Daily News Archive
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April 11,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Green on April 12, 2012
Kalaty Rug Corp. has added an eco-friendly solar electrical system to its Hicksville, N.Y., headquarters and warehouse.
"We feel a responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint as a business," said company spokesman Farshad Kalaty. "After careful study and consideration, we have invested in a photovoltaic solar electrical system to power our warehouse.
"We feel it is important to do our part for the environment. With this new solar electrical system in place, we are dramatically reducing the amount of 'off-the-grid' electrical energy we consume each year. For example, over the course of one year, this photovoltaic system saves the equivalent in harmful emissions of driving 72,500 miles in the average car and 2,204,000 miles in emissions over the course of 30 years. Or, you could look at the system as the energy equivalent of planting 825 trees per year or 25,080 trees over the life of the system."
Kalaty Rug Corp. already goes to great lengths to ensure that its products, manufacturing and warehousing methods conform to current sustainable standards. Its area rugs are made solely of natural fibers--fine wools, cotton and bamboo silk; and with a recently introduced paperless invoicing option for customers and the new solar electrical system at its warehouse headquarters, the company has taken its green message to the next level.
April 11,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Rugs on April 12, 2012
Vertically integrated area rug manufacturer Orian Rugs will make its High Point Furniture Market debut at the April 21-26 show.
Showing in a 6,500-square-foot showroom in Showplace, space 3233, Orian will introduce Gallery, a new line of decorative area rugs designed for furniture, independent and regional retailers. The Gallery collection features 10 different collections with a total of 170 designs for indoor and outdoor use. Price points for a 5- by 8-foot rug range from $99 to $299 retail.
"The Gallery collection is geared to conventional furniture stores and smaller independent retailers," said Mikala Moller, director of marketing for Orian, whose business up until this point has focused on national mass merchants and specialty retailers. "The collection is all-encompassing, with styles from traditional to modern and a wide range of constructions and price points."
Orian began reaching out to conventional furniture stores in January.
"The very positive response we've received inspired us to come to High Point," said Moller. "High Point is where we need to be to reach this channel of distribution."
In addition to the Gallery line, at market Orian also will show a sampling of its existing product. Featured will be two collections from its flagship line--Shakespeare and Carolina Wild--as well as Montage, Heritage and Sonoma, an outdoor line.
"We see a big opportunity to expand our reach with furniture stores," said Moller. "Rugs are a natural add-on to the sale of upholstery and other furnishings, and more and more stores are looking for a way to grow this part of their business."
Orian is a family-owned manufacturer with a 550,000-square-foot production facility in Anderson, S.C., where it is based, and additional facilities in Belgium. According to Moller, the Anderson plant's state-of-the-art manufacturing and warehouse systems enable the company to stock retailer-specific SKUs and respond quickly to seasonal peaks in demand.
Orian will launch its new showroom formally with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 21 at 11:15 a.m.
April 11,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on April 12, 2012
Case goods supplier MacKenzie-Dow Fine Furniture has a new home in High Point for the upcoming Market.
Now located at 119 N. Hamilton Street, MacKenzie-Dow's showroom had been in Hamilton Square.
"We heard about the opening in Hamilton Place next to Marge Carson and decided it was a good fit for us," said Gary Adams, president and CEO. "We're settling into the new space and looking forward to the increased visibility."
Adams and his staff have been at work outfitting the new showroom-painting walls, treating the floor, and creating an overall environment that showcases MacKenzie-Dow products.
This will also be the first Market working with a new furniture designer, Shannon Lookabill. Twelve new pieces are completed and ready for debut.
April 11,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on April 12, 2012
Case goods manufacturer Leda Furniture will showcasing new finishes and options for its American-made designs at High Point Furniture Market.
The Toronto-based medium to high-end manufacturer also will debut a contract line at its showroom, H1112 in the International Home Furnishings Center.
New options include two new finish options will debut for Avant-Garde designs; a new Rustic Ash finish, with aged driftwood color; and a new Truffle finish. A new upholstered bed, with optional storage rails, also debuts as part of Leda's Park Plaza design. This new bed takes advantage of the underside area allowing for bonus storage space. There is also a new finish option, shoe-polish black, for the scalloped mirror, a distinct variant over the current silver-leaf finish.
"Today, it is all about consumer choices and as with our recent introductions and programs, we want to continue increasing the options they have with Leda Furniture product," said Leda President Marco Confalone.
Making its High Point debut is Leda's office contract line of case goods.
"Our strong custom capabilities allows our office line to be fully adaptable to any work environment, particularly boardroom tables and reception areas," Confalone said.
These new options tie in with last falls French Palette, a casual, small-scale, versatile French country design, which debuted in an array of paint and finishes options.
"Chair choices" gives consumers the option of mixing and matching chairs to dining rooms, in any of Leda's finishes.
April 11,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Motion Upholstery on April 12, 2012
Motion and recliner specialist IMG of Norway is adding a second showroom for the upcoming High Point Market.
The 3,000-square-foot showroom is in space 546 of the Design Center of the International Home Furnishings Center. According to Nils Gunnar Hjellegjerde, IMG's president and CEO, the second showroom is aimed at serving international customers, particularly retailers in Canada and Central and South America.
In addition, the company continues to exhibit in space 3605 in Showplace where it has shown for a number of years. This showroom is more oriented toward serving U.S. customers and offers products with quick-ship support.
"We believe this IHFC location will be better suited for international buyers and will be more convenient for our reps to manage," said Hjellegjerde about the new space. "Most of our international reps carry lines from other companies already located in the IHFC."
In the Design Center showroom, IMG will feature a "strong range of Scandinavian recliners as well as a contemporary range of motion furniture," said Hjellegjerde.
Modern, multi-functional lift chairs also will be featured, he said, along with comfortable Scandinavian recliners in modern styling.
This market, IMG also is putting more emphasis on power options.
"We will be showing motorized power recliners that can glide, swivel and recline," said Hjellegjerde. "We are offering consumers an easy way to move from stressed to relaxed at the touch of a button."
IMG designs its products in Scandinavia, with production in a vertically integrated facility in Southeast Asia. The approach enables the company "to control the quality as well as offer products at a great value," said Hjellegjerde.