UPDATE: Direct from Market: Tabletop
By Bessie Nestoras -- Gifts and Dec, 4/16/2010 8:46:00 AM
The New York Tabletop Market held at 41 Madison, 7 West New York and 230 Fifth Avenue, April 13–16, was greeted with beautiful weather and happy buyers. There were long lines at the registration desk and full elevators, and most vendors Gifts & Decorative Accessories spoke to reported decent sales and indicated that they were happy with the show.
Garry Shermann of tag was very happy with the Spring market. He found that buyers were interested in building their store’s identity, rather than looking for product that they think will sell. “They’re rediscovering their niche,”
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41 Madison cocktail party |
he said. “We’ve had a great show. We’re seeing customers we haven’t seen in a couple of years come in and write orders,” said Nance Boylan of The Zrike Company.
There were many anniversaries celebrated this Spring. Waterford crystal artist Jim O’Leary celebrated 50 years with the company. Currently the director of design, O’Leary is the creator of Waterford’s better-known patterns, including Araglin, Carina and Castlemaine. The company held an anniversary party in his honor on Tuesday night.
Over at 7 W, market attendees celebrated the five-year anniversary of the building. 7 W hosted a cocktail reception where guests had the chance to unwind after a busy day at market.
Reed & Barton is celebrating 25 years of its Soho crystal pattern this year. And in honor of the anniversary, the company has introduced several key items, including a trumpet vase, a set of two martini glasses with two olive picks, tealights and more.
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Marchesa designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig with Lenox president Lester Gribitz and CEO Pete Cameron. |
On Wednesday night, the tabletop industry rubbed shoulders with Hollywood. Marchesa designers, Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig best-known for their Red Carpet creations, were on hand to greet market attendees at a cocktail reception introducing their new dinnerware collection with Lenox. There are eight new patterns inspired by their gowns in the line.
Also on Wednesday night, 41 Madison held an outdoor cocktail reception. The weather cooperated and show attendees mixed and mingled in the spring evening air under the watchful eyes of the Antony Gormley statues, which are installed around the area (including one on top of 41 Madison) and on exhibit until mid-August.
Flower Power
The flowers were blooming this market. Many manufacturers featured floral patterns in their fall collections. Wedgwood introduced Pashmina, a dinnerware collection inspired by chintz textile patterns with a gold band. New from Johnson Brothers is Meadow Daisy, a casual setting which takes on a country look and Devon
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Althea Nova from Villeroy & Boch |
Cottage, a blue and white floral pattern.
Villeroy & Boch’s Althea Nova features herbs on its dinnerware, many of which are flowers – something that according to Kristina Klockner many people are not aware of.
Marchesa’s eight new patterns: Palatial Garden, Porcelain Lace, French Lace, Spring Lark, Paisley Bloom, Painted Camelia, Marchesa Rose and Floral Illustrations find inspiration in the designers’ gowns and all incorporate florals in the patterns. Each design is delicate and feminine, yet different enough to appeal to many different tastes. From the company’s Simply Fine collection comes Watercolor, another floral pattern that combines subtle geometric motifs.
Dansk has updated its Classic Fjord dinnerware pattern by adding lavender. Classic Fjord Lavendar features a simple stem on each plate.
Sketch Blossom and Sketch Floral are new floral patterns in Mikasa’s Dining Redesigned line. The porcelain
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Mikasa's Midnight Bloom |
dinnerware is dishwasher and microwave safe. The company also introduced Midnight Bloom which features floral silhouettes and Garden Bliss a watercolor floral design.
Scents & Feel’s new Rive Gauche pattern takes on a more feminine look in shades of blue with a flower as its central theme.
On the more formal end of things, Arboretum from Royal Crown Derby is a delicate pattern done in gold that easily matches with some of its existing patterns, including Gold Ayves.
The Modern Table
For those looking for a sleeker look on the table, vendors had plenty to offer in terms of a modern design. Rosenthal’s TAC O2 Skin updates the company’s popular TAC pattern by adding an animal print border.
From Wedgwood, customers were introduced to Nature’s Canvas. This simple dinnerware pattern is inspired by natural minerals. While it has a more earthy quality, it does have a modern feel for the customer looking for something edgier with a softer touch.
Modern Grace is a new pattern from Villeroy & Boch. It is influenced by the late 1960s. The white dinnerware is also available in Modern Grace Gray, allowing the customer to mix and match and create a unique table setting.
Sorella Home’s new Natura dinnerware is a simple off-white dinnerware set that features a unique scroll-like shape. It is an elegant, yet modern collection.
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Halo from Denby |
Halo is new from Denby and uses reactive glazes to create a graduated black and blue color effect.
Fluttery Butterflies
Butterflies were spotted on several dinnerware collections this market. Lismore Butterfly from Waterford features a simple ribbon pattern with a butterfly motif. Modern Butterfly from Mikasa takes on a painterly look featuring butterflies in vibrant colors. And Butterfly Allure is another new dinnerware collection from Mikasa.
In the Navy
Navy is a dominant color this market as it was seen throughout many of the vendors’ showrooms. Jasper Conran’s Navy Fringe for Wedgwood features a midnight blue banding with a fringed interior border. It coordinates well with the existing Blue Pinstripe, Blue Butterfly and Platinum Band. Mikasa also introduced dinnerware in navy, including Midnight Bloom and Color Studio Animal Prints Accents. The Zrike Company introduced a new dinnerware collection by Dana Cullen called Cobalt that takes on a Moroccan feel. Denby’s new Halo collection combines navy and black, and Spode added a dark blue color to its Baking Days collection.
Crystal Clear
Steuben is introducing tiered pricing, with more affordable/entry level stemware starting as low as $45. There will also be a $60-$85 tier, as well as the $120-$160 tier. The company is also seeing a trend toward more functional products, including candleholders and decanters. The resurgence in decanters is part of a trend towards men returning to whiskey, scotch, and so on. They're also doing a complete re-brand, including a redesign for the logo, website and flagship store. They're emphasizing casual, everyday luxury. The company is also moving toward some more whimsical and contemporary designs, including the new 4 Seasons collection and some new sports collectibles that have an acrylic base for the first time. They're doing two charity tie-ins: new safari pieces are benefiting the African Wildlife Foundation, as well as offering a chance to win a safari in South Africa. Steuben is also partnering with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which will benefit from sales of new Awareness ribbon ornaments and cubes.
In response to the current whisky trend, Villeroy & Boch debuted Fine Flavour, two collections of glasses and decanters: Scotch Whisky and American Bar. The line includes tumblers in various sizes, long drink, shot glasses, carafes and ice buckets. Sieger introduced a selection of glassware by Theriesenthal. And Riedel introduced a selection of wine decanters with color. Right now there are three patterns in four colors.
Table Accessories
Lladro launched The Parrot Party collection, the first in the new Lladro Atelier. The line mixes matte and shiny finishes, simple clean lines with detailed renderings of birds. The Lladro flagship hosted real parrots to celebrate the debut. The Atelier will showcase experiments with the porcelain medium under the guidance of Jaime Hayon. Also big news from Lladro is the new Rococo Mirrors collection. Six designs are each available in white, black, red, green, white and gold, and white and silver.
Nick Munro has expanded his line to include porcelain. There are new tea sets in black and white. He also introduced new wood trays and storage boxes.
Designer Ora-Ïto created the Arborescence collection for Christofle. The designer has created jewelry collections for the company in the past and this is his first decorative accessories line. The collection includes candlesticks, candelabras, trays and cigar accessories.
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New Ernest Hemingway collection from Sorella Home |
Sorella Home has recently signed a licensing deal with the Ernest Hemingway Collection to create a series of tabletop accessories. A pitcher, plates salt and pepper shakers, as well as ceramic and stoneware dinnerware are all part of the initial launch.
Kim Seybert introduced several new collections for the fall, including navy, green, plum and red color stories, as well as several holiday lines. The company is also focusing on its giftware lines and introduced a barware collection in its existing Mustaba pattern.
Housewares Presence
Recognizing the growing shift in dining and entertaining lifestyles, there was a increasing presence of upscale housewares at this market. Signature Housewares, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, Tervis Tumbler and Kinetic all opened new showrooms. Known for its cutlery and flatware, Zwilling J.A. Henckels made a splash with the colorful display of the Staub brand cast iron cookware. The Mini Cocottes are especially eye-catching and practical; they go from oven or cooktop to table, yet they also are the perfect size for serving dips.
The colorful new resin tabletop accessories from Lawrence Essentials brighten up the casual table but are elegant enough to be used for more dressed up entertaining occasions. And new colored glassware offerings at Circle Glass were also eye-catching and something to add pizzazz to the table.
But it was not just tabletop and housewares that drew buyer interest this market. Linens for the table, kitchen and home drew buyers looking to fill out their merchandise mix to the showrooms at 230 Fifth Avenue. The Euroletto Linens & Home new lobby showroom is brightly appointed and has its own streetfront entrance. New lines in the showroom are Greenhorn Trading, offering a range of elegant Irish linens for the table and the home, and Colomba Living, presenting sophisticated, contemporary designs for the modern home.
We would love your feedback!
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