ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 3, 1996 TAG: 9611060101
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HIGH POINT, N. C.
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL STAFF WRITER
Call it "shabby chic," call it "casual," call it "dressed-down formal."
Whatever your label for laid-back, liveable furniture, you're likely to see more of it in the coming months if the new introductions at the recent International Home Furnishings Market are any indication.
At the furniture industry's twice-yearly showcase of new products, which closed Oct. 24, casual was again a hot concept for Southwest Virginia manufacturers.
"We baby boomers, we're really looking for comfort," said Jim Haggar, director of retail operations for Rowe Furniture Corp. Although some of the casual, liveable styles introduced at the market are perhaps reminiscent of the furniture in our parents' and grandparents' houses, the attraction isn't necessary nostalgia, he said. "We're now just reaching the point that we want to be comfortable."
Rowe - at 50 years old, a baby boomer itself - this year expanded its line of slipcover-style sofas, a casual collection that has gone gangbusters since its introduction last October. The new collection, called Comfortable Stuff by Rowe, includes seven frames.
Customers who want an even more casual, comfy seat can pair the slipcover styling with Rowe Gold, a new down-blend cushion introduced at the fall market.
"People just love this really sloppy, wrinkled look," Haggar said. The Rowe Gold option adds $150 to $180 to the price of a sofa, which runs from $599 to $1,299.
Rowe's new fabrics also are casual-chic: full-faced cotton velvets and chenilles and brushed-cotton denim in traditional floral prints.
Case goods manufacturers, too, were focusing on less formal styles.
"Our customer is still going toward the casual look," said Charles Bassett, vice president of merchandising and design for Bassett Furniture Industries.
Bassett's new McKenzie River line, a collection of dining rooms and bedrooms, is burnished oak with a distressed finish that gives it a warm, rustic look. And the company's new solid cherry bedroom and dining room line - the Presidential collection - has a soft rather than a high-gloss, formal finish.
Even the collections centered on more formal designs were given casual touches. Stanley Furniture Co. Inc.'s new Regency Mahogany collection, for instance, uses a low-sheen, slightly distressed finish to bring a casual feeling to an otherwise traditional, 19th-century look.
One category that got less attention at the market this time around - although its continuing popularity ensures that it's in no danger of being neglected - was home office. At the previous two markets, manufacturers including Stanley, Hooker Furniture Corp. and Mario Industries Inc. were busy showing off full lines of computer-friendly, yet attractive, desks and file cabinets.
This year, while several companies introduced new home- office components - Bassett, for instance, won a design award for its Dynamic Desk System - case goods manufacturers focused instead on home-entertainment systems, a niche, according to Bassett, that was ignored for too long.
Making up for lost time, manufacturers including Hooker, Stanley and Bassett gave plenty of floor space and lots of hype to their new entertainment collections, which are built around highboys and armoires that blend with existing furnishings rather than the full-size, room-dominating wall units of years past.
Most lines, including Stanley's That's Entertainment, are specially designed to accommodate the big-screen televisions that are today's top sellers.
Among other new introductions from local manufacturers:
* The Uttermost Co. of Rocky Mount has introduced a line of plaques - decoupage on wood - that offers the same look as prints at about half the price. Uttermost also has expanded its line of giant mirrors - one model was 66 inches by 90 inches - perfect, said CEO Robert Cooper, for houses with cathedral ceilings.
* Bassett brought back solid wood furniture with its solid cherry Presidential collection. The line includes bedrooms and dining rooms, plus TV armoires.
* Pulaski Furniture brought out Kitchen Accents, a line of kitchen dining furniture, plus a French-inspired bedroom called Calais.
* Stanley has added two new lines to its Young America youth bedroom collection: maple-finish Tranquility and white-finish Contentment. Both are simplified versions of Louis Philippe styling, a popular bedroom design in a number of showrooms at this market.
* Sam Moore Furniture Industries Inc. introduced its first collection of dining chairs in six different styles. They're intended to be replacement chairs, said CEO and president John Boardman, for customers who want to keep their table but update their dining-room look.
* Mario Industries brought out a line of matching lamps and desk accessories designed for people who need an office at home, but don't want it to look merely like a functional home office, said vice president Steve Crawford.
LENGTH: Long : 105 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. & 2. With its doors closed, highboy (above) byby CNBBassett has all the classic looks, but it's not just another piece
of furniture. It fits in beautifully with the lifestyles of the '90s
by doubling as an entertainment center (right). Hooker and Stanley
also gave plenty of floor space and lots of hype to their new
entertainment collections. color
3. Rowe has expanded its line of slipcover-style sofas, a casual
collection that has been highly successful since its introduction
last October. color
4. Stanley's white-finished Contentment is one of two new lines to
its Young America youth bedroom collection. It is a simplified
versions of Louis Philippe styling, a popular bedroom design at the
fall market. color