by RICHMOND HILL, Canada–Bellini Modern Living, a leading distributor of modern Italian-made furniture, is heading into fall market in High Point (IHFC H-520) with four new additions to its stationary upholstered collections emphasizing the luxurious look and feel of Novabuck, an Italian performance microfiber with a suede-like texture and hand.
The Avola is a chic, clean-lined, geometric design available as either a two-seat sofa (retail $3,499) or three-seat sectional (retail $4999). A modern study in light and shadow, Avola is covered in light grey Novabuck and features wide, low-profile arms, and a deep bench seat atop white, lacquer-finish steel legs. Angled back cushions rest against a minimalistic frame that rolls up behind the sofa from underneath. Covered in dark grey Novabuck, the frame references the coordinating dark grey kidney pillows, and a slender, alternating band of both shades of grey accenting the bench seat.
The Claudia sofa also uses complementing shades of Novabuck to great effect, this time in a plush, European-style silhouette with legs of polished steel and double piping detail outlining the arms, back cushions featuring a ratchet headrest and a Novabuck-covered frame that extends up the sides of the sofa in a darker color. Supremely comfortable, Claudia is also set to retail at $3,499.
According to Hossein Azimi, chief executive officer of Bellini Modern Living, the new designs have been developed in response to dealer feedback. “Our retail partners in better-end stores tell us their customers are gravitating toward the opulent comfort of suede-like textures. More importantly, they report that their shoppers are delighted to learn that unlike natural suedes which are very difficult to maintain, Novabuck is an easy-care performance fabric that’s easy to live with. And they are telling us they want more.”
In fact, in addition to the modern Italian designs for which Bellini is known, Azimi said dealers have also asked him to develop Novabuck selections in more traditional American styles. “The key difference in Italian and American upholstered furniture styles is that Italian designers always use two seat cushions on sofas that seat three people, while American designers typically use three seat cushions on sofas that seat three.”
With this in mind, Bellini is introducing the contemporary Sorrento, a high-back, three-seat/three-cushion sofa design with flared arms in seafoam green Novabuck (suggested retail $2,899). The dark blue Sicilia (suggested retail $2,899) is another new three-cushion, high-back sofa, this time with wide padded arms and a plump silhouette designed to appeal to shoppers on the hunt for more typically American styles in terms of style and comfort.
