Spectra Home's High Point Introductions

Furniture World News Desk on 4/12/2019

Pictued top to bottom: Bardot, Gigi, and Hayward.

Spectra Home announced that it is setting its sights on new product and consumer segments this Spring, with their recent introductions at High Point Market

For the uninitiated, Spectra Home is the U.S. marketing arm of Hangzhou, China-based home furnishings titan Shayne Global Holdings. Long known as a private label supplier to specialty retailers and catalog houses, the company underwent a major rebranding effort last season. Just a few months into his tenure, President Robert Cribbs began implementing a raft of new initiatives with the Spectra team, including an upgraded warehouse program, revamped special order capabilities, increased visibility online, and even white glove delivery services. This Market, with a marketing theme focused on “Sexy Moves,” Spectra Home was anything but coy about its intentions to become the vendor of choice for independent retailers and interior designers across the country…in multiple categories.

On the heels of the largest product introduction in the company’s history last Fall, Spectra is now taking aim at power motion, the exploding upholstered bed category, and a selection of entry-level goods targeting Millennial consumers. All of that is in addition to the fresh round of sophisticated, high-quality, stationary silhouettes it unveiled inside its expansive High Point Market showroom located in the heart of the Design District.

Spring Fashion Portfolio
Leading off the show was Gigi. The red-hot model features a bench seat with bolsters and accent pillows in a black-and-white houndstooth check, nestled into a curved back. Perched on a wood plinth base, Bardot struck a sophisticated pose with a contemporized, runway-ready stance. The glamorous model is all about great comfort, with loose-pillow back, down-blend cushions and a texturized cover that makes the most of boucle yarn.  

As cool and stylish as a black-and-white Fellini film, Franco speaks to all those who aspire to la dolce vita. Dressed for a star turn in wonderfully soft chenille in a subtle basket-weave pattern with crushed velvet toss pillows, it’s set upon a bronze-finished, Art Deco-inspired base that stretches from front to back. There’s even more to love in Hayward, a generously sized, super-deep two-piece sectional with an eye-catching stepped-panel design treatment on the arms. Climb in, curl up and prepare to appreciate the luxurious comfort and soft hand provided by the chenille cover and scatter-pillow back.

Chrome framed, clean-lined and dressed in black leather, mid-century inspired Mila defined biker chic in a push-back reclining chair, while Elroy, a power reclining swivel glider, got motors revving. The company’s recently acquired RowOne division, a specialist in home entertainment seating, took its inspiration from the interiors of the Bentley Flying Spur and the iconic 1969 Pontiac GTO.

The key here, according to Greg Curry, director of merchandising and product development, is that the products look as good on the inside as they do out. Spectra Home’s construction story centers on bench-built, better-end goods featuring true, eight-way hand-tied construction techniques (where the design allows), hardwood frames, top-grain leathers and blend-down seats and backs. All products are made in China, where Shayne’s immense capacity, expertise and capabilities create better-end goods at head-turning values.

New Directions
When Shayne Global Holdings acquired RowOne, the home entertainment seating company with a reputation for innovative, technology-driven designs last year, the message was clear: It would not be long before Spectra Home made its initial foray into the power motion category. This Market, Spectra Home surprised with the debut of upholstered beds: Sparta sported a comfortable, button-tufted headboard; Charlotte a Chesterfield-inspired motif with a shoe-tack treatment; Deerfield employed double welting for a stylish, window-pane effect; and Exeter was the epitome of soft modern design.

“While we should all leave our electronic devices out of the bedroom in the interest of better sleep, we all know we’re sitting up in bed a lot, scanning screens, or better yet, settling in with a good book,” Curry says. “For that reason, the upholstered headboard business has been absolutely exploding as consumers gravitate not only to the styles they perceive as trending in the marketplace, but also fall in love with the sheer comfort a well-upholstered headboard affords. It was simply time for us to get in the game. At Market, we showed we can do it and do it well.”

Other notable moves this season included the introduction of three, aggressively priced silhouettes, slightly smaller in scale than the bench-built, Mid-Century influenced designs Spectra stands for, aimed squarely at a younger crowd of consumers.

“We recognize that not everybody wants luxe, soft seating, and that a lot of Millennial consumers are looking for scaled-down, budget-friendly frames to suit smaller living spaces, particularly in urban settings,” the executive relates. “So, we designed three frames—one roll arm style, and two track arm styles—to address that demand, with less down than our standard seat cushions for a clean, though trendy look, and the response from our dealers at Market was gratifying.”