Magnussen Home Enters Home Accents Market; Announces Licensing Agreement With Carolyn Kinder Designs

Furniture World Magazine

Magnussen Home Furnishings Inc., a leading furniture producer, is planning to revolutionize the decorative home accents market with new licensed collections from industry veteran Carolyn Kinder. “Imagine five new collections of distinctive home accents, designed by one of the world’s premier designers, delivered domestically within just five working days to participating retailers in the United States and Canada,” says Jeff Cook, president and chief executive officer of Magnussen Home. “That’s what we are doing with our new licensing agreement. By combining the brilliance of Carolyn Kinder with our Magnussen Express quick ship delivery program we want to revolutionize this segment of the industry.” The new licensing agreement is with Carolyn Kinder Inc., which will develop decorative furnishings ranging from accent tables, chests and armoires to planters, mirrors and novelty pieces. “This association opens up new channels of distribution for us,” Cook says. “While we have dabbled in decorative accents, we have not previously targeted gift and decorative accent buyers or interior designers. Now we will bring it into focus as a separate product division, with a legendary product designer. With more than three decades of experience in design, product development and manufacturing, Carolyn Kinder has established a reputation in the home furnishings industry for her classic and timeless designs that sell at retail. “Within the home furnishings industry, Carolyn Kinder has proven herself time and time again with coordinated programs of decorative accents, accessories, lamps and wall art,” Cook says. “Her style is definitive and exotic but always tasteful. She speaks with great clarity in a number of design motifs, whether extremely contemporary or taking a cue from antiquity. There is always a recognizable sense of drama in her designs.” Kinder says the collaboration with Magnussen Home has been a pleasure. “Decorative accents, by their nature, are created to be unique, stand-alone pieces that add excitement and life to a room. Like adding a dash of spice to food, they add the zest of a specific style, technique or culture,” Kinder says. “Magnussen Home has a finger on the heartbeat of what is going on in the real world of the retail dealer, and understands the vital role of decorative accents. This association is a wonderful opportunity to become a leader in furnishings targeted to beautifying mainstream American living.” Notes Cook, “Carolyn Kinder is amazing to watch. It is easy to see why her designs have become legendary in the home accents industry. Original design is a weakness in our industry, but the work of Carolyn Kinder is fresh, innovative and distinctive. Her high end designs with sophisticated finishes are targeted to hit price points for the masses and have created a tremendous amount of anticipation from the industry already. This agreement signals Magnussen Home’s commitment to be a leader in the home accents category.” About Carolyn Kinder: During the course of her career, Carolyn Kinder has created products that have achieved more than a billion dollars in sales. Beginning as an artist, Kinder founded Kinder-Harris in 1976. She built the decorative accessories company into a multi-million dollar business, which she later sold to JC Penney. A pioneer of cross merchandising, Kinder championed the whole room accessorizing concept, a trend now seen on retail floors throughout the world. In 1992, Kinder founded Carolyn Kinder, Inc., a firm that licenses her unique designs to industry leaders in several categories. In 2002, she created Carolyn Kinder International (CKI), a multi-dimensional company focused on product design, sourcing and development, as well as licensing partnerships and direct importing. CKI also launched a multimedia division, contracting with an Emmy award winning producer to create television programs featuring exotic design destinations and artisans from around the world. In 2003, Kinder expanded her global presence with the opening of a comprehensive full-service office in China where she can be intimately involved in the design, engineering and complete manufacturing process. Kinder’s successes can be directly attributed to her passionate hands-on involvement. Kinder has won a variety of industry awards, including the ART Lifetime Achievement Award. Her paintings and artwork adorn the walls of governors’ mansions, battleships and prestigious private collections. Carolyn Kinder for Magnussen Home will debut this fall as a licensed collection within the furniture company’s new Decorative Accents division. About Magnussen Home Furnishings: Magnussen Home Furnishings, Inc. designs, imports, and distributes medium- and upper-medium-priced occasional tables, accent furniture and case goods across all style categories for retailers around the world. The company brings more than 20 years of experience with offshore sourcing focused on quality control of state-of-the-art technology, workmanship, finishing and timely delivery. As a result, the Magnussen Express Program delivers products domestically within five working days to participating retailers in the United States and Canada.