Williamsburg Announces Biggest Licensed Product Launch

Furniture World Magazine

WILLIAMSBURG announced that its biggest launch of licensed products to date will occur during the "WILLIAMSBURG For All Seasons" celebration at the Atlanta and Dallas markets this month. With more than 20 licensees launching new product, the brand’s extensive selection of home furnishings continues to expand with introductions from new licensees Reed & Barton, Campania, and SPI-Home. The first-ever WILLIAMSBURG holiday décor collection by Aldik will feature a vast array of permanent botanicals inspired by the natural Christmas decorations seen throughout Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. The debut of these finely crafted holiday products alongside a wide variety of product in the spring gardening category promise wide appeal during the January buying season. WILLIAMSBURG licensees showcase extensive selections for indoor-outdoor living, driving decorating trends that transcend the seasons. Products in rich hues ease the transition from fall to holiday, while lighter, brighter tones are well suited for warmer weather. “We have never had such an expansive, incredible presence at a trade show before, and we are confident that WILLIAMSBURG For All Seasons will convey the breadth of the WILLIAMSBURG brand,” says Jim Easton, vice president for products with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “With diversity of category, pattern and inspiration, WILLIAMSBURG For All Seasons brings the brand into and through 2008 with amazing colors and unique designs.” Aldik: Aldik premieres its WILLIAMSBURG holiday décor selections at the Atlanta and Dallas markets with an impressive selection of permanent botanicals. From Christmas trees to garland, ribbon to ornaments, this stunning holiday collection takes the WILLIAMSBURG brand into an exciting new category. The products span six categories, including cloved oranges, mixed fruit, holly, stitchery (ornaments), Christmas trees and pineapples, each one reminiscent of the natural styles of holiday decorating seen throughout Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. These new creations take an unexpected color twist as well, embracing shades of green and orange—the trendiest hues of the holiday season. Reed & Barton: Reed & Barton introduces its first collection of WILLIAMSBURG holiday-themed dinnerware, playing upon the popularity of natural holiday decorations with Winter’s Garland dinnerware and Palace Orchard flatware. Inspired by the “Months of Fruit” engravings by Kensington Palace gardener Robert Furber, this collection incorporates pineapples, apple cones, cloved oranges and pine swags into dinnerware and etched stemware. Reed & Barton will also debut a selection of WILLIAMSBURG holiday ornaments including the Carriage Gate Lantern ornament, which is inspired by a lantern designed for the east carriage gate of the Governor’s Palace. Other ornaments include the Pineapple Musical Bell, Pineapple Gift Card Holder and Pineapple Keepsake, which all display Colonial Williamsburg’s iconic symbol of hospitality in unique ways. The Fruitful Sleigh Bell ornament again elaborates on bountiful fruit arrangements, and the Tree of Toys ornament is the annual sterling ornament created by Reed & Barton. For spring, Reed & Barton has created the Palace Garden Serveware, a collection of metal serving pieces showcasing the tulip—a beloved reminder of spring in Williamsburg. Campania: WILLIAMSBURG and new licensee Campania have created a striking collection of garden accents inspired by the rich design resources of Colonial Williamsburg. An exciting new product category for WILLIAMSBURG, the collection features a vast range of garden containers, including gorgeous cast stone copies of the dramatic urns outside Colonial Williamsburg’s prestigious Governor’s Palace. Perfect when filled with greenery in the spring or standing alone in cooler weather, these urns make a dramatic statement. From these ornate reproductions to simple, unadorned pieces inspired by quaint early-American gardens, Campania has created a diverse mixture of product for any home. SPI-Home: More than 35 new products mark the expansion of WILLIAMSBURG metal garden accents by SPI-Home during this market season. Wind chimes, garden bells and lanterns are just a few examples of the elegant product being added to the existing line. From the pineapple collection, which celebrates what Sir Walter Raleigh called “the princess of fruits,” to shell and coral designs reminiscent of the 18th century’s obsession with the natural world, SPI-Home has created a selection of WILLIAMSBURG garden accents for every taste. C&F Enterprises: This January, C&F is launching its largest collection of WILLIAMSBURG products to date at its newly expanded showroom at the Atlanta market, just in time for the 2008 holiday season. Two new WILLIAMSBURG holiday bedding patterns will debut, including Snowfall—a red and white snowflake pattern inspired by a quilt in Colonial Williamsburg’s antiques collections—and Holiday Topiary, appliquéd and embroidered for the season. In addition, Carlisle, a new floral design, will be introduced with a blue/yellow combination for spring and a red hue for fall. Windsor, a new damask pattern, will also show in a deep red that’s great for fall and easy to transition into holiday. For the rest of the year, Windsor is available in four pastel colors: melon, blueberry, mango and kiwi. C&F is also extending the WILLIAMSBURG Brighton Toile bedding collection with two new pastels and adding four new pastels to the Wedding Ring collection Troy Lighting and Hudson Valley Lighting: New indoor and outdoor decorative lighting fixtures by WILLIAMSBURG licensees Troy and Hudson Valley Lighting are perfect for year-round décor and can be seen at the Dallas Lighting Market in January. Hudson Valley introduces a complement of WILLIAMSBURG chandeliers, sconces and fluted glass hanging lanterns that incorporate popular 18th-century elements but are styled for today’s interiors. Troy Lighting expands its WILLIAMSBURG exterior lighting selections with several new designs inspired by the lanterns that illuminate the houses along Duke of Gloucester Street in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. These new introductions offer a variety of beautiful designs in multiple finishes for any decorating style. The WILLIAMSBURG® brand offers fresh, spirited designs in all categories of home and gift. With products inspired by the 18th century and designed for today’s lifestyle, WILLIAMSBURG is the preeminent leader of American style. The Colonial Williamsburg Products Program includes 60 licensees producing more than 7,000 products under the WILLIAMSBURG and WILLIAMSBURG Reserve brands. It operates 24 retail stores, a mail-order catalog and an e-commerce site. Sales of WILLIAMSBURG products support the preservation, research and educational programs of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the not-for-profit organization that oversees the restored colonial capital in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is located 150 miles south of Washington, D.C., off Interstate 64. For more information, call 1-800-414-6291 or visit www.WilliamsburgMarketplace.com. About the Licensees: Aldik was founded in 1951 by Richard Gold in Hollywood, California. As a supplier to Disneyland, Aldik created the famous Swiss Family Robinson Tree. As early as 1960, Aldik began to import realistic flowers from Hong Kong. Richard’s son Larry was appointed CEO in 1980. Today, the company is located in a 325,000-square-foot complex north of Los Angeles. Reed & Barton is one of the country’s foremost marketers of fine tableware and giftware. The company’s spectrum of offerings includes a diverse range of flatware, crystal stemware, barware, metal serveware and numerous tabletop and home décor items designed for stylish entertaining. The Reed & Barton name graces a full complement of unique giftware including picture frames, children’s gifts, hardwood chests and other fine wood and leather creations. Additionally, Reed & Barton is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Belleek Irish Parian China. Reed & Barton products can be found in fine department stores, specialty gift shops and jewelers nationwide, as well as online through a variety of e-merchants. For more information, please visit www.ReedBarton.com. Recognized for old-world craftsmanship and unmatched quality, Campania is one of the world's most unique manufacturers and designers of fine garden accents including containers, urns, statuary, birdbaths and fountains. Established in 1984, Campania’s reputation has been built on quality original product and strong, timely service to its ever expanding customer base. Campania offers original designs as well as high-end imports, offering an exclusive line from Paul Eschbach . Today it is the exclusive North American distributor for the Eschbach Group, Europe’s foremost designer and manufacturer of garden containers. Campania’s products are available at fine garden centers throughout the United States and Canada. Established in 1973, SPI–Home has become one of the most exciting home décor, garden and gallery vendors in the industry. The company’s diverse selection of products is valued by prominent interior designers and home décor specialists. Ranging from lighthearted to bold, SPI products can be found at major retailers throughout the world, including large department stores, garden centers, specialty boutiques, mail-order catalogs and online stores. Also located throughout the world are SPI showrooms, which allow customers to easily and readily discover the company’s portfolio of extraordinary products. For three decades, C & F Enterprises, Inc. has been a leading supplier of home textiles and decorative accessories. After establishing itself as one of the top suppliers of handmade needlepoint products in the United States, the company now distributes a variety of quilted products including bedding, table linens, seasonal trim and accessories as well as the QK Collection, a line of handbags, tote bags and travel accessories in exclusive, well designed quilted fabrics. Building on its strengths of unique design, outstanding quality and competitive pricing, the C & F design team develops new products partnering with some of the world’s best known artists and creators. This has resulted in fine products designed to enhance a variety of lifestyles bringing design, color and quality to products for the home. Troy Lighting and Hudson Valley Lighting are both owned by David Littman, who entered the lighting business in 1985 with the purchase of New York-based Hudson Valley Lighting. Through strategic acquisition and an uncanny knack for knowing what consumers want, Littman has grown his business into a five-company powerhouse including Hudson Valley Lighting, Troy CSL Lighting, Corbett Lighting and Sonneman A Way of Light. All five companies maintain separate corporate identities and share a new state-of-the-art 17,000-square -foot showroom.