Celebrity bridal and event wedding planner David Tutera is one of today’s leading experts in weddings and entertaining. He is also growing his brand for the home, including a serveware line called Old Hollywood by Thirstystone, glassware with Circle Glass in development, and a bake, serve, carry and store line, Sweet Celebrations, with Love Cooking. NOUVEAU® had the opportunity to speak with Tutera about the preferences of today’s consumers in celebrating events in their own home.
“It isn’t about formal dining anymore. That’s a story of 20 years ago,” said Tutera. He noted that consumers are seeking out three styles for their home— everyday, weekend and special occasion— and an individual or couple’s interpretation of what each of those might mean to them is what makes each home different.
Bridal couples decorating their home get to start with a blank slate, he said. “I tell all my couples that your home is always like a white canvas and you can paint your canvas differently every day,” said Tutera.
When looking at the current landscape of home entertaining, “Consumers are keeping it smaller and more simple,” Tutera said. The word “entertaining” can be stressful for many consumers. He said he prefers the phrase celebrations of life. “You can celebrate dinner for two, brunch for six, your children coming home from school or a birthday celebration. It doesn’t have to be ‘entertaining,’ which equates to getting into the kitchen and trying to prepare a meal, or concern about fancy specialty cocktails. It sets them up for failure, and if you lessen the failure aspect of it, they’ll want to do celebrations more often,” said Tutera.
Retailers could generate sales potential with mix and match open stock pieces for today’s contemporary, casual consumer. “It’s about being able to mix and match to be eclectic and to change it up every single time, so you’re doing something unique with what you already have,” he said.
When looking at his brand, Tutera said his consumer is looking for “aspiration, affordability, value… They want to feel like they are buying something that looks and feels expensive without having to spend so much,” he said.
In Tutera’s Old Hollywood line with Thirstystone, he wants consumers to be able to incorporate their own style. “If you get too detailed, and driven by too much style and personality, it doesn’t blend into everyone’s sense of style at home,” said Tutera, adding that the line can be dressed up or down.
The line is designed to have a young, fresh, modern direction with a nod to yesterday, with the use of black and white apparent to Old Hollywood, but the metallic finishes in the line aren’t brassy or opulent, but rather are brushed golds. Central to Tutera’s Old Hollywood line with Thirstystone are serving and decorative accent pieces such as trays, and bowls that have multiple uses.
For more on David Tutera, see the fall edition of Nouveau in the September 26, 2016, issue of HOMEWORLD BUSINESS®. Nouveau also features coverage of the fall New York Tabletop Market.
