Martin Furniture Acquires Assets of Highland Design

Furniture World Magazine

Home office and entertainment manufacturer and exporter Martin Furniture announced that it has acquired the assets of Curt Christian's company Highland Design, a manufacturer of bedroom and dining case goods. What was the Highland Design brand is now Curt Christian Design by Martin, complementing the structure of Martin's cornerstone, Kathy Ireland Home by Martin. The brands will complement each other under Martin Furniture’s new company name, Martin Home Furnishings. The acquisition of Highland allows Martin to enter the bedroom, dining and occasional categories with strong designs, established sourcing and existing retail placements. It will also allow current customers of both companies to consolidate vendors and flow more product from a single source. Kathy Ireland Home bedroom and dining are not available to Martin due to existing licensing agreements, so Martin had been looking to enter new home furnishings categories and selectively reviewed several companies. They were seeking a company with a shared set of values, innovative designs and a similar quality story that would be well received by current customers. Martin now has a second brand in their portfolio to address these categories. “We know what we do well- we deliver high quality furniture that is appealing to the customer at an affordable price,” said founder and president of Martin Home Furnishings, Gil Martin. "We were looking for a company that could benefit immediately from our strengths while opening doors for us to new market segments, mainly bedroom and dining." Gil Martin will remain the president and owner of Martin Home Furnishing, while Curt Christian will become Vice President of Design, a new position wherein he will oversee product design for all categories and sourcing. Kathy Ireland in her role as Chief Designer will continue to give creative direction for Kathy Ireland Home designs and marketing. "I've known Curt for many years, personally and professionally," adds Gil Martin. "He is a man of integrity with great design sense and a relentless commitment to quality that matches our own. My experience as a brand partner with Kathy Ireland Home is so enriching that I can only hope our next venture in branding is as rewarding and successful." “Gil Martin is a genius,” said Kathy Ireland, CEO and Chief Designer of Kathy Ireland Worldwide. “His team is extraordinary. We appreciate the support they bring each day to our partnership. It is a great joy to see Curt Christian bring his talent to this organization.” Martin Home Furnishings will debut the Curt Christian Design by Martin bedroom and dining collections during the upcoming Las Vegas Furniture Market with both current and new collections being shown in building A, space 1025. "Our sales team can't wait to get started," said Karl Eulberg, Martin’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing. "Both of our brands are about quality case construction and offer lifestyle designs that today's consumer finds appealing. We expect the transition to be remarkably smooth with Curt's classically hip styles and our well-established sales, distribution and delivery infrastructure, it should be a natural addition for our customers." Highland Design's showroom, warehouse and customer service team will consolidate into Martin's current locations, thereby creating efficiencies and cost reductions that meet today's needs. About Martin Home Furnishings: In 1981 Gil Martin founded Martin Furniture, a premier producer of home office and home entertainment furniture. In April 2003 Martin Furniture partnered with Kathy Ireland Worldwide and became Kathy Ireland Home by Martin (KIHBM), the sole licensed manufacturer of home office and home entertainment furniture under the Kathy Ireland Home brand. In late 2008, Martin Furniture acquired Highland Design to create the brand Curt Christian Design by Martin which produces bedroom and dining furniture, and changed its name to Martin Home Furnishings. Martin products are sold through several retail channels all over the country including warehouse clubs, commercial office, catalogs, Top 100 Retailers, and specialty stores. For more information please visit www.martinfurniture.com. About Highland Design and Curt Christian: Highland design was established by noted designer and importer Curt Christian in 1992. Christian spent the past 16 years developing a dominant niche in fashion-forward, transitional master bedroom suites that are sold through nearly 20 of the Top 100 retailers, and hundreds of other exclusive dealers across the United States. Highland Design's strengths are in creating fresh lifestyle designs that sell, and in maintaining high production standards that include dovetail joinery and dust protected drawers with full-suspension ball bearing glides and multi-layered complex finishes.