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From Home Furnishing Business

Caracole, Ana Cordeiro Launch Live Love Laugh Collection

September 10, 2013  by in Business Strategy, High Point, Industry, Market   

The collection marks the brand's first-ever collaboration with an independent furniture and interior designer, Ana Cordeiro of Portugal. 

The new, 40-SKU furnishings collection designed by Cordeiro will debut at the fall High Point Furniture Market, in the brand’s multi-line showroom located in the International Home Furnishings Center, space C-500. In another first for Caracole Light, branded lamps and bed linens will be sold with the Live Love Laugh collection.

Cordeiro has been designing her signature line of color-forward furnishings and accent items since 2009, manufacturing in Lisbon to produce items for sale in Europe, including through her own retail store in Portugal. In 2012, she exhibited at the acclaimed Maison d’Objet trade show in Paris, where her display was spotted by Jeff Young , Caracole CEO; and Melanie Dunn, the U.S. based brand’s creative director.

“In Paris, Ana’s booth was like an oasis in a desert,” said Young. “Her signature use of bright hues paired with high-contrast white was exciting to experience, especially after that show’s emphasis on neutral and grey tones.

“The color grabbed our attention, but we also immediately recognized her ability and brilliance in the product design work, especially given that she was forced to design around limited manufacturing equipment. Ana made the best use of her resources and, in the process, managed to create designs that are fresh and highly innovative.”

Young said Caracole Light's first designer collaboration needed a substantive product offering to unlock the potential of Cordeiro's talent and to fully translate her European-influenced vision for retailers.

“Ana is not a stylist; she is a fully trained wood and upholstery designer with a total environment point of view, and that is contagious,” he said.  
 
Cordeiro was open to licensing her designs in order to reach a larger audience.

“From the first meeting with the Caracole team, I could recognize their professionalism and experience, and I felt confident about their production capacity for world-wide distribution,” she said. “Importantly for me, they relied on my direction and gave wings to my creativity.”