LAS VEGAS— Rarely has there been as much good cheer related about a trade show as was expressed by vendors at the Winter Las Vegas Market, despite a rare, rough rainy first day, a show that also was marked by the refinement of the mass-market furniture that debuted.
Vendors expressed general satisfaction about the quality and quantity of buyer appointments they entertained. The show offered the added attraction of the Housewares Design Awards, presented by HomeWorld Business, show host International Market Centers and sponsor Whitford Corp.
Cheyenne Products debuted at the Las Vegas Market under new ownership and reconfigured management. The company now has a warehouse capacity it once lacked and an expanded range of products to discuss with marketgoers. Still a key lighting producer, the company has been building out its assortment in both that sector and furniture, where it has expanded its bar-oriented furniture selection with a big push into bar carts, said Tony Delahoussay, Cheyenne vp/sales and marketing.
The company continues to evolve its furniture offering, Delahoussay said, with more wood products, new accent chairs and tables, and some more unique products including a standing vanity with power ports and a $399 suggested retail price.
In another market debut, Office Star Products introduced its new Curia & Co. brand of case goods meant to provide a value product proposition for furniture store retailers, one that includes, for example, a $799 sofa. The brand debuted in three collections, the mid-century modern inspired Skylark, the more casual and cottagey Meadowlark and the contemporary with a transitional mellowing Starling.
However, the company also freshened its established collections including Inspired by Bassett, where one addition was the Suzanne storage cabinet, with a hand-painted multi-tone finish, three large drawers and a powder coated finish on the supporting understructure.
Atlantic unveiled its ürb Space brand at the market, including accent furniture in a variety of trending looks with a more upscale orientation than the company had previously produced, said Leo Dardashti, the company’s president and CEO. Among the new accent furniture designs that Atlantic featured was the Urban Rustic Collection, with the look of distressed wood and metal updated with a two-tone finish treatment.
Key to Atlantic’s new product introductions was a group of carts with interchangeable features. In the group, shelves can be replaced by baskets. In another, a serving cart emerges from a wall unit. As currently configured, the carts come in two-, three-, and four tier options stoutly constructed for long product life, Dardashti noted. Besides
shelves and storage baskets, which fold up flat when not in use and stack when open, Atlantic offers bottle and glass racks to maximize cart flexibility.
“You can transform this cart system,” he said. “The pieces are narrow to fit in various spaces. And there are no tools required to assemble it.”
Bush Furniture continues to pursue consumers who are taking to standing for at least part of the workday. The company introduced the Sit-to-Stand L desk with Lift n’ Lock Desktop to address a wellness trend that has gained popularity in office settings. The manually adjusted desk provides ease of use with a cantilevered design that moves through three locked positions, Mark Weppner, Bush vp/product marketing, pointed out. Bush is adding to the desk to its Cabot collection at a suggested retail price in the $349 to $399 range. Weppner noted that the company plans to add standing desks to its other existing collections.
Bush displayed new collections originally introduced as concept groups into its line at SRPs running from $119 and $299: Salinas, in a vintage country style, Refinery, in a rustic industrial style, and Vignette, in transitional contemporary style, at the market.
At Linon Home Décor, plans for the market included the debut of Williams, an occasional furniture collection in a transitional style, developed to complement existing groups Peggy and Perry in the company’s warehouse program, where it helps satisfy the demands of the online marketplace. Suggested retail prices in the Williams collection include $299.99 for a tall TV stand and $199.99 for a console.
George Schwartz, Linon vp/merchandising, noted, “This year is the first year the warehouse program is bigger than direct import.”
Other additions to the warehouse program include vanity, makeup and even what once would have been called a telephone table, he noted. The company also continued to expand its pioneering accent chair program.
With digital sales becoming a more critical part of mass-market furniture sales, a key initiative for Twin-Star International was the expansion of its Omni line developed for the e-commerce retail channel, said Angela Scarbrough, Twin-Star’s senior product marketing manager. Twin-Star developed 30 new Omni products for the market including its first electric fireplace TV stand in a line that is designed to be easily shipped and affordable. SRPs range from $199 to $399 but with most products at $299 or less. Other new Omni products include kitchen stands, desks and accent tables.
Beyond Omni, Twin-Star continues to develop its line of sit/stand desks with the model ODP19028-58, which builds touch controls into a wood finish motor-operated sit/stand desk to create an appearance more appropriate to most domestic spaces than similar pieces with a more commercial demeanor. It also includes a storage drawer and a charging station at a cost that puts it in the $600 or so SRP range.
Southern Enterprises, Inc. gave marketgoers a chance to peruse some of 400 new products it is introducing. The company continues to broaden its selection by adding, for example, new wall art even as it adds to its lighting product program. Among the new products are 30 items in its young-adult oriented Holly & Martin lineup.
Allen Home helped demonstrate the trend for fish and bird motifs that has emerged in the furnishings market as it introduced Las Vegas market participants to its growing decorative accessory line. A wall-mounted circling school of fish occupied a portion of the showroom to suggest how they could provide a decorative room enhancement.
As for core electric fireplace furniture, among the latest from Allen Home was the Metallo console/TV stand which comes in two veneered finishes: pine cafe and pine slate. Metallo has perforated metal screen cabinet faces set on either side of the fireplace box, which fronts adjustable shelves.
Mid-century modern styling continues to reign at LumiSource, although some rustic/industrial design complements it. The mid-century Trilogy stool and chair incorporates an eclectic style and crafted-look backrests in a retro style. Offered with and without an upholstered seats, Trilogy seating combines walnut wood looks with upholstery elements in green, cream and orange.
The trend toward richer colors in mass-market furniture found a home at Powell Home Fashions in the form of paired hallway tables, each with a $299 SRP. The new Alex console tables came in red and black complemented in each case with a related contrast hue as an accent on the top surface. The company also debuted the Masterpiece Lockhart counter table with drawer, bottle and open storage underneath the top surface. SRP, in a set with four matching counter stools, runs about $800.
Walker Edison continues to explore new segments. It brought a concept line of lighting while introducing participants to its debut of mirrors, which are set to retail in the $100 to $199 SRP range and come in copper gold and black frames.
Walker Edison also introduced its first-ever cabinet with wine storage, SRP $299.
