Speakers or art, the difference is almost invisible. TON Art, LLC has created an intriguing line of audio speakers disguised as beautiful sculptures. Collaborated by artists, designers and craftspeople, each sculpture is made from marble and fiberglass, epoxy and fabric, metal, wood and gold.

President and founder of TON Art, LLC, Frank Burgel, came up with the idea of “Art Speakers” while installing generic loudspeakers in his home filled with contemporary, modern art. The collection is designed to complement room themes rather than stand out like a white elephant! These speaker sculptures may very well be the embodiment of perfectly combined form and function for home and commercial space design.

As if being an artful creation that offers full functionality is not enough, each sculpture has advanced speaker technology to radiate harmonious sounds from most any sound system. For more information on TON Art, LLC, visit the company’s website at www.tonartllc.com or call 877-822-2040.

The Richard Frinier Collection from Brown Jordan is straight from heaven. Inspired by the question “What would happen if you had the time to be still and allow your mind to drift…would it feel like you were on cloud nine?”, the collection evolved into three distinct designs, simply named Still, Drift, and Cloud Nine. Each of the designs will be introduced at the 2011 New York Architectural Digest Home Design Show this spring.

As part of ECPR’s “Sneak Peek” series for the show, the Drift collection is a stunning compilation of indoor and outdoor furniture. The Drift collection embodies intelligent and refined design for today’s soft-modern and casual chic lifestyles. Plantation-grown teak frames are hand- and machine-crafted with a fine hand-sanded finish. Available in two colors, Natural and soft Grey, each piece will age gracefully in time, enhancing its overall appearance. Drift’s dynamic design features dining and deep seating pieces: arm chair, lounge chair, ottoman, sectional lounge chair and ottoman, and an adjustable chaise lounge. Matching tables are also available. Drift cushions are offered in all Brown Jordan Suncloth® fabrics.

The Drift collection is perfect for residential spaces as well as for hospitality projects. Sink into a little piece of heaven!

Allowing emotional reactions to the modern day economic situation, natural disasters, and political and ideological upheaval for motivation, British artist, Nick Davis was able to channel and capture the beauty of destruction. With his new line debuting at the 2011 New York Architectural Digest Home Design Show, Nick’s work is sure to be one of the show’s highlights.

The Fragmentation Table, as seen in this blog post, is a cast bronze table creating the illusion of an earthquake shattering the ground to pieces. Polished in a high finish, the table stands about 40cm tall and has a width of 94cm. Nick Davis’ Fragmentation Tables can also be created in cast silver upon commission request.

In addition to the Fragmentation Tables, Nick offers a number of other incredible pieces such as his unique Tower Lamps, Saddle Stool, and Geometric Table. For more information on Nick Davis’ designs, visit his website at www.nickdavisart.com.

~ECPR

Haddonstone, considered the U.S.’s and U.K.’s leading manufacturer of fine cast stone landscape features, is preparing to launch a new collection of busts and statues at the 2011 New York Architectural Digest Home Design Show this coming spring. Many of the company’s pieces are re-creations of famous collections throughout Europe. For example, the marble statue featured on our blog, Apollo Belvedere. This stunning statue is modeled after Leochares’ original, located at the Vatican Museum in Italy. The Apollo statue embodies masculinity and beauty, a perfect combination to feature as an indoor focal point or in a European garden setting.

Additionally, Haddonstone has once again partnered up with Robert A.M. Stern Designs to launch two new series of pedestals, the Olympian and Athenian, which will also be featured at ADHDS. The Olympian Planter Collection includes two graceful bowls, two elegant urns and a tall, slim amphora. Each piece in the collection is designed to interpret the unadulterated shapes of ancient vessels from the Neoclassic era from a more clean and contemporary perspective. The three designs from the Olympian Pedestal Collection have been molded to represent the Ionic column designs from ancient Greece.

The Athenian Planter Collection includes numerous urns in two designs, stimulated by the pure forms of Art Deco and Art Moderne ornaments from the early twentieth century. The Athenian Pedestal Collection is comprised of three elegant, tall plinths. When paired together, the Planter and Pedestal Collections can complete a unique theme for any indoor or outdoor design.

Both collections by Haddonstone and Robert A.M. Stern Designs are suitable for formal and romantic gardens as well in modern landscape designs. Furthermore, the Olympian and Athenian Collections can be showcased in not only residential areas but can also be used for commercial and indoor design.

The extensive collection from Haddonstone is available online or by catalog. For more information visit the company’s website at http://www.haddonstone.com/.

Since we work across several industries, our blog and other social media channels encompass news, coverage and trends not only for our clients but also for other leaders of those industries. One of our channels is the popular photo sharing site, Flickr. Each week, we post new pictures, ranging from plants to furniture to appliances, and much more. The Bronze Eagle Statue from Englishman’s Fine Furnishings pictured to the left is one of our newly posted pictures. As a reader of our blog, you might enjoy our Flickr page…Let us know what you think of the pictures we posted this week as well as any of the others!

~ ECPR

Three consumer trends identified by Thorsten Platt, vice president of Liebherr refrigeration North America, for 2011 are simplification, value and health. With consumers leading increasingly busier lifestyles, Platt points out that people will profit from the innovative organizational design of Liebherr products. With budgets being tighter, consumers are doing more research to make purchases that ensure quality and performance over time. And, with more of the nation focused on fresher, locally grown food, Liebherr advanced refrigeration technology will be implemental in storing delicious produce. All around, Liebherr refrigeration products are becoming trendier, which is why we wanted to continue our “Sneak Peek” series with this inventive company.

Liebherr is a worldwide leader in premium refrigeration. This German manufacturing company brings European innovation and design to the U.S. market, providing built-in or freestanding refrigeration units as well as wine storage units.

At the 2011 Architectural Digest Home Design Show, March 17-20 in New York City, Liebherr plans to showcase two new refrigeration units- the CS 2060 and the HC 2060. The 2060 series offers substantial storage capacity and accommodating shelving in the top refrigeration section and double freezer drawers located directly underneath. Freestanding, fully-integrated or stainless integrated, the 2060 series will appeal to consumers as either refrigerator can fit into most any kitchen or home design. Both refrigerators are ENERGY STAR® rated and will be available at appliance retailers across the U.S. and Canada beginning April 2011. – Designers, retailers, media members, and others…Liebherr’s display at the show will be a must-see for all of us.

Keep checking back here for more of our “Sneak Peeks” as ADHDS attendees plan a schedule of booths and exhibitors to see. There certainly are more “Sneak Peeks” to come, so if one of these amazing companies hasn’t peaked your interest yet, we have more to spotlight in the coming weeks and months.

~ Sarah Kate

The inner connection we share with the environment is sacred, and what better way to capture that bond than the unique glass sculpture collection by David and Jennifer Clancy. Introducing their new Landscape Series at the 2011 New York Architectural Digest Home Design Show, this indoor/outdoor collection ranges from breathtaking exotic floral arrangements to harmonious Japanese gardens- exactly why we wanted to include them in our “Sneak Peek” series.

The Landscape series is a body of work that uses nature as its language. Each hand-blown glass piece aims to express the intimate relationship humans have with the environment. Whether the sculpture is showcased as an individual focal point inside a home or integrated into outdoor gardens, Clancy Designs express the fragile beauty of our eco-systems, as testifies the featured Wetland Series piece below.

Clancy Designs are carefully crafted in the United States. These pieces are ideal for retail stores and designers aspiring to promote aesthetic tranquility and a deeper connection to the environment, all by enhancing home or commercial space décor. Bases can be ordered in enamel-coated steel, stainless steel or bronze. All sculptures break down to easy-to-ship parts.

In addition, each Landscape Series sculpture can be custom-made or custom-sized to fit any location. Every piece is unique, providing a personalized touch to its final destination.

We’ll have more “Sneak Peeks” in a few days, so please stop back by our blog for exclusive looks at unique design companies ranging from furniture and lighting to kitchens and baths.

~ Dominique

A world of design awaits at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show this year. For those not familiar with New York’s most anticipated design show, here’s a quick rundown of the show’s happenings. With more than 300 exhibitors housed at Piers 94 and 92 along the Hudson River, the show, ADHDS for short, brings together all parts of the design industry- from manufacturers to retailers to design firms. There will be a fantastic lineup of designer seminar series sponsored by The New York Times and other events / parties taking place over the weekend. The dates for the show run March 17 – 20, 2011, but we will be doing “Sneak Peeks” of exhibitors posted on our blog beginning now. This will lead to some of the featured products being included in select print articles our team (and some of our editor contacts) will be writing in 2011. Watch for other general show news and updates here, too. So, onto the first “Sneak Peek”…

Artist Jamie Harris knows glass. He designs sophisticated pieces like these sculpted Rock Pendants, new this year to add to the collections at Jamie Harris Studios. Harris uses design inspiration drawn from the intricate process of glassblowing to create a modern collection of glass-form light pendants. Each piece twists and hardens into a unique sculpture, but all are similar in style to Edison-style light bulbs. Harris’ artistic sense for fluidity and energy come together in these Rock Pendants. They are available as individual lights (pictured) or together as a custom chandelier.

All of the lighting created by Jamie Harris can be custom designed- the size, shape and colors easily adjusted to cater to any specific taste. The Rock Pendants pictured above (from left to right) are dazzling in brown, alabaster and steel gray. And, the metal fixtures are fully UL compliant as well as being available in a brushed nickel, black or white finish. To see more of Jamie Harris’ work in custom lighting or his other works, visit www.jamieharris.com.

Keep checking back for Sneak Peeks in the days and weeks to follow.

~ Sarah Kate

The statistics are in, and consumers have spoken high hopes despite the weighty words of “economic recession” that have become an American culture catch phrase. Casual Living magazine teamed up with HGTV to produce the 2010 Outdoor Furniture Survey, sponsored by our friends at Pride Family Brands. This exclusive survey is based on the responses of more than 9,000 U.S. consumers via an online questionnaire from April 2010. It examines main casual furniture topics like conversation groups, product selection and service, imported furniture, and the industry as a whole. We are happy to report there is a good deal of positivity in the data and interpretations from the study. We’ve seen people in the industry making some pretty tough adjustments at times but also becoming more creative and purposeful when it comes to marketing and selling products for patios, decks, porches, pool areas, sunrooms, etc. We’ve posted what we think are some of the survey’s high points.

Conversation Groups:

• 29% of surveyed consumers planned to buy conversation groups this year while 37% plan to do so in 2011.
• The most popular places that consumers listed to shop for these groups included home improvement centers, discount department stores and casual furniture specialty stores…mostly noting these places for their convenience and low prices.
• $1,000 – $1,999 is the most popular price bracket that consumers chose when asked how much they expected to pay for conversation group seating.

Product Selection and Service:

• 59% of the survey’s respondents would prefer to buy less expensive outdoor furniture so they later can change it and be more flexible.

• The remaining 41% prefer to spend more because the purchase is viewed as an investment.

• Colors in which consumers are most interested: Browns, Black, Metallics for furniture frames. Greens, Browns, Blues for cushions. Browns, Greens, Neutrals for slings.

Imported Furniture:

• Top 5 countries for the source of U.S. imported outdoor furniture and principal products (in 2009): China, Canada, Indonesia, Mexico, and Taiwan

To read all the reports online, simply click this link http://bit.ly/hie5Ds. Comments, thoughts and questions are welcome! In closing, let all of us in the industry make creative strides to proactively market our products and services in new and fresh ways. We stand the chance to continue increasing the positive numbers in the industry during 2011, but this won’t happen without new types of marketing strategy…mixed with a small measure of risk. What are you trying that is new for 2011?

~ Sarah Kate

Here at ECPR we are introducing a new series of ongoing posts called Product of the Month. We’ll feature different products that relate to the home, garden, design, or agribusiness industries. Client and a few non-client products will be featured. Readers, if you would like to contribute to this series or submit a product to be considered for inclusion, please contact us at info@eberlycollardpr.com or post your comments below. Enjoy the inaugural post!

While people are gearing up for the holidays and New Year, magazine folks are gearing up for the spring season. Planning, writing and interviewing for stories that will be published months from now. Our first Product of the Month captures that same “early bird gets the worm” spirit. We want to share with everyone a peek at a new Terracotta container for plantings that Englishman’s Fine Furnishings will be selling to trade and consumers during 2011.

Englishman’s Fine Furnishings weather- and frost-proof Terracotta Collection includes stately plaques, planters, urns, and fountains to add a touch of classic English style to any yard, verandah or deck. These modern adaptations of favorite designs stemming from the epoch of the Greek and Roman civilizations reflect the beauty and grandeur of those times. Practical for exterior use and meticulous in detail, the Terracotta Collection can be viewed online at www.englishmansfurniture.com/catalogview.asp. And, look for Englishman’s new Terracotta pieces like the one pictured above on our social media channels in the upcoming weeks and months.

If you are attending the Atlanta International Home Furnishings, Gifts & Rug Market in January, you can find a comprehensive collection on site in Englishman’s expanded showroom. Let us know if you will be attending. We hope to see you there.

~ ECPR