Bedroom Furniture Makers Play it Safe at High Point Market

Bedroom vendors here last week found there's not much room for error in a tough economy. The successful ones offered options at relatively safe ends of the design spectrum - traditional and contemporary - that appeal to specific demographics.

Within those styles, dealers found plenty of options that add value to the category, ranging from media chests and storage beds to nightstands with touch lighting and powerstrips. Wall beds also remained popular, particularly in contemporary and modern footprints.
 

Thomas Hahn Home received positive response to American Architect, a contemporary case goods collection featuring a wall platform storage bed with companion nightstands. In addition to the panel bed, dealers liked a dresser with a sliding door as well as a low-profile wall bed with two nightstands.

Dealers also liked the French modern design influences of Drexel Heritage's Philosophies, a 32-piece collection including panel and poster beds that retail at $2,799 and $2,999.
 

Bernhardt received strong dealer interest to its contemporary/modern Palomar collection, which features a wall bed with two bedside chests that retails at $4,000. A second button-tufted leather bed also received strong interest and commitments from retailers.
 

Some of the clean-lined contemporary groups introduced in High Point are designed for younger consumers, including those who live in smaller apartments or starter homes.
 

Signature Home Furnishings' clean-lined Contempo collection struck a chord with dealers looking for both design and versatility. It includes a wall panel platform bed with pier nightstands and glass shelves that retails for $1,799.
 

Klaussner's Lennox collection is aimed at Gen X and Gen Y consumers. Dealers liked the clean-lined group, which is made with quarter-cut ash with contrasting leather-wrapped hardware. They also saw added value in functional features, such as powerstrips on the backs of nightstands.
 

Magnussen's Urban Safari generated commitments among dealers looking to serve a demographic of young, professional females. The modern bedroom and dining room collection includes a $1,999 wall bed with underbed storage that is made with Mozambique and prima vera veneers in a lattice- work pattern. The pattern is repeated on the fronts of case pieces, including an $899 media chest.
 

Other popular urban contemporary bedrooms that performed well with dealers include Broyhill's Urban Solutions and AICO's Via Lustra.
 

Dealers also responded to updated traditional looks at companies such as Thomasville, Henredon, Cresent, Fine Furniture Design & Marketing and Lexington Home Brands.
 

Lexington's Barclay Square is a traditional group with English design influences that was shown in a replica of an old New York brownstone. Dealers liked the upholstered leather and nailhead trim on the headboard of the St. Regis bed and the rustic cherry veneers on signature case pieces such as the Bond Street armoire.
 

Fine Furniture Design & Marketing had success with a new updated traditional group called Louis Philippe Classics. In particular, dealers liked the way the medium cherry finish plays off the cathedral cherry veneers of the bed and case pieces. They also were drawn to add-on pieces such as a lady's writing desk, bed bench and seven-drawer chest with hidden storage.
 

FFD&M's Arts & Crafts group received similar positive reaction from dealers who liked the rift-cut oak veneers shown in a golden finish. Both groups have beds retailing at $1,499.
 

"You have to put your best foot forward," said company President and CEO Ted Philpott. "You have to have values. Anything that was the least bit questionable won't get support."
 

Cresent Fine Furniture focused its efforts on a new bedroom group called Berry Hill, a solid-mahogany group with British West Indies and Louis Philippe design influences. The group received commitments from a number of dealers.
 

"We felt this was a good, safe bet in a tough economy," said Richard Tomkins, vice president of sales. "From a style standpoint, it's a proven winner."
 

Some casual transitional looks also did well. Among the hits were Broyhill's Modern Country Classics, a 30-piece whole home collection that combines urban lines with Shaker influences. Made with cathedral cherry veneers in three finishes, the group includes a panel bed with underbed storage that retails at $1,299.
 

Shadow Mountain received strong dealer reaction to its new Heritage Loft case goods collection done in cooperation with outdoor apparel specialist Woolrich. Dealers liked the rustic urban look and feel of the collection, which is scaled back for smaller living spaces.
 

Most bedroom resources reported lower traffic during market. Regardless, some said they received strong enough responses at market to proceed with cuttings. Lifestyle Enterprise, for instance, plans to cut each of the seven new bedrooms it launched during market.
 

"Everybody in here has written orders," said Managing Director James Riddle, adding that traffic was still off between 40% and 50%. "You would never know that business was down. We just didn't have enough traffic."

Meanwhile, case goods importer Trade Masters plans to cut as many as six or seven of the 20 groups it introduced during market.
 

"We assumed it was business as usual," said President Ron O'Dell, noting the company picked up about eight to 10 new accounts by mid-week. "If you don't have a full complement of product and start shrinking back, that's not a good thing to do. We're conservative, but we're trying to figure out how to generate business and it's working."