The new Eave collection is less suited than usual for A.R.T. Certain items, like the nightstand, are meant to be distinct.
HIGH POINT — Lots was on tap for A.R.T. Furniture this week’s High Point Market, including new whole home collections, expansions of existing lines, a new upholstered bed program and a new collection of one-off accent and occasional pieces.
The company was there to promote its new “Fresh at A.R.T.” campaign, a design overhaul meant to reinvigorate the brand. “We’re learning how to speak different languages to our three primary channels: large retailers, boutique stores and the design trade,” said Roger Turnbow, president.
Customizability is key to speaking these languages, he said. While larger retailers often prefer suited, consistent looks, boutique stores want to express themselves with individual style.
“By doing purely suited collections, it made it harder to customize, and that affected our more boutique customers who want to put on different spins,” Turnbow said.
Eave — a new collection of bedroom, dining, living and occasional — embodies this strategy. In bedroom, a matching bed and dresser are featured in warm walnut veneers, while a nightstand is red and intentionally different. For larger retailers though, a suited nightstand is offered.
“We start with a mood board,” said Turnbow. “We talk about why we’re creating it. We’ll bring in global languages. It’s about nuance though. Eave has some Asian-inspired influences that don’t smack you as being Asian.”
Another difference is production time.
“Eave is already in production and will be ready to ship before Chinese New Year,” said Turnbow. “We want to speed up the cycle and move faster.”
A new finish was added to Atrium, an existing whole home collection in a warm pine finish. A new black rub-through finish allows for more customization, even though the collection is still suited. Wood carvings were also removed this time in an effort to make the collection more contemporary.
Another new collection, Loft, is Scandinavian influenced and crafted from curly maple veneers. It’s inspired by a bevel, with organic elements. It’s “substantial,” Turnbow said, but is light in scale and color. It’s more suited than Eave, but still customizable. Certain items are different, like an Indian marble table.
“Mixing materials and textures in helps create newness,” Turnbow said.
Also notable was a new collection of one-off occasional pieces called Artifacts. The initial offering includes 45 new accent pieces imported mostly from India and Vietnam.
Finally, the company unveiled an upholstered bed program, with all beds using Crypton fabrics. It is a standalone bed program that doesn’t have to be paired with any case goods. It includes three beds in three colors and designs.
Overall, Turnbow says A.R.T. still leans heavier toward the Top 100 retailers, but he wants to expand. “There are a lot of areas that do not have a dominant, top retailer, so we’re trying to expand in these places.”
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