by Company makes a statement in the category with more than 10 groups being shown at October market
HIGH POINT — When Legacy Classic | Modern set out to launch its first motion upholstery, it sought to bring not only the best in functionality to the category, but also the best looks, complete with wood accents that mirror its capabilities in wood furniture.
Buyers who will see the product the first time this week at market will not only see those elements in person, but also experience the seating itself, which aims to also capture both the look and comfort of stationary upholstery.
Behind the development of the Legacy | Motion line is 25-year industry veteran Beth Dixon, who came to the company this year from Prime Resources International, where she was president. She also previously held vice president of sales roles at PRI and other upholstery resources including HTL International, M-Star and Cheers/Man Wah. At Legacy, she is senior vice president of upholstery.
At premarket last month, Home News Now visited with Dixon and President Chris Pelcher to learn about the new motion line and what makes it unique in the marketplace.
At premarket, there were three groups in leather match covers, featuring sofas and recliners. At market, there is a fourth group in fabric, plus eight other groups in leather.
The groups will include sectionals and sofa-loveseat-recliner/motion chair combinations featuring power-recline or dual-power recliners with power headrests and footrests. They also feature wood trim inspired by finishes in some of the company’s popular case goods collections.
The three shown at premarket are:
+ Solana, which features a sofa-chaise that includes a storage chaise with a lift-up wood tray arm for working and eating. It also includes a P1 swivel glider and a 30-inch storage ottoman on casters. It comes in a Mohave leather-match with fabric accent pillows and an oak wood base, storage console and standard bookcase and storage drawer. Other functional elements include a power grommet built in to the storage arm, and wireless charging/USB ports along with a phone/tablet holder built into the wood console.
+ Serena, which ties back to its Biscayne case goods collection, includes a three-piece modular sofa, a loveseat, a recliner and an accent swivel chair with lattice wood trim on the sides. On the sofa, the wood trim doubles as a built-in bookcase unit on each side. It is shown in a Pearl Beach leather match with accent pillows. The wood trim is shown in the Biscayne Blonde finish.
+ Esme, which ties back to the Halifax case goods collection, features a three-piece high-leg sofa group in a charcoal leather match called Elements. It also features a pull-down console with drink holders and USB charging devices. The “transformers” are inspired by consoles in luxury cars. The group also features a sofa with a built-in swivel-top table for storage, also shown in the light gray wood finish from the Halifax collection. It also includes two 18-inch fabric pillows.
Others to be shown at market include:
+ Amorette – This three-piece fabric sofa group with an accent recliner has a P2 sofa with wood-top drop-down table with a pop-up power and wireless charger, two power grommets with reading lights and two 18-inch pillows. It also has a P2 loveseat with high-leg standard swivel-top wood console and drop-down arm rest with power strip and one silver cup holder with two pillows, and P2 recliner and P1 swivel glider. The wood finish is from the Kingston collection.
+ Mina – A seven-piece modular sectional with two wood consoles, two wood-arm recliners and an ottoman with wood and swivel in the Silverstone Luxe leather-match/fabric combination. The wood finish is from the new Miramar collection.
+ Lennon – This three-piece sofa group in the Capri leather-fabric combination features a P1 sofa with a wood base in a neutral Flax finish and pop-out arm power grommets, drop-down table with wood-top silver cup holders, power strip with wireless charger with two 18-inch blend-down pillows. It also has a P1 recliner with wood base and round storage ottoman with casters and wood overlay.
+ Malina – This six-piece sectional and power glider recliner on a rail is offered in the Arroyo leather-fabric pillow combination. There’s a standard low-leg wood console with wood pop-up table in the Miramar finish and a drop-down armrest with power strip and one cup holder. It is offered in the Rainforest leather/fabric pillow combination.
+ Milo is a three-piece sofa group featuring a P2 sofa with wood base, drop-down table with wood top, silver cup holders, power grommets, pop-up power strip with two 18-inch pillows. The P2 loveseat has a wood base with swivel tray console with wood front in a Harvest Gold finish, a drop-down with pop-up power strip and silver cup holder with two 18-inch pillows.
+ Fen is a seven-piece modular sectional in the Graystone leather/fabric combination with a P1 power glider recliner with storage arm with hidden power grommet and one 18-inch pillow, an armless chair with storage drawer, a wood-top console with swivel wood tray and a drop-down with silver cup and power strip. The wood finish is from the new Miramar collection.
+ Athena – This three-piece sofa group in an Aqua cover includes a P2 loveseat with wood drawer console with wireless charging, a P2 sofa with drop-down and a P2 swivel glider. Wood accents are shown in the light Westwood finish.
Of the functionality, Dixon said, “You want to offer as much function as possible because nowadays, people are using their sofas not only to just watch TV, but also to do Zoom calls, or using their tablet or working on their computer. We also wanted to capture stationary looks but with motion function. So you can watch movies, you can eat, you can work — you do a lot of things besides just sit on them.”
Added Pelcher, who has decades of background at retailers such as Art Van, Levin, Wolf and Levitz: “So the story here is about the form and the function. Everything we are doing here is P2, power headrest and power footrest. Again it’s about function, function and function. If I was a retailer, why would I buy this? Because its differentiated from everything else that is out there.”
Dixon and Pelcher said the groups received positive response at premarket with dealers looking forward to seeing more at market including the sectionals and the fabric group. In addition to the design and tailoring aimed at mimicking stationary furniture, they liked the functional aspects shown in decorative wood elements.
“We took a lot of time adding function where it makes sense in terms of how people — the end consumer — uses their products,” Dixon said. “So we didn’t just think about the retailer — we thought about the end consumer.”
At market, the groups are being shown with coordinating occasional pieces such as cocktails and end tables in the same finishes seen on the wood accents in the motion seating groups. This aims to capture the expertise in wood manufacturing offered by company parent Samson Holding, which manufactures the groups in the Vietnam factory of sister company Lacquer Craft Manufacturing.
“It’s about utilizing the best of what we do, which is wood and the best factories — in this case, Samuel (Kuo, Samson Holding chairman) owns the factory. … We said how do we bring wood into this in a meaningful way,” said Pelcher. “And I think we’ve done it in a very discreet way that gives this product a presence. It’s the scale, the size and the presence, and that’s important when you’re thinking about a retail floor. With this product, it speaks for itself.”
Legacy | Motion can be seen at the company’s showroom at 2622 Uwharrie Road in High Point.
