Heath Combs
More styles debut

AT THE MARKET — While counter-height size has been all the rage in casual dining the past two years, the looks have been pretty similar. Casual contemporary and cottage designs with little carving or shaping have made up the majority of introductions.

This market, however, more companies are broadening their offerings to include styles like Mission, Shaker and even upscale traditional looks.

Formal dining sales haven’t been as strong for many companies because the tables are too big to fit in the dining areas of many of today’s newer homes.

But now, some companies are taking some of the stylistic touches of formal dining and adding them to counter-height sets — a kind of casual-formal crossover.

Seay Style, for instance, has six new “deluxe gathering tables” including a Cosmopolitan group with cherry veneers, pedestal base and microfiber-upholstered, memory-swivel chairs.

Variety and function also are proving popular here. At Bermex, President Daniel Walker said the company is adding to its chair offerings at this week’s market and now has 100 styles, including an upholstered seat option.

One feature that is selling well is something Bermex is offering for the first time on all its drop-leaf tables, a self-storage system. The company also is introducing the option of custom sizing, Walker said.

“So if a customer wants a 185- by 46-inch table with no leaves, we’ll do that,” he said.

Canadel’s biggest color push in three years has been well received here, said Jean Deveault, sales and communication coordinator. The company is introducing 10 colors in two of its lines, Canadel and ColorShop, Deveault said.

Business so far this year has been strong in casual dining for Canadel, with the company seeing gains from retail clients who have left other suppliers, Deveault said. 

Casual dining sales also continue to grow at Klaussner, with counter-height models leading the way. Intros include Veranda and Metro sets with 60-inch tops, a new 54-inch table in the Dick Idol Urban Craftsman collection, and Brookhaven, which expands to 60 inches with a butterfly leaf.

Designer Alexander Julian is adding two tables to his licensed line at Manchester. One is a standard counter-height size while the other, Mai Tai, is a small, square table Julian said would be good for sharing a drink with an old friend.