Cheryl Sigmon

Bradington-Young Brings a Novel Approach to Custom Display

kcaron — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 17:34:53 +0000

Bradington-Young Brings a Novel Approach to Custom Display kcaron Fri, 01/24/2020 - 11:34

Bradington-Young Launches Luxury Accents Category at High Point Market

kcaron — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 20:35:47 +0000

Bradington-Young Launches Luxury Accents Category at High Point Market kcaron Tue, 09/24/2019 - 15:35

Luxury leather upholstery producer Bradington-Young has developed a new product category to showcase its expansive custom-order capabilities. Making its debut at the upcoming High Point Market, Luxury Accents includes club chairs, swivel chairs, settees and an expanded decorative ottoman program.

In a new merchandising strategy designed for its High Point showroom, Luxury Accents will be presented throughout several creative vignettes aimed at inspiring dealers and interior designers to promote Bradington-Young’s custom order capabilities to consumers on the retail floor and in their design projects. Pieces will be upholstered in a variety of unique fabric and leather combinations, contrasting welts, bold colors and novelty leathers, showcasing the company’s almost limitless customization capabilities.

“We’ve always offered customization options, but this is the first time we’ve developed a concerted effort to visually demonstrate them in our showroom,” said Cheryl Sigmon, Director of Merchandising at Bradington-Young. “Accent pieces are a great way to do this in a very small footprint, and our retailers can maximize their ROI and increase their average sales ticket by including some of these jewelry pieces on their retail floors.

“These accent pieces are also a great way to add pops of color and texture to interior design projects,” she continued.

Sigmon said the category is being strengthened with the addition of settees, which haven’t been in the Bradington-Young lineup in nearly a decade, and the expansion of a decorative ottoman program that was successfully rolled out in April. The 12-piece program, which now includes optional casters, consists of three shapes that are each available in two sizes which a choice of a smooth or tufted top.

The Luxury Accents category also includes a variety of accent pillows to illustrate many of the high-end leather and fabric combinations and welts that work best with Bradington-Young products. The pillows highlight popular colorways this season such as greens, blues and blushes, as well as covers with a variety of texture such as hair-on-hide and embroidered looks.

“The pillows are a great way to demonstrate creative cover combinations in a small footprint without having to upholster an entire chair,” said Sigmon. “The same concept can be used on the retail floor, as well.”

Domestically produced and shipped in 45 days or less, the pieces will highlight many of the company’s new textiles which include 25 new leather articles, five new leather novelty articles, and 41 new performance fabrics – two of which are embroidered.

The new category will be on display in Bradington-Young’s High Point Market showroom, space C-1058 of the International Home Furnishings Center.

Bradington-Young Launches Leather Lifestyle Pairings Guide

kcaron — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 18:57:35 +0000

Bradington-Young Launches Leather Lifestyle Pairings Guide kcaron Tue, 03/26/2019 - 13:57

Enhancing its consumer education efforts for the second time this year, leading luxury upholstery specialist Bradington-Young has developed an industry-leading guide to help consumers choose the type of leather that is best suited for their lifestyle. Derived from the concept of a beer or wine pairing with the perfect meat or seafood dish, the Leather Lifestyle Parings guide helps eliminate confusion about the various types of leather used in upholstery and makes recommendations based on the individual consumer’s lifestyle.

The guide, which can be found on Bradington-Young’s website, www.bradington-young.com, provides detailed explanations of four major types of leather – aniline, aniline plus, nubuck and finished leather – and includes a chart showing “protection zones” that rate their durability, ease of removing stains, sensitivity to temperatures and resistance to fading.

“Buying leather upholstery can sometimes be confusing and frustrating for consumers because of all the industry jargon and conflicting information in the marketplace, but our Lifestyle Pairings make it easier for them to decide what’s best for their situation,” said Cheryl Sigmon, Director of Merchandising at Bradington-Young. “Just like a fine wine, leather gets better with age – as long as its properly cared for – but it’s important to select the right leather for your lifestyle from the start when making the purchase.”

The guide, for example, recommends a finished leather for furniture that will be used in homes with children and pets because spills and stains are easier to clean up and there’s more color consistency.

Aniline leather, on the other hand, is the most luxurious leather available due to its rich colorations, natural markings and unique grain patterns, while aniline plus leathers have a light protective coating that makes them somewhat more pet- and child-friendly than anilines. Nubuck, meanwhile, is distinguished by its soft, suede-like texture, highlighted by a “nap” that can be brushed with the hand.

Aniline and nubuck leathers, in particular, are best suited for areas of homes where they’re not exposed to direct sunlight, according to the guide, while aniline plus offers the beauty and luxurious feel of aniline leathers, but with the added benefit of protective coating.

Bradington-Young has developed a distinctive logo for each type of leather, which also match the colors in the guide’s “protection zones.” The easy color-coded system, along with descriptions of each leather – in layman’s terms – help to explain the durability, ease of cleaning and resistance to temperature extremes and sunlight for each type.

The color coded logos and “protection zones” will also be added to the company’s leather swatch labels, which will make their debut at the April High Point Market. The new swatch labels will make it easier for retail sales associates to pair the right leather with their customer’s lifestyle.

The Leather Lifestyle Pairings program is the second major consumer education initiative launched by the company this year. It comes on the heels of a leather care kit that was released in mid-February that helps consumers keep their leather furniture in top shape after they bring it home. The initiative offers a starter leather care kit for consumers who register their purchase on Bradington-Young’s website.

Bradington-Young Develops Leather Education Program for Consumers

kcaron — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 16:31:37 +0000

Bradington-Young Develops Leather Education Program for Consumers kcaron Fri, 02/01/2019 - 10:31

Leading luxury upholstery specialist Bradington-Young has developed an exclusive new program to help tackle one of the most vexing challenges retailers and consumers face – aftercare for luxury leather products – with a new care guide that will appear on its deck labels and hang tags. The company will also offer a starter leather care kit to consumers who register their purchase on the company’s website.

“Through our research, we’ve discovered that many consumers have a misconception that because leather is a luxury product, that means it is bulletproof. That’s simply not the case,” said Cheryl Sigmon, Director of Merchandising at Bradington-Young.

“Because leather is a natural material, it is susceptible to many elements that consumers use on an everyday basis,” she continued. “Consider hair products and hand sanitizers. The chemicals that are present in these everyday items can break down the protective surface of leather over time, which can lead to discoloration or fading. In addition, many commonly used medications can also negatively impact the surface of a favorite leather chair or sofa. Even microscopic dust particles that aren’t removed on a routine basis can damage leather over time.

“These are just a few examples of innocent mistakes that may damage leather products,” she continued. “To help minimize such results, we are taking a proactive approach on educating consumers about proper leather care and maintenance.”

Making its debut Feb. 15, the program will be promoted through new deck labels and hang tags, both of which include QR codes, and a website address where consumers can register their products after their purchase. The cleaning kit, which includes a bottle of leather cleaner and protection cream, will be shipped to the consumer’s home after registration is completed.

The leather care tips that appear on the new deck labels and hang tags include several guidelines for preserving the quality of leather furniture such as avoiding exposure to sunlight, heat, moisture, dust, body oils and other materials. It also recommends cleaning the leather quarterly, an often overlooked maintenance routine.

“Luxury leather products require a regular cleaning and maintenance routine, much like one you would follow for cleaning and protecting your precious jewelry or favorite leather shoes,” said Craig Young, President of Bradington-Young.

“We realize that consumers are making an investment when they choose a Bradington-Young product and our goal is to start them down the right path from the beginning to help them protect their investment,” he continued. “Retail sales associates can also benefit from the program by using the materials as sales and educational tools on the retail floor.”

Additional consumer education initiatives, which will be announced later this year, include an innovative program designed to help consumers more easily understand the various types of leather used on furniture to make more informed purchase decisions.

Bradington-Young to Launch New Products at High Point

kcaron — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 14:35:45 +0000

Bradington-Young to Launch New Products at High Point kcaron Wed, 09/05/2018 - 09:35

Headlined by a fashion-forward motion sofa rollout, luxury motion upholstery specialist Bradington-Young is launching 26 products at the October High Point Market.

The new motion designs, which feature tall sofa legs commonly found on fashionable stationary upholstery, are made possible by a new mechanism that also provides a deeper, more comfortable seat and an extended footrest.

The new motion models, which coincide with the rollout of 42 new leathers in soft, cutting-edge shades of blues and neutrals that mix well with fabrics, solidify Bradington-Young’s position as the fashion leader in the luxury motion segment.

“Our new lineup of fresh designs and exciting cover options demonstrates that motion furniture can be as fashionable as stationary furniture,” said Cheryl Sigmon, Director of Merchandising at Bradington-Young. “Motion is still a very hot category, and these new on-trend sofa groups will broaden its consumer appeal and add pizazz to retail floors. They look like stationary sofas, with the added benefits of motion.”

Motion groups featuring the new mechanism are the Horizon and Costner, which have traditional styling, and the two-seat Paisley, which is more transitional in style with its clean lines, articulating headrest and a choice of chrome metal legs or wooden legs. However, it includes a touch of traditional with nail head trim on each arm.

Other key introductions include nine new recliners – many of which have the look and feel of a club chair – and a pair of swivel chairs that should continue to drive sales in this fast-growing category.

“Our goal is to add placements at retail, not just replace an old style with a new style,” Sigmon said. “New products such as the Farrah, a swivel chair with a taller back and wing styling, will help us do just that.”

Among the new recliners is the Jetson, a reclining version of a successful stationary club chair launched in April and the Weiss recliner, which was designed to match a successful in-line sofa group by the same name. The Atticus recliner provides the look of a club chair with the benefit of reclining functionality and is also available with a wall-hugger swivel glider mechanism.

Additional High Point introductions include three decorative ottomans that are uniquely upholstered in a leather and hair-on-hide patchwork pattern, two club chairs, two luxury tilt chairs with coordinating ottomans and four stationary sofa groups, available with married cover options.

In addition to the 42 new leathers, Bradington-Young is unveiling 43 new fabrics – 34 of which are performance fabrics – and a variety of novelty leathers with unique patterns and textures and unexpected pops of color.