New Directions for Cape Craftsmen in Spring-Summer 2011
With over 200 new items, our latest
Spring-Summer 2011 catalog from Cape Craftsmen is a great leap forward for our most upscale division of indoor home accents. We’ve branched out into new product using a 3-tiered approach. If you haven’t seen the latest catalog yet, or could use a recap, here are 3 main groups of new product for 2011. (As always, be sure to login to our
web site in order to use the product links contained in this article.)
1. Following the Crowd
Over the years, Cape Craftsmen has maintained some favorite key categories that now help define the brand. We want to continue to bring retailers the popular home accent solutions they have come to expect from us. Thus we have expanded our core offering in
furniture collections and
wall décor.
Furniture has long been a strong-selling staple of the Cape Craftsmen line. For 2011, we’ve introduced several new collections to get the attention of buyers everywhere. Our new
Tuscan group (shown at right) includes new wood and metal furniture pieces with multi-layered finishes in red and
muted green, and sturdier construction for a more substantial look and feel. The
Estate collection features golden honey-finished wood with a metal patina; you’ll notice this combines effectively with our new trendy “pattern mix”
photo frames. The
Rustic Shell Leaf collection is made in a wide range of pieces from hand-wrought metal, with leaves cut from shell that display iridescence with newly popular neutral tones.
Our wall décor selection continues to grow, with over 20 new pieces—not including our new canvas! Our
clocks are always a best seller. We’ve also expanded into other natural and spiritual themes such as
trees and
crosses. You won’t want to miss our impressive new indoor/outdoor wall art, with
exclusive designs made of metal and bright-colored glass for a durable and decorative statement.
From the very beginning, Cape Craftsmen has always presented a strong selection of
coastal-themed décor. To add to our comprehensive offering this year, we’ve created the new
Tidewater group, featuring art with precious wetland birds portrayed in a neutral color palette. The grayed and weathered “coastal cottage” look is in, and it’s not just for coastal homes anymore. Also see our new variations on best sellers such as
striped bead board furniture (shown at right). And our
boat and
fish sculptures, hand-carved in the Philippines, are the perfect accent for any water lover.
2. Rounding out the Line
Along with our larger furniture and wall art pieces, we’ve recognized the need to include additional smaller tabletop accessories into our product line. Specifically, the materials of glass and pottery kept coming to mind.
Glass has been a consistent success in our sister divisions, Evergreen Garden and Cypress Home. Cape Craftsmen is now capitalizing on that strength, while at the same time responding to many requests from our customers and territory managers. We’re excited to introduce some large statement pieces made of recycled EcoGlass in neutral colors to mix well with all groups and provide mass appeal. As you look at our new
vases and
candleholders, you’ll find competitive pricing as well as varied colors, such as black for formal settings and brighter tones for coastal and holiday coordination. We’re also presenting several pieces of embossed glass, such as
votive holders,
round platters for table tops or easel display, and
large bowls with sculpted metal bases.
Based on our small experience with pottery 2 years ago, we realized this was another huge growth opportunity. This year, we’ve come up with 26 new items in trend-wise colors, including 10 designs that are exclusive to Cape Craftsmen. Many of these pottery items are multi-functional, and be used as
chillers, planters, and more. You’ll also find good price points here, as well as neutral and universal glazed tones that coordinate with a wide variety of décor.
3. Looking to the Future
All of those involved in new product development at Evergreen Enterprises work hard to stay connected to the latest trends. We use this trend research—both in observation and forecasting—to help drive our new product releases. We’ve already alluded to 2 new visual trends above: the dominance of neutral color tones in home décor and the mixing of varied, non-matching print patterns. In additional to these, we’ve been noticing—and responding to—a wider trend based more on economics.
These days, people seem to be thinking more practically, looking to make more efficient use of their money. New homes are smaller in size, and consequently people want home furnishings that are space-maximizing, combining function with flexibility, or portability with practicality.
We’ve responded to this trend by introducing some appropriate home décor products. First, our new
storage furniture is both good-looking and extremely useful, made from real pine wood with plentiful cubby bins. It’s perfect for mud rooms, bedrooms, or any room! Second, our newest
floor screens also follow the practical, space-saving trend by integrating slide-in shelving or swiveling photo frame panels.
Look for more items like these from Cape Craftsmen in the future. For now, shop our entire line of home décor products using our full-featured online resource center at
www.myevergreen.com
.
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