Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
March 5,
2013 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on March 6, 2013
The American Home Furnishings Alliance has expanded its March 27 manufacturing summit at Mississippi State University's Franklin Furniture Institute.
In addition to the existing program, another panel discussion will bring a broad range of perspectives accelerating manufacturing growth through public/private collaboration.
The panelists for How Collaboration Between the Private Sector and Federal Agencies Can Accelerate Manufacturing Growth" include: Matt Erskine, U.S. Department of Commerce; Doug OBrien, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Earl Gohl, Appalachian Regional Commission; Chris Masingill, Delta Regional Authority; Hassell Franklin, Franklin Corp.; Bruno Policicchio, Max Home Furniture; and David Rumbarger, Community Development Foundation.
The other panel, moderated by Jay Moon of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, Obamacare: Implementation Concerns for Manufacturers, includes panelists Mike Chaney, Mississippi Insurance Department; Rusty Berryhill, Kevin Charles Furniture; Jim Taylor, Huntington Ingalls Inds.; and Pepper Crutcher, Balch & Bingham LLC.
The 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. program also includes: Lessons Learned in the Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index, Jack McDougle, senior vice president, Council on Competitiveness, Washington, D.C.; Consumer Buying Attitudes and Behavior, Nicole Ponder, Mississippi State College of Business; Solutions for Surviving the Skilled Labor Shortage, Bill Renick, Workforce Investment Area Director for Three Rivers Planning and Development District; and Where Are We Now? TB 117-2013 and Prop 65, Bill Perdue, AHFAs Vice President of Regulatory Affairs.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant is expected to welcome attendees to the March 27 event and share his vision for manufacturing in general and the states furniture industry in particular.
The one-day program is being co-produced by AHFA and the Franklin Furniture Institute on the campus of Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss. Sponsors of the event include CertiPur-US, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, the Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources and the MSU Extension Service.
Registration is $99 for AHFA members and $139 for non-members, including light morning refreshments and lunch. Registration is available at ahfa.us on the EVENTS page.
AHFAs second Manufacturing Summit is slated for August 22 at the Greensboro, N.C., Airport Embassy Suites. Program details will be announced at a later date.
March 5,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on March 6, 2013
Baker Furniture was featured in the exclusive Architectural Digest Greenroom at the Oscars at the Academy Awards on Feb. 24.
Los Angeles-based interior designer Madeline Stuart created the luxurious suite inspired by the legendary art director and production designer, Cedric Gibbons. Gibbons has won 11 Academy Awards for art direction and is credited with designing the Oscar statuette.
"We are pleased to once again partner with Architectural Digest to bring Madeline Stuart's Greenroom to life in a most elegant manner," said Austin Rothbard, president of Baker. "Baker has been handcrafting fine furniture for over a century. Both the Oscars and Baker have earned and enjoyed global recognition, yet ultimately, we are hallmarks of American design."
The Art Deco-influenced interior designs Gibbons is known for often had stepped walls and ceilings, built-in upholstered banquettes, and polished black floors--luxe features that were the highlights of this year's Greenroom. Stuart selections of Baker furniture and lighting recall a sumptuous yet tailored modern style and reflect an interest in the Deco styling of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Click here to see the selected Baker furniture inside the Oscars Greenroom.
March 5,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on March 6, 2013
Interior designer Tobi Fairley and online private sale retailer Joss & Main have partnered on an upcoming sale event.
As part of the collaboration, Fairley will curate a Joss & Main sale to benefit Dwell with Dignity. The designer will select a collection of décor and furnishings that reflects her style and expertise in fresh, trendsetting interior design. Fairley will also share ideas, tips and techniques with Joss & Main members as a monthly contributor to Plume, Joss & Main's online lifestyle magazine.
The retailer will sponsor Camp Tobi Fairley, a series of workshops for interior designers and home enthusiasts taking place throughout the year. The next upcoming workshop, "The Journey to Getting Published," will be held April 9-11 in Little Rock, Ark.
"We are delighted to have Tobi on board as our newest collaborator, and we're looking forward to teaming up on a number of exciting initiatives throughout the coming year," said A. Mitra Morgan, co-founder and chief curator of Joss & Main. "She's a talented designer and businesswoman with tremendous appeal in the home design world. Tobi's designs are clean, inviting, and refreshing, with an infusion of gorgeous colors - a style we know will resonate strongly with our members."
Fairley pointed out that Joss & Main makes great design accessible.
"I love the idea of empowering women with selection and choices to create beautiful homes, and I'm excited to engage with Joss & Main's members and share my experiences and ideas over the coming months," she said. "We share very similar goals, as Joss & Main and I both strive to offer home enthusiasts the tools, access and inspiration to create the interiors of their dreams."
March 5,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on March 6, 2013
Home furnishings retailer Gorman's Home Furnishings and Interior Design has added three designers to its team.
Yolanda Williams, Patrick Adams, and Brianna Whitwam are responsible for working with homeowners to select furniture and accessories, provide in-home design counsel, and sell home furnishings.
Williams started her career in design more than three decades ago as a project supervisor at La Petite Boulangerie in Mill Valley, Calif. There she designed and implemented the layout of the bakery chain's stores. Most recently, she was employed as a sales associate with Hillside Furniture and House of Bedrooms Kids.
Adams has worked in art and technical design since 1987. Prior to joining Gorman's, he fashioned interiors in positions with Ariana Gallery and Art Van Furniture and Scott Shuptrine.
Whitwam previously served as an interior designer at KDI Kitchen and Bath.
March 5,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Internet on March 6, 2013
Online home design and remodeling tool RoomReveal has created a proprietary photo tagging system for its Web site.
The tool allows homeowners and industry professionals to interact with photos of remodeling projects, interior design and architecture online.
"We are adding a whole new layer of data to home design in the cloud," said William Moynihan, RoomReveal co-founder and CEO. "Home design photos are very unique in that so many interesting points of reference such as colors, styles, materials and products are present. Homeowners can now easily tag exactly what they like and comment on points of interest to help plan their own home design projects. Industry professionals have the added bonus of crowdsourcing positive feedback on their work like never before."
RoomReveal is curating a massive collection of photos of professional home design projects by offering tools for industry professionals for managing their online and social media presence and gain new clients. Homeowners can plan their home design projects with RoomReveal by sourcing ideas from thousands of professional project photos while collecting and organizing their favorite photos into Design Books. With the introduction of its photo tagging feature, RoomReveal offers homeowners the ability to tag any design element within a photo and add their own comments and notes.
"The $300 billion home improvement market is ripe for new online technology," said RoomReveal co-founder Pablo Seuc-Rocher. "Through creative solutions and modern approaches to industry challenges, RoomReveal is well positioned to become the go-to source for home design."