Monthly Issue
From Home Furnishing Business
November 16,
2017 by Jane Chero in Business Strategy, Economic News, Industry 
Producers say the category is finally showing signs of life after several years of sluggish sales, and is due for a significant rebound. Millennials, for starters, are starting to form new households in earnest, and non-Millennials are starting to feel comfortable about spending money to replace their well-worn existing bedroom suites.
And when they do make those purchases, they’re likely to find an array of finishes that weren’t available the last time they shopped. Not only have gray finishes become all the rage the past couple of years, but the time honored brown finish has taken on a variety of new forms that are nothing like the high-gloss, lacquer-heavy traditional finishes that have been a staple of the category.
“Even in the most sophisticated environments, we see consumers gravitating towards a more relaxed aesthetic,” said Randy Wells, vice president of creative at Stanley Furniture. “We believe there’s a call for finishes that convey the natural characteristics of the veneer or wood species they are applied to.”
And in many instances, that has meant gray finishes – especially the past two to three years. Producers say grays have been prevalent in Europe for many years, but have caught on only recently in North America.
“All of a sudden, it just seemed like everything became gray,” said Geoff Beaston, vice president of case goods at Klaussner. “I am hearing people are tiring of it, but I believe it will be here for quite a while. Just like the classic traditional finishes, I think gray will still be one of the popular finishes.”
And given today’s increasingly sophisticated finish treatments, there are now some brown finishes that have a gray tone, which pleases those who think there’s too much gray in the marketplace and those who can’t get enough of it.
“If you can come up with a finish that is brown to the people who like brown, but yet gray to the people who like gray, they you’ve got a winner,” Beaston quipped.
Research by Impact Consulting Services, parent company of Home Furnishings Business, showed that replacing old furniture was the most frequently listed reason for buying new bedroom furniture, but buying a new house was not too far behind.
In a survey of recent bedroom furniture purchasers, 33.6% said replacing old furniture was the primary motivation, followed by buying a new house, which was cited by 24.9% of respondents. The next-highest motivation was a desire for new style, cited by 19%, followed by a change in family size, cited by 11.4%, and a desire for new function, cited by 11.1%.
To no one’s surprise, a headboard or headboard/footboard combination was the most frequent bedroom furniture item purchased, cited by 56.7% of the survey respondents. But a dresser and night stand were close behind, purchased by 53.6% and 53.1% of respondents, respectively. A chest was purchased by 25.3%, while a platform bed was purchased by 13.4% and a desk by 12.9%.
The armoire, a fairly common bedroom furniture purchase prior to 2000, was acquired by only 9.3% of the survey respondents.
“The bed is still the focal point, and we all want to make that grand statement,” said Beaston.
Increasingly, that statement is being made with upholstery, as upholstered headboards continue to gain market share. Estimates of the market share captured by upholstered headboards vary widely among producers, but they all agree their popularity is not waning.
“Upholstered beds remain an important option in our whole-home collections,” said Wells. “Even if we don’t cover an entire bed, our beds will typically employ some level of upholstery to add a valuable element of texture and softness.”
Bedroom furniture producers also are making a statement by increasing the height of their headboards. No reliable data is available on the number of tall headboards offered by producers, or just how tall they are, but it appears the headboard heights may be limited only their ability to fit into a container (for importers) or a truck (for domestic producers).
“It seems like every time we look at a sample, we say, ‘gosh, we need to raise it a couple of inches’,” Beaston said.
Headboard heights weren’t part of the Impact Consulting survey, but the overwhelming majority of respondents (63%) said it was the bed that initially drew their attention. The dresser came in a distant second, cited by 18% or respondents, and all other bedroom pieces were cited by less than 5% of recent bedroom furniture purchasers.
And while the ability to customize bedroom furniture isn’t nearly as important as upholstery – except at the very high end of the market -- nearly all of the survey respondents said they would be willing to pay extra if they were able to customize. In fact, 25.8% said they would pay an additional $100 to $250, and another 24.2% said they would pay an additional $250 to $500.
Plus, some 14.4% said they would pay an extra $500 to $1,000, while 8.3% were willing to add more than $1,000 to the price tag.
September 9,
2016 by Jane Chero in Advertising, Bedroom, Industry, Product
Dreamy Bedrooms
By Trisha McBride Ferguson
The Bedroom category (master bedroom and adult bedroom furnishings) has been climbing steadily in annual sales over the last five years. In 2015, the year ended with $10.86 billion in sales, up from $10.36 billion in 2014. Adult bedroom continues to see growth this year with second quarter up 3.75 percent over the same quarter last year.
Universal’s Halston
Part of its Curated collection, the Halston fully upholstered bed features a tufted headboard with subtle arch and nailhead trim. It’s shown here in a gray cotton velvet and is also available in linen. Suggested retail $1.875.
A.R.T. Furniture’s Epicenters Williamsburg
Directly inspired by the warehouse-turned-loft neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY, this bed features a stacked railroad tie design, a reclaimed pallet finish, and a two-drawer storage footboard. Suggested retail for the King bed is $2,999.
Ashley’s Windlore
Rustic yet refined, the Windlore bedroom collection maximizes the beauty of minimalism. Its rustic oak-grain character is enhanced with a two-tone finish that modernizes its plank styling and hardware-free design.
Cresent Fine Furniture’s Larkspur
Simple yet sophisticated, the Larkspur platform panel bed features clean lines and a fresh finish. Suggested retail for the Queen bed is $1,199.
Flexsteel’s Homestead
This solid hardwood bedroom group is crafted of birch veneers and features a black rub-through finish. Its round metal hardware wears a gunmetal finish and the bed and mirror are available with metal or solid-wood frames.
Furniture Traditions’ Master-piece Pier Group
Full of innovative features and clever details, the Master-piece pier group adds function and interest to a timeless look.
Greenington’s Currant
Crafted of 100-percent solid Moso bamboo, the Currant bedroom collection blends contemporary and Mid-century Modern influences. An eco-friendly and sustainable option, the platform bed is shown here in a black walnut finish. Suggested retail for the Queen bed is $1,878.
Hooker Furniture’s Chatelet
This upholstered mantle panel bed is part of Hooker’s whole home collection inspired by timeless antiques found in Old World Europe. The epitome of rustic luxury, its look is defined by pecky pecan veneers wearing a soft amber finish with highlights of distressed aged white.
Ligna Furniture’s Jackson
Crafted of solid, rough-hewn mahogany, the Jackson collection fuses modern and rustic. The bedroom group wears a cinnamon and sea salt finish.
Modus’ Townsend
Effortlessly stylish, the Townsend collection is crafted from solid hardwood and features naturally rough-hewn planks with heavy saw marks, pitting and distressing. A nine-step finish highlights its wood grain while simulating the patina of age. Suggested retail for pieces in the bedroom group range from $299 to $2,249.
Orient Express Furniture’s Boulevard
The Villa Collection’s Boulevard bed is one of Orient Express’ most iconic pieces. Its scalloped headboard is covered in an oatmeal linen and features a button-tufted back and nailhead trim around its headboard and rails. Suggested retail starts at $1,699.
Stanley’s Virage
Part of its whole home collection, the Virage Panel bed combines stark lines and clean surfaces with subtle moulding details and sweeping arched plinth bases. Its cherry veneers wear a Truffle finish accented by lightly striated Caviar black paint and glowing hand-applied Antique Gold Leaf highlights. Suggested retail for the Panel bed is $2,829.
Stickley’s Highlands
Stickley’s Mission collection is crafted from solid, quarter-sawn white oak and includes the distinctive yet timeless Harvey Ellis bedroom group.
Vanguard’s Emma Bed
From Vanguard’s “Make it Yours” bedroom program, the Emma bed features a fully upholstered headboard and footboard. Available in fabric or leather, its tufted headboard is accented with nailhead trim. Suggested retail for King starts at $4,146.
August 22,
2014 by in Bedroom, Product
Bedrooms — either master or secondary — continue to increase in importance in today’s homes.
As the world whirls around at lightning speed, everyone craves a welcome retreat in which to recover from the everyday hustle and bustle. Today’s bedrooms seem to be busier than ever, and people are looking for their rooms to be functional, peaceful and welcoming.
In Home Furnishings Business’ most recent survey in which we talked bedrooms with 536 consumers who have bought bedroom furniture within the last 18 months, consumers are nearly split between traditional and contemporary styles.
For master bedrooms, 37.2 percent of the consumers are traditionalist, while 36.3 percent opt for more contemporary looks. For guest or second bedrooms, 40.5 percent of the consumers lean toward traditional and 35.7 percent took the contemporary road.
Other style families like European country, Mission, cottage and the middle ground transitional each garnered less than 8 percent of the thumbs up from consumers for either bedroom.
The consumer insight lines up with what is happening within the vendor showrooms throughout the industry.
Traditional and contemporary seem to get the most play, while suppliers looking to reach across the aisle continue to offer updated traditional or softer contemporary styles, and transitional remains a buzzword throughout industry speak although it likely doesn’t hold much meaning for consumers.
John Iasiello, vice president of wood products for Emerald Home Furnishings, sees bedroom styling trending a bit more streamlined. Still traditional, he said, but a cleaner, slightly smaller traditional for Emerald’s target consumer.
One of Emerald’s top sellers is the Riviera group in a linen finish and laden with molding and dramatic curves. Iasiello said the company isn’t likely to leave that business behind, but it is tracking to capture a younger consumer with a cleaned-up design spectrum.
Brian Edwards, president of Fairmont Designs, points to the company’s Grand Estates collection as an example of the continuing trend of traditional bedroom.
“In bedroom furniture, our retailers are looking for proven winners,” he said. “When they land on that tried-and-true group, they tend to stick with it.”
While traditional continues to lead the parade at Fairmont, it’s not your grandmother’s traditional. The latest bedrooms throughout the industry are loaded with creature comforts to make unwinding, sleep and work—as a number from our consumer panel say they do—easier.
Winning bedroom suppliers have tricked out nightstands with power strips to accommodate smartphones, tablets and other devices that have replaced many alarm clocks. Some beds are also equipped with soft, touch lighting to help guide people through the middle-of-the-night treks to the bathroom. Dressers and chests have morphed to accommodate televisions, DVRs and other electronics.
Bedrooms are no longer quiet sanctuaries in which consumers retreat to restore and reconnect with partners. Instead, as our survey shows, those rooms are being used as family entertainment hubs (26.5 percent), reading stations (30.4 percent), comfy work spaces (25.9 percent), and more.
Our consumer panel — both those who bought master and second bedroom — tended toward all wood beds for their purchases. On a scale of one to seven with seven being very appealing and one being not all appealing, the master bedroom buyers rated an all wood bed with a 6.07 and second bedroom buyers gave all wood a 5.52 rating. Second for both groups were metal and wood beds— 3.54 for master bedrooms and 3.88 for second bedrooms.
Want More?
A more in-depth report on the bedroom category is available for purchase at FurnitureCore.com—Industry Info—Industry Reports—Bedroom, or by calling Natalia Hurd at (404) 390-1535.
October 10,
2013 by in Business Strategy, Industry
The online sales potential is too big for furniture suppliers to ignore.
BY SHEILA LONG O’MARA
In case you were wondering, American bedrooms are used for much more than sleeping and, ahem, a welcoming space to “reconnect” with partners. Bedrooms are no longer just a safe haven for a peaceful night’s sleep. In fact, a Home Furnishings Business survey conducted last month of consumers who had bought bedroom furniture in the last 18 months reveals the bedroom as a mini-hub of the home. According to the 250 survey participants, reading, watching television and working on computers are the ranked as the top three activities consumers do in their bedrooms. It’s a busy room the households, and activities—other than the obvious—include paying bills, completing work from the office and doing school work. Knowing that all of those activities are taking place in bedrooms provides suppliers and home furnishings retailers insight into designing and flooring bedroom products that resonate with consumers and their needs. Nightstands with easy-to-reach power stations, for example, make sense for those plugged-in night owls. The category, which harnessed $8.8 billion in sales last year, has posted a cumulative growth of 12.7 percent since 2009. What may surprise some is that the category’s growth rate is the slowest among all categories, including dining room, which boasts a three-year growth rate of 13.06 percent. Bedroom represents 18.2 percent of furniture retailers’ sales, and it reigns supreme as retailers’ highest margin category at 49.1 percent.
Why Buy?
More than 50 percent of the consumers in the survey report that their primary motivation for buying their bedroom was to replace their old furniture. Buying a new home came in at a distant second as motivation for buying with not quite 20 percent of the consumers citing their real estate purchase as the reason for a new bedroom collection. As one might expect, the showstopper is the bed. That’s the piece that a whopping 67 percent of our consumers were attracted to most from the collection of furniture they bought. The collection’s dresser was a distant second with a mere 14.7 percent.
It’s NOT the Price
While we as an industry tend to get bogged down on price and promotions that revolve around lowest, best pricing, consumers in our survey don’t appear to be driven by price. When asked about price expectations for a full bedroom suite with queen bed, dresser and mirror, chest, complete bed, nightstand nearly 84 percent fell in the price range of $1,000 to $7,999.
Style Slant
Traditional styling took a small lead ahead of contemporary designs with our consumers. Traditional designs eked past contemporary 38.2 percent to 33.8 percent. It is important to note that style preference is extremely subjective among consumer. Your declared contemporary could very well fall into some else’s traditional realm. While we in Furnitureland tend to seen a lot of upholstered headboards these days, it appears that consumers haven’t yet grasped hold of the trend. According to our survey, more than half—52.9 percent weren’t likely to buy a fully upholstered or partially upholstered headboard for their homes.
Sixty percent of the consumers surveyed said they prefer the look of wood over the upholstered headboards, and 23.3 percent said they didn’t even consider buying the upholstered version. Reasons varied from the concern of keeping the upholstery clean to fear of the style becoming dated too quickly to quality concerns.
What Suppliers Say
LEXINGTON HOME BRANDS
Tommy Bahama Home’s Ocean Club Paradise Point Bed from Lexington is a winner across all regions. With a suggested retail price of $2,529, the bed’s lasting success has a lot to do with its dramatic features—a woven rattan panel headboard framed by open fretwork design that continues down the side rails and footboard. The bed is a contemporary fusion of east and west with influence from islands of the Pacific Rim.
LEGACY CLASSIC FURNITURE
Evolution is Legacy Classic Furniture’s top-selling bedroom. Crafted in classic styling, the 9180 Evolution sleigh bed with dresser and mirror retails at $1,799. The bed alone is $799.
HGTV HOME AT BASSETT FURNITURE
European inspiration provides Caravan from HGTV Home at Bassett a casual, traditional feel. Available in a number finishes, like Midnight and Dusk. The collection features turned knobs with coin edging and oval ring pulls in an antique patina.
VAUGHAN-BASSETT FURNITURE
The Reflections bedroom is available from Vaughan-Bassett in six finish options, and the group is always in stock for quick delivery in any finish within six days. That flexibility offers retailers an entrée into the special order business without a lengthy consumer wait. Heavy moldings and bun feet convey a significant value to consumers. Retail on a queen storage bed is $799; $2499 for queen storage bed, dresser, mirror, and chest.
A.R.T. FURNITURE
Old World, retail $3999. Talk about the sliding top nightstand with the concealed storage, drawer cheer has hidden storage in the parting rail below the top drawer. Gentle men’s vest has a valet on the RSF end panel - storage sells!
KLAUSSNER HOME FURNISHINGS
Klaussner’s LaSalle bedroom includes this contemporary bed featuring footboard storage and a two-tone espresso finish. Striking wood grains framed in black offer a modern design statement, and the hardware takes a nod toward contemporary. The bed retails at $699.
VAUGHAN FURNITURE CO.
Form follows function in Vaughan’s Simply Shaker Too collection available in master and youth bedrooms. A warm cherry finish accents cherry veneers, and a decorative molding of vine graces some pieces with metal knobs. Designs feature a deep cut base rail. Drawer fronts and top moldings are softly rounded for a clean, yet weighty look. Also available finished in white or black.
What Retailers Say
Be sure to check out our online gallery to see the bedroom products that a sampling of retailer say are their top sellers. You can find it at HFbusiness.com