Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
October 12,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on October 13, 2011
Century Furniture, Judy George International and 40 individual WithIt members will sponsor WithIt Student Mentoring Day, Oct. 26, at High Point Furniture Market.
The event, one of three WithIt will produce during the High Point Market, will deliver business and design insights to students pursuing careers in home and furnishingsrelated fields.
"WithIt greatly appreciates the sponsorships provided by Century Furniture and Judy George International, as well as our host, Market Square," said WithIt Vice President of Outreach Amy Voelker Schmidt, FurnitureDealer.net. "Without these companies' support, plus the donations of 40 members who answered WithIt's call to donate, this season's studentfocused programming would not be possible."
WithIts Student Mentoring Day, which kicks off at 8:30 a.m. in Market Square, Room 272, has been retooled this season to include more specialized areas of focus.
"We wanted to shake things up this year," Voelker Schmidt said. "We've added businessfocused round table discussions and stylespecific showroom tours."
Carol Gregg of Red Egg Design, Shannon Hamed of Scott Thomas Furniture, Stephanie Lowder of Rare Bird Creative, and Julia Rosien of Social North, are some of the professionals who will lead round table discussions. Students have the option to tour 220 Elm, Century Furniture, Hotel Maison, Lexington Home Brands or Taylor-King showrooms."
WithIts semiannual educational breakfast will welcome Apartment Therapy founder Maxwell GillinghamRyan.
"The 10 Things You Need to Know About Apartment Therapy" will offer a history of the design site, as well as a roadmap for understanding design and the role it plays in our lives. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23, in the IHFC, Green Wing, 11th floor, Ballroom A.
WithIts Competitive Intelligence/Trends Forecast will be held Monday, Oct. 24. Interior designer Libby Langdon will moderator the panel, which will be comprised of Luca Rensi, designer and cofounder of Bungalow 5; Susan Victoria, an
independent editor, producer, stylist and consultant, and former Metropolitan Home editor; and Tobi Fairley of Tobi Fairley Interior Design. Competitive Intelligence/Trends Forecast will begin at 6 p.m. in the Braxton Culler showroom, 310 S. Elm St.
To register for Student Mentoring Day or reserve a seat at the educational breakfast and/or Competitive Intelligence, visit withit.org. Registration information is located in the right column of the WithIt.org home page. Seating is limited for all WithIt programming.
October 11,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Store Openings on October 12, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z5317881951&z=1250249027
Norris Home Furnishings has opened its newest showroom in Naples, Fla.
Read Full Article...
October 11,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in licensing on October 12, 2011
Bassett Furniture has retained
Graj + Gustavsen to develop strategic branding initiatives and in-store experience for an HGTV HOME-branded furniture collection.
G+G is a New York City integrated branding firm known for building consumer brands.
"For over a century, Bassett has had a reputation for providing quality hand-crafted custom furniture to consumers looking for not only home furnishings, but also design expertise," said Ray Graj, founding partner of G+G. "This partnership with HGTV, the leader of lifestyle programming, will allow the brand to deliver a next generation consumer experience. We are thrilled to be working with Bassett as they continue to build on their tremendous heritage."
As part of the agreement, Graj + Gustavsen will work with Bassett to create a new consumer experience for the HGTV HOME brand within Bassett stores. The exclusive collection, which includes custom upholstery and accent furniture, will be available in stores in 2012. Additionally, Graj + Gustavsen will establish HGTV HOME-branded line of products for broader market distribution. The separate HGTV HOME-branded collection will be made available to Top 100 furniture stores and major independent retailers. The collection will debut at the April 2012
High Point Furniture Market and July 2012
Las Vegas Furniture Market.
"We are excited be to working with the Graj + Gustavsen team to bring this vision to life," said Jason Camp, senior Vice president of retail at Bassett, Bassett, Va. "Their branding expertise and deep insight into market trends, make G+G the ideal partner to help us deliver consumers a differentiated home furniture collection."
October 11,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedroom on October 12, 2011
Luxury furniture maker Theodore Alexander will expand into the bedroom category at this month's High Point Furniture Market.
Given the trend toward eclectic decorating styles, Theodore Alexander's new bedroom collections comprise individual items that appear to have been collected or acquired over time.
"While designed to complement each other and work together, each piece in these bedroom collections also stands on its own," said CEO Harvey Dondero. "This approach addresses the needs of retailers by simplifying the merchandising process, and enables consumers to create a look that is unique to each individual. Consumers at this level want their rooms to appear as though they have spent a great deal of time searching for the perfect piece, something extraordinary they found on a trip abroad, for example."
While the company has long included beds in its successful business model, this is the first time beds will figure in complete bedroom collections.
The collections combine different shapes, finishes and materials, including exotic veneers such as Argentinean walnut and figured ofram and anegre, crocodile-embossed leathers, and details such as custom-forged hardware created in the company's own foundries.
Introductions include the Shrewsbury collection, which features an Argentinean walnut checkerboard veneered bed, with an arched, serpentine headboard. Correlating pieces in the collection include the Shrewsbury Beidermeier floor mirror inspired by a Biedermeier original, and a serpentine-lined chest of drawers with woven rattan paneling.
In all, the new bedroom selections include six distinctive lifestyles integrating a variety of design options. They will be displayed on either side of a grand colonnade in the company's new showroom opening this Market.
October 11,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 12, 2011
Swedish home furnishings retail giant Ikea will expand its Central Texas store in Round Rock.
Ikea Round Rock, which opened November 2006 with 252,000 square feet, will add almost 54,000 square feet for a total of approximately 306,000 square feet. Construction will begin this month, with an expected completion in Summer 2012. The store will remain open and operational during construction, maintaining its product offering.
The project will include extending the self-serve furniture area (where shoppers collect flat-packed furniture to take home on the same day), relocating customer service functions to the newly built part of the store, and constructing a three-level parking structure to offset spaces eliminated by converting the northwest section of the parking lot into building. In the end, there still will be approximately 1,200 parking spaces available on site.
"IKEA is thrilled with the success of IKEA Round Rock," said Store Manager Gerd Diewald. "But, as its customer base and sales continue to grow--along with the product assortment we offer--the size of the store's warehouse capacity now is less than ideal. Extending the store's self-serve furniture area so it can hold more products will allow us to improve the shopping experience, to meet our customers' needs more easily, and to enhance our ability to keep lowering prices."
Increased goods availability and the opportunity for the store to inventory more stock will result in transport savings continually passed on to customers.