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The casegoods producer is adding designer collections and playing up its custom capabilities.
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When Leo Vogel joined American of Martinsville (AOM) in November 2007 as senior vice president of sales and marketing, he discovered a major problem. "AOM was perceived as a mid-market producer of casegoods with inventory, when in reality a large part of our business is custom or semi-custom," he says, citing high-end projects such as The Nines, Portland, Ore., and the Flamingo, Las Vegas, as cases in point.
Although new graphics, taglines, and an ad campaign are helping tell AOM's story, Vogel assembled a handful of designers to show it through a diverse portfolio of designs that can be customized, tweaked, produced and delivered in 12 to 14 weeks. First up: a California-chic line of upscale furnishings by Brooke Ziccardi of Ziccardi Designs.
In describing her approach, Ziccardi says, "I wasn't thinking, ‘I'm designing a chair,' but more about its ergonomics, functionality and modularity." For example, a creamy leather bench for two is inspired by a tête-a-tête loveseat, with seats facing in opposite directions. The neutral color palette blends complement materials such as figured eucalyptus; unusual metals, including copper and brushtone gunmetal gray; and bespoke details, such as fine stitching.
Ziccardi says the key was to create a line with consistent design elements that celebrate what's found in nature and raise the cool quotient. For example, L-shaped features on headboards, chair legs, and consoles are subtle but still have attitude.
AOM plans to roll out new furnishings for the upscale, upper-upscale and luxury markets from other noted designers as well. Fred Spector's four collections will have an East Coast vibe with dark mahogany, soft honey finishes and an array of hardware accents. Four contemporary West Coast collections by Koni Corp. feature bamboo and walnut veneers teamed with bronzed leather. A Southwest-inspired collection by Cynthia Tripp blends medium-brown zebra-wood finishes and distressed white bronze hardware. And designs by Therese Virserius warm up modern seating with dark finishes and accent colors for an upmarket contemporary look.
"We're taking our lead from where the industry is going," Vogel says. Flat-screen TVs have made armoires passé. Public spaces are designed for collaboration, with clusters of movable furnishings and multiple seating options. And gigantic mahogany bars have been replaced with perches for laptops. Reflecting these new trends, AOM's portfolio can also be easily tweaked to fit the client's bill in less time and for less money.
And thanks to AOM's global supply chain, the furnishings can easily be value-engineered (using Asian walnut rather than American walnut, for instance) to maintain a comparable look for less. "Our portfolio of products gives us a way to respond to the market more quickly, which is important in this economic climate," Vogel explains.
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