Contemporary Comes Back

Furniture companies that have never produced contemporary lines are now going simple and sleek to court younger customers whose taste veers sharply from their boomer parents' chintz and Chippendale.

New collections on display at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C., this fall featured cleaner lines and unfussy design.

"There is an untapped market for contemporary," said Jim Kelly, executive vice president of Pulaski, a company known mostly for heavily traditional looks, with lots of dark, carved wood accents.

Pulaski's new spring collection includes several contemporary pieces for the first time: a blond wood platform bed with a padded leather headboard and a sleek dresser in the same light wood with brushed nickel hardware.

"We know that young people like this kind of thing, and we know it's a market that we're not tapping. It's a way for us to expand our business," Kelly said.

Similar comments abounded at High Point in October, as manufacturers are taking aim at that elusive -- and affluent -- consumer: the young female.

The most aggressive approach came from La-Z-Boy, which announced a partnership with fashion designer Todd Oldham. Oldham has come up with a set of wild, retro-styled furniture that looks like the classic '50s living room recreated with electric colors.

Explaining the departure from La-Z-Boy's more traditional lines of furniture and recliners, spokesman Dough Collier said: "We needed to get a new customer and a new style. (Oldham) has got a great presence among younger female consumers, which La-Z-Boy has to attract."

Not everyone is taking that bold of an approach, however. Manufacturers who are trying to attract younger buyers are not generally copying the stark look of exclusively modern designers. They seek a middle ground between contemporary and traditional -- a trend that's led some to call it "the new traditional."

"Younger people are tending to move to larger cities and they like contemporary furnishings," said Edward Tashjian, corporate marketing director for Century. "But as people mature, their taste levels become more traditional. We tried to find a balance between being a little edgy and (being) comfortable, traditional."

The result is Grande Pacific -- what Tashjian calls "a little bit Deco without being over the top." It features dark, shiny mahogany pieces with minimalist lines and brushed nickel and glass accents.

Thomasville is moving in the same direction with its Urban Retreat collection, as it combines "country oak" with more stylized pieces.

"It's traditional design with modern accent," spokeswoman Maggie Gertz said. She pointed to wingback plaza chairs whose "wings" are more amoeba-shaped than the classic, colonial style. They can be paired with the round dining table in oak with a distressed white finish on the base.

Hickory Chair is also playing off the idea of using contemporary and traditional at the same time, on a much more refined scale.

Designer Thomas O'Brien's new collection for the high-end manufacturer features a dining set of upholstered, tufted Addison chairs with brass trim and mahogany legs and the Bellport Table, with a painted white metal base and a pale gray wood top. He also groups the colonial-looking academy chair with the stark lines of the Burton sofa and armchair, whose design was inspired from a 1960's original.

O'Brien calls it "vintage modern."

"(Hickory Chair) has always been known for traditional looks. It was about creating a group that would evolve with a modern concept," he said. "I love both things. I love modern things and I love traditional things."

To find local retailers, go to:

www.pulaskifurniture.com

www.lazboy.com

www.centuryfurniture.com

www.thomasville.com

www.hickorychair.com

www.decor-rest.com