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National Geographic Home debuts; Smithsonian Collection for the Home in stores
December 1, 2007
National Geographic, in collaboration with outdoor products designer and distributor
New Creative, debuted a line of accent furniture, fountains, décorative accessories and birding products Nov. 1st in retail stores and on Amazon.com (photos, right).
In October 2007, National Geographic's Home Italia Collection became available to consumers. The collection is an elegant array of sophisticated furniture that combines classic 18th-century Italian design with Italy’s pursuit of classic style and features traditional walnut veneers, decorative inlays, aged bronze finishes and unique focal points with fluid, sculpted lines. “National Geographic is renowned for its passion for travel, exploration and culture,” said Krista Newberry, National Geographic’s vice president of licensing, home furnishings. “The Italia Collection reflects our
firsthand knowledge of the history, culture and beauty of classic Italian design.” Licensing partners for the Italia collection of furnishings, lamps, area rugs and accessories include Lane, Palacek, Sphinx, iPhotoArt, Toyo, New Creative and Brewster. National Geographic dedicates the net proceeds from its
Home Collection to the Society’s World Cultures Fund, which supports the study and preservation of world cultures. Italia Chariot Horse and Wall Decor by Palecek shown left.
The Smithsonian Collection for the Home, the first cohesive collection of Smithsonian-branded furniture and home decor products, is now in stores across the country. The new line is inspired from collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum and research complex, and includes dining and bedroom sets, chandeliers, sinks and fireplace accessories modeled after those from the Institution's museums, libraries and archives. The collection is being offered through licensing agreements with Kichler Lighting, Castilian Trading Inc. Atrium Foliage, Bernhardt Furniture Co. and other manufacturers that will distribute products to retailers.
Home decor items, expected to sell for about $100 and up, include a new line of porcelain, crystal, glass, wood, silver and brass products items from Castilian Trading Inc. Atrium Foliage drew inspiration from the Smithsonian's vast collection of award winning orchids, colorful gardens and archival resource materials to produce a branded line of permanent botanicals, and Pilgrim Home and Hearth has launched a line of hearth accessories forged in solid steel. Atrium Foliage and Castilian Trading introduced their collections at the High Point Market in March, 2007.
The Smithsonian Collection by Kichler Lighting offers more than 60 historically inspired fixtures grouped in three families named for James Renwick and Joseph Henry, two influential contributors to the Institution, and William D. Titus, an 1800’s Brooklyn inventor. The Renwick group, named for the designer of the original Smithsonian Castle building on The Mall in Washington, D.C., features a Romanesque revival style done in cast components of burnished antique brass and oiled bronze finishes with hand blown antique opal-etched glass. The Joseph Henry group pays homage to the first Secretary of the Smithsonian, a richly detailed family of cast components in an antique pewter finish with satin-etched glass or oiled bronze finish with umber-etched glass. The Titus family of outdoor lights features triangular shapes, reflective panels of clear-seedy glass and antique distressed brass finish with lamp light sources disguised as melting candlesticks. The Smithsonian lighting collection is being distributed through independent retailers. Prices for the lighting fixtures range from $98 for a wall sconce to $5,385 for a chandelier.
The Smithsonian Collection by Bernhardt Furniture Co. carries the institution's logo and includes two lines of furniture, The National Heritage and American Archive Collections. The next collection will include upholstered pieces with many designs adapted from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Dillard's, based in Little Rock, Ark., is among the biggest retail chains to carry the Smithsonian furniture line. The furniture prices range from $250 for a side table to about $2,400 for a king-size sleigh bed.
The Smithsonian receives about 70 % of its operating budget from the federal government and officials say royalties generated by the collection will help fund the museums' needs. Financial terms of the agreements were not released but some of the deals include multiyear advertising arrangements with Smithsonian magazine and Smithsonian memberships for participating retailers.
Posted by Susan Dickenson on December 1, 2007 | Comments (0)
