Daily News Archive
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April 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on April 23, 2010
Less than two weeks remains to register early for the "One Good Chair 2010 Minimum/Maximum" design competition, which challenges participants to design a chair that's not only sustainable but also comfortable. To date, more than 150 people from around the world have registered.
The One Good Chair competition, now in its third year, is sponsored by the Sustainable Furnishings Council and the Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center Las Vegas and is being organized by architect, designer, green advocate and author Lance Hosey. Hosey's upcoming book, "Shape of Green Design," explores how form and image can enhance conservation and comfort at every scale of design. Other supporters of the 2010 competition include Dwell magazine as a media partner, Savannah College of Art and Design and manufacturers Handy Living and Weyerhaeuser serving as production partners.
"This year's theme, Minimum/Maximum, challenges designers to use as little material as possible to create a comfortable, durable, beautiful chair," said Hosey. "Not any easy task, so I'm very excited to see how innovative the contestants can get. The competition gets better every year and this year's entries are sure to be inspiring."
The entry fee for the One Good Chair competition is $50 until May 1, after which time the fee increases to $70. Registration can be completed online here no later than June 15.
April 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on April 23, 2010
Archaelogists in Italy have found what might be an ancient temple with what they said are Ikea-like assembly instructions, according to a United Press International report Thursday.
Swedish retailing giant Ikea specializes in ready-to-assemble furniture, and the archaelogists say they believe the temple's components are inscribed with directions for assembly.
The team found a sloping roof with red and black decorations, with "masculine" and "feminine" pieces inscribed with instructions on how to slot them together.
"So far around a hundred inscribed fragments have been recovered, with masculine ordinal numbers on the cymatiums and feminine ones on the friezes," Professor Massimo Osanna, head of archaeology at Basilica University, said in the report.
April 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on April 23, 2010
Archaelogists in Italy have found what might be an ancient temple with what they said are Ikea-like assembly instructions, according to a United Press International report Thursday.
Swedish retailing giant Ikea specializes in ready-to-assemble furniture, and the archaelogists say they believe the temple's components are inscribed with directions for assembly.
The team found a sloping roof with red and black decorations, with "masculine" and "feminine" pieces inscribed with instructions on how to slot them together.
"So far around a hundred inscribed fragments have been recovered, with masculine ordinal numbers on the cymatiums and feminine ones on the friezes," Professor Massimo Osanna, head of archaeology at Basilica University, said in the report.
April 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Casual Furniture on April 23, 2010
Casual furniture supplier Pride Family Brands has acquired its 50th design patent for features or processes used in production of its line.
With obtaining its 50th U.S. patent, Pride noted that it is committed to providing its customers with original designs.
"With the 50th patent, there is no question as to the priority our family and our company places on originality of design," said Jamie Lowsky, chief executive officer. "Through patents, we are able to create genuine Pride styling for our customers and for their consumers who look to us for something different."
As a part of the company's brand positioning, the campaign to acquire patents on all design innovations has been a part of Pride Family Brands since its beginnings more than 30 years ago.
"Whether the first or the fiftieth, the creativity in each design and the investment each represents are valued throughout the company from manufacturing to sales," said Rory Rehmert, vice president of sales and marketing. "Our industry has seen years of tremendous growth; and as a result of those years, the entry of companies that may not place originality as a priority. We feel a responsibility, as a leader in the casual industry, to represent our commitment to original creativity by not only obtaining patents, but by defending them as well."
Previous Pride design patents include woven aluminum, cast table top designs and hand finishing techniques. The 50 patents will be on display within the Pride Family Brands showroom in the Chicago Merchandise Mart during the International Casual Furniture and Accessories Market in September of 2010.
April 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on April 23, 2010
Bedding supplier Sealy (NYSE: ZZ) has gone live with its new corporate
Web site.
The company went to consumers to build the site, which is designed to solve mattress consumers' frustration of choosing the right mattress.
"We listened to the voice of our target consumers when building our new Web site," said Jodi Allen, Sealy chief marketing officer. "They told us the mattress shopping experience is incredibly confusingthe terminology and difference between brands and products is difficult to understand, and the online research experience is often disconnected from the in-store experience. We took the feedback to heart, designing the new site to help end the confusion and create a far more satisfying shopping experience for our consumers, while driving more convinced traffic to our retail partners."
The new site allows consumers to search seamlessly for mattress information in the way in which theyve requested itby brand, technology and product promotions. The site walks consumers through the mattress buying process, breaking down industry terminology into clear language while helping them to learn which mattress best fits their sleep behavior and lifestyle. By using video and text-based content, the site explains the different brands, products, features and technologies and contains a number of digital assets that will be available to all Sealys retail customers.
Sealy.com will feature the entire family of Sealy brands including Sealy Posturepedic, Stearns & Foster, Embody by Sealy and Sealy brand. Once consumers identify which brand best fits their needs, they are able to access a mattress builder, where they can choose the features and technologies that meet their personal preferences.
"In addition to conducting our own research, we looked outside of our category at leaders who have changed the online shopping experience to better meet consumer expectations and retail partner objectives, said Margo Borgione, director, global marketing. By listening to our consumers and retail partners and utilizing best-in-class techniques from other industries, we have created a dramatically better experience for mattress shopping online."