From scientific societies to trend-setting designers, brand names pervade new home furnishings introductions

Furniture buyers from around the world are shopping the fall International Home Furnishings market this week, an event fast becoming a battle of the brands.

In one of the largest new product introductions in market history, the National Geographic Society launched a multi-company Lane Company, accent furniture at Palecek and hand-painted decorative accessories at Toyo.

The collection was inspired by the personal residences and world travels of National Geographic explorers and will be introduced in stores in April 2004.

Hip designer Todd Oldham, who catapulted from MTV to mass market fame with his dorm room chic collections for Target, debuts retro contemporary recliners, sofas and chairs, as well as occasional pieces, at La-Z-Boy.

Intensely loyal NASCAR fans are the target audience for the new NASCAR House and Home collection of master bedroom and youth furnishings at Vaughan Furniture Company. Subtle use of a checkered flag motif adds a signature detail to some pieces in the adult line, and the NASCAR logo will appear inside drawers. The youth collection sports more prominent use of the NASCAR logo, and display curios are scaled specifically to accommodate stock car models.

Brands are “the emotional tie that binds” for American consumers, according to Bob Stec, chairman and CEO of Lexington Home Brands, a company that pioneered lifestyle furniture brands with the introduction of Bob Timberlake in 1990. This fall the company adds the “Original Outdoor Clothing Company,” Woolrich, to its stable of brands with a 3,000-square-foot display of case goods and upholstery “inspired by the outdoors, for the indoors.” Among other Woolrich licensed home furnishings lines at this market are lamps, lighting and decorative accessories at Shady Lady.

“Branding has exploded in home furnishings,” observes Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Furniture Manufacturers Association. “From couture designers and film legends to media mavens and models, manufacturers are banking on name brands like never before.”

Additions to already successful licensed lines this fall include Turkey Hill, the third Martha Stewart Signature collection at Bernhardt, and a contemporary addition to the Oscar de la Renta line at Century. Turkey Hill is an eclectic, 115-piece collection of case goods and upholstery inspired by Stewart’s 1805 farmhouse in Westport, Conn., and the surrounding countryside.

New entertainment, occasional and home office pieces expand the Bogart Collection at Thomasville. With rich mahogany and maple burl veneers and sterling silver earring drop hardware, the additions continue this collection’s mix of Hollywood glamour and contemporary flair.

Pulaski introduces more than 30 new accent pieces, a 12-piece bedroom and a four-piece dining group in the Antiques Roadshow Collection. The new pieces draw their design inspiration primarily from Victorian era antiques appraised on the popular PBS series, “Antiques Roadshow.”

Nichols & Stone joins the stable of Colonial Williamsburg licensees with a collection of bedroom, dining and accents in traditional American looks emphasizing architectural details drawn from Williamsburg.

Several licensed collections are broadening their exposure with extensions into accessory categories this market. Dale Tiffany joins the Antiques Roadshow license program with lamps designed to coordinate with the Pulaski furnishings, and Sedgefield by Adams adds mirrors to its Ernest Hemingway Collection of lamps.

“On the heels of a nationwide surge in remodeling, refinancing, building and purchasing of homes, consumers are ready to furnish their living spaces and manufacturers have ensured they will find recognizable brands in every price range and appealing to every possible special interest!” Hirschhaut concludes.

The American Furniture Manufacturers Association is headquartered in High Point, N.C. the furniture capital of the world and represents more than 200 leading U.S. furniture manufacturers and 250 suppliers to the industry.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

BROWN JORDAN INTERNATIONAL

New from Brown Jordan International is the licensed Tommy Bahama line of outdoor furnishings. The Bamboo Reef collection includes this chair, ottoman and side table in all-weather wicker. Paired with luxurious cushions in vibrant fabrics, the collection reflects the upscale island lifestyle for which the brand is known (www.brownjordan.com).

LANE

Inspiration from Lane’s Mahogany Armoire comes from designs carved in stone, in one of the towers of the Angkor temple complex from the ancient Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Carved into the front panels of the armoire are intricate, ancient designs that blend artistically with fine-grained mahogany wood (www.lanefurniture.com).

LA-Z-BOY

The reclining Arc chair in the Todd Oldham by La-Z-Boy licensed collection has no right angles, but its modern, arcing lines create a supple look. Finished off with a beveled, square leg, the Arc chair combines the designers fun yet functional design with classic La-Z-Boy comfort (www.lazboy.com).

LEXINGTON/SHADY LADY

Woolrich, the outdoor apparel and accessories specialist, has extended its reach into the home with Timeless Retreat, a lifestyle collection created by six licensees. This round lamp table, produced by Lexington Home Brands, is shown in a Weathered Stone finish, one of four finishes in the versatile collection (www.lexington.com). The lamp is Sierra Run by Shady Lady, which is the lighting and accessory brand partner for Woolrich Home Furnishings (www.shadyladylighting.com).

MARTHA STEWART SIGNATURE/BERNHARDT

An eclectic mix of distinctive pieces characterizes Turkey Hill, the newest addition to Martha Stewart Signature Furniture with Bernhardt. Traditional forms are updated with striking new finishes, as in the Irvington Nickel-Plated Bed. The design was inspired by 19th-century brass beds, but the polished nickel finish gives it 21st-century appeal (www.bernhardtfurniture.com).

NICHOLS & STONE

The Prentis Sideboard, part of the Nichols & Stone licensed Williamsburg collection, is a streamlined version of a classic, featuring open shelving on both sides of the center section. Adjustable shelves feature double-beaded edges, and the upper drawer is fitted for silver storage. Pieces in the Nichols & Stone collection are not reproductions but rather interpretations of traditional designs scaled for todays homes (www.nicholsandstone.com).