Designer Jonathan Adler Partners with Rowe to Introduce New Furniture and Bedding Collections

Furniture World Magazine

The designer who first made his name with striking, graphic pottery and other home accessories is expanding his stylish reach into consumers’ homes with the launch of new furniture and bedding collections. In partnership with Rowe Furniture, Jonathan Adler debuted his first comprehensive collection of upholstered furniture and accent pieces for the home at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, North Carolina. The collection will be available at select retailers nationwide in summer 2005. Adler will also bring his fresh, fun and modern sensibility to the bedroom with a new line of bedding, decorative pillows and throws, created in partnership with Franco Manufacturing and slated to appear on store shelves in July 2005. Ripe Ideas (www.ripeideas.com), a Manhattan-based licensing agency that has been working closely with Adler to expand upon his unique vision, forged the agreements on Adler’s behalf. Like his home accessories, Adler’s new lines of furniture and bedding are motivated by a very personal desire to reach the young (and young at heart) consumer and fill the void in the marketplace for accessible modern design. “I’m a dorky design enthusiast,” said Adler, “I’ve always known exactly what I want furniture to be – a combination of modern shapes, luxurious fabrics, and down-filled comfort – but since that didn’t exist, I designed the pieces I was always looking for but could never find.” Furniture with a Filmic Flair Adler’s debut furniture collection will include six upholstered groups of furniture, each of which is centered around a distinctive sofa; the line will be augmented by four iconic chairs, a folding screen and two accent piece collections. A life-long film enthusiast, Adler named each collection after a movie character whose style has inspired him. The Lampert Collection (which includes a sofa and a lounger), for example, pays tribute to Audrey Hepburn’s Regina Lampert in “Charade.” Additional upholstered collections include the Harrington (sofa, chair, ottoman), the Markham (sofa, mini sofa, chair, ottoman), the Morrow (settee, chair, chaise), the Woodhouse (sofa, loveseat, chair, ottoman, dining chair), the Blakeley (sofa, chair, sectional), the Welles (chair), the Fowler (chair) the Prescott (chair), and the Dayton (chair). Accent piece collections include the Channing (buffet, console, and end table in dove-white lacquer), the Thornhill (cocktail table, end table, nesting tables, and console in textured linen-like lacquer), the Desmond (folding screen), and the Robinson (glass-top, spider table). “It’s very gratifying to help a talented designer like Jonathan share his vision with a larger audience,” said Julie Turkel, co-President of Ripe Ideas. “In Rowe Furniture, we found a US-based manufacturing partner that shares Jonathan’s commitment to offering quality products in record delivery times. Rowe’s vast retail contacts also allow Jonathan to bring an already successful furniture line that was previously only available in his own stores to a much broader, style-starved consumer base.” Adler Takes to the Sheets In partnership with Franco Manufacturing, Jonathan will introduce a line of bedding, decorative pillows and throw blankets inspired by the unique sense of color, pattern and texture that characterize his eponymous pottery line. The collection will launch with six patterns, including designs based on Jonathan’s Lantern and Weight pots, and Kensington, a pattern inspired by Hollywood Regency style. The bedding line, which includes duvets, comforters and coordinated sheets sets, is in high-quality 300-thread-count cotton, and matching decorative throw pillows are in silk. All sold under the affordably priced Jonathan Adler Happy Home™ brand name, the bedding will be available in specialty and department stores in July 2005. Adler will also carry three exclusive patterns – Bamboo, Caning and Citron – in Jonathan Adler retail stores (in New York, East Hampton, LA, Miami and San Francisco). “Franco truly understands Jonathan’s design sensibility and they have executed the new bedding collection flawlessly,” said Robin Sayetta, co-President of Ripe Ideas. “The whimsy and personality that characterize Jonathan’s entire line of products will soon allow homeowners across the country to sleep more soundly Given the ever-increasing thirst for accessible modern design, Adler’s new collections will give savvy design enthusiasts more tools to make their homes as lovely and expressive as possible. The dreams of design connoisseurs across the country will come true when Adler’s new furniture and bedding lines hit stores, bringing peace of mind and high style to every room of the house. About Jonathan Adler Celebrated interior design Jonathan Adler’s career began when famed New York retailer Barney’s NY placed its first order for his line of groovy, graphic pottery. In 1998, Adler opened his first store in SoHo, and expanded his line to include pillows, rugs and lighting as well as vintage pieces that complement his own designs. The success of the SoHo store allowed Adler to open retail locations in East Hampton, Los Angeles and Miami; in Spring 2005, he will open two new locations, on Madison Avenue in New York and in San Francisco. Please visit www.jonathanadler.com for more information. About Ripe Ideas Ripe Ideas is a full-service, do-it-all, handle-everything licensing agency that takes established lifestyle brands – designers, personalities and design brands – to the next level of consumer success through strategic licensing programs. Ripe Ideas’ client base includes designers Jonathan Adler, Nate Berkus and Pia Sjolin, The Illustration Division, Sci-Fi Channel, baby product guru Amy Coe and textile maven Angel Zimick. The company is headquartered at 95 Morton Street in New York, NY 10014. For more information, please visit www.ripeideas.com.