Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Norwalk Furniture to Host Performance Fabric Educational Events at Spring Market
March 27,
2019 by Jane Chero in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry 
Norwalk Furniture will kick off a three-part series of educational events and training programs focused on performance fabrics at the April High Point Market. Held in the company’s showroom, IHFC Main 108, the events are designed to help retailers and interior designers select the right performance fabrics for their design projects.
The series begins on Saturday, April 6 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. with a program featuring Elise Gabrielson, marketing manager of Crypton Home, producer of soil resistant, environmentally friendly, high-performance textiles. On Sunday, April 7 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., guests will be introduced to the benefits of Sunbrella fabrics, with an educational presentation from Harrison Hood, Glen Raven Mill’s national sales manager for indoor furniture.
On Monday, April 8 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., the previous two events will culminate with a panel discussion sponsored by Revolution Fabrics. “Demystifying Performance in Design: Residential, Resimercial and Hospitality,” will help retailers and designers better understand which fabrics work best for various lifestyles.
The expert panel discussion will be moderated by Jana Platina Phipps, the Trim Queen, known for her refined vision in the use of embellishment in home decor. The panel will feature designers Denise Wenacur, Jessica Duce and Gary Inman. Wenacur, principal and senior designer of DW Design & Decor LLC; Duce, owner of JDuce Design; and Inman, award-winning interior designer, author, and public speaker will all share what role performance fabrics, in materials and textiles, play in their current design projects.
“These educational programs are indicative of our commitment to providing continuing educational events to our partners at Market,” said Caroline Hipple, president of Norwalk Furniture. “As an industry there are many textile mills that have performance fabrics, but we feel these three are beyond sufficient for attendees to understand in order to cover consumer needs and various lifestyles. We are committed to reinforcing and helping our dealers and designers understand what’s best about each of these performance fabrics.
“We are excited that Crypton, Sunbrella and Revolution will all be on-site to share some of their insights with our attendees,” she continued. “The panel discussion on Monday will also be a great chance to hear noted industry designers explain the difference that performance materials and textiles can make in design projects.
To support the rise in popularity of performance fabrics at the retail and designer level, Norwalk is launching a new swatch handle program this Market dedicated to its top 150 performance fabrics – 50 each, from Crypton, Sunbrella and Revolution fabrics. The new dedicated fabric handles make it easier for customers to find and select functional and beautiful performance fabrics in addition to the company’s more than 800 fabric and leather offerings.
All events are free and open to all interior designers, retailers, and other Market attendees with a valid April Market pass.