Stanley Interprets 'Lifestyle' With Familiar Traditional Design Elements

Furniture World Magazine

Can consumers who prefer traditional styling in their furniture find comfort in the function-oriented contemporary design of a lifestyle collection? The answer is yes-if the collection is Translation by Stanley Furniture Company. Translation interprets the popular features of a lifestyle collection's relaxed, how-you-live focus with design elements of a popular traditional style-Louis Phillipe. The result is a sophisticated rendering of traditional design in furniture for the dining room, living/family room, bedroom, home office and entertainment center, with coordinating upholstery. The rich grain of cherry solids and veneers is central to Translation's distinctive look. The wood is finished in a lighter, clear finish that enhances its natural character. The brushed nickel finish of the simple, round drawer pulls is echoed in metal accents and the metal bases of some of the tables. "The scaling and weightier hardware of Translation suggest a traditional collection, yet the pieces are designed to suit relaxed living habits and smaller as well as larger home spaces," says Kelly Cain, senior vice president of product development and merchandising. "The group is loaded with functional features geared to today's living styles, like casual mealtimes, informal entertaining and the TV/entertainment center as the new family ,hearth.' "It's a step toward. contemporary for those who are starting to shop the specialty retailers and like the wide piece selection of lifestyle groups, yet in a very comfortable style that people recognize right away," Cain continues Function is king in relaxed dining styles. In the dining room, those casual-style features include a metal-based sideboard with three drawers and an open wine rack below-perfect for relaxed get-togethers with friends. Its wood-framed top has a cultured marble inset that adds upscale grace in a resilient, easy-care finish. Another unusual piece is the mobile server which is finished on all four sides to present a polished look no matter where it's parked. The server has a top surface of durable, care-free high-pressure laminate. "These designs exemplify the best of a lifestyle collection's easy-going character," Cain says. Two dining chair versions-a graceful curvy, arched-top back and a flared, horizontally slatted back-take the group from French- influenced traditional to contemporary. A 48-inch round table is offered as well as the 66-inch rectangular leg table. Vertical storage stars in the bedroom: The bedroom is all about maximizing storage in a vertical format. Dressers are taller than average, but not as wide-freeing up floor space. Included is a roomy 14-drawer squire's chest. The unique story is an armoire with a mirrored door. At 77 inches high but only 34 inches wide, its versatile interior has a hanging clothes rod and two adjustable shelves, with two exterior drawers below. Three bed, options create distinctly different moods: a curvy, generously proportioned sleigh bed; a panel head- and footboard with graceful arched pediment that shows off the beautiful cherry grain; and a vertically slatted head- and footboard with a little more contemporary flavor. Living/family room accents: storage and variety: Variety and storage are the keys in the offering of nine living/family room tables. The offering begins with three very different cocktail tables: a display cocktail topped by a glass inset with a fancy-patterned veneer shelf below, a two-drawer storage table which also has a glass top and display shelf, and a two-drawer rectangular table with a brushed metal base. Metal-based versions of the sofa and oval end tables are offered as well; a round chairside accent table also has a metal base. The all-wood versions complete a more traditional look. The tables coordinate beautifully with a new upholstery collection designed to complement Translation. The pieces also feature familiar traditional elements, yet the dramatically flaring arms, exposed legs and unique upholstery treatments give them a fresh new transitional edge. (For details see upholstery release.) Three entertainment pieces can form a wall unit that coordinates beautifully with the living room and family room settings. The central unit is the armoire, which holds up to a 35-inch TV and removable VCR box behind pocket doors. Lower doors hide away laminated shelves, cut-outs to vent electronic equipment and media storage. It can be flanked by an open bookcase and/or glass door unit with enclosed storage below, which houses additional electronics and media or displays collectibles. Home office solutions work hard: Stanley introduces a completely new design for The OfficeTM in the Translation style: a free standing computer desk that stylishly holds all components of a PC. It's deeper (24 inches), with a larger kneehole space, and is finished on all four sides for maximum room configuration flexibility. "Whether it's used for job-related work or to conduct personal business the home office is prominent in today's residences," Cain says. "That frequently, but not always, means accommodating a computer, so variety of solutions is key. And, people need furnishings that could fit in the bedroom just as well as they would in a separate office-and look attractive in either place. That's what we've accomplished with our home office lines." The new desk completes Stanley's standard collection of pieces, well-known for its wide selection of home office solutions-from freestanding to L-configurations to wall units. It includes traditional desks with pull-out writing surfaces, a work surface extension with drawer/file unit, hutches that add neat vertical storage off the work surface, lateral file units and bookcases. The OfficeTM designs feature a host of functional elements, like drop-down drawer fronts that mm desk drawers into keyboard trays, flip-down keyboard surfaces on computer units, drawer and door storage, multimedia storage, built-in surge protectors and phone jacks, adjustable shelves and fabric covered tack surfaces. Established in 1924, Stanley Furniture Company, Inc. manufactures wood and upholstered furniture targeted at the upper-medium price niche of the residential market. For more information on Stanley E-mail rwcampbell@compuserve.com