In-Store Events Draw Consumers on East and West Coasts

Press release

Excelsior Designs’ Fall In-Store Events Draw Consumers on East and West Coasts

November, 2004, North Amityville, NY - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

N. Amityville, NY – Contemporary design aficionados recently were treated to lively edutainment at well-known retailers on the east and west coasts when Excelsior Designs teamed up with two popular consumer magazines to host events. Carl’s Furniture of south Florida and Cantoni in Irvine, CA were the sites chosen for the events held on consecutive Saturdays in November.

Steven Kayne, president of Excelsior Designs, said, “Events such as these not only create excitement and generate consumer interest; they also position manufacturers and retailers as experts in style and design and are priceless at building strong customer relationships.”

Two Locations of Carl’s Furniture in South Florida are Sites for Metropolitan Home Magazine

Excelsior Designs and Florida’s own Carl’s Furniture teamed up with Metropolitan Home magazine for stellar design presentations in two of their nine south Florida stores.

Held in the flagship Coconut Creek store and the trendy Aventura store, the events were kicked off with a slide presentation incorporating imagery from pages of past, present and future issues of the tony Metropolitan Home magazine as well as photography of Excelsior Designs and Casa Novalia collections. The goal was to educate consumers in these areas, whose home are typically a mix of traditional, transitional and contemporary, about modern design which can be incorporated into any home and lifestyle.

Following the slide presentation, Bobbie Burns Hughes, Design Director of Excelsior and Retail Merchandising Editor of Metropolitan Home, Jo-Anne Pier, used Excelsior Designs and Casa Novalia products to create vignettes consumers easily could translate to their own homes. Hughes and Pier, assisted by showroom coordinator and designer Marilu Hastie from Carl’s Coconut Creek store and Connie Bana from the Aventura store, demonstrated how adaptable contemporary designs are when accessorized with an eclectic mix of the ethnic and tropical accents popular with this demographic.

Cantoni, Irvine, CA Site of West Coast Event with
Western Interiors and Design Magazine

Excelsior partnered with Western Interiors and Design magazine and Cantoni for an afternoon seminar on the New Style in the New West. Western Interiors and Design editor-in-chief Michael Wollaegar gave a well-received talk on defining and exploring the latest trends in international and modern design and explained how these influences have revolutionized and redefined the West.

Wollaeger’s seminar was an intriguing slide presentation depicting style and trend imagery and was followed by a question and answer period. The well-known, Dallas-based contemporary retailer, Cantoni hosted the event, Saturday, November 20 at its Irvine, CA location. Excelsior Designs, Cantoni and Western Interiors and Design also held a drawing for a Cristallo Bar, which was awarded immediately following the presentation.

About Excelsior Designs
Excelsior Designs and its lifestyle division, Casa Novalia, are headquartered in North Amityville, NY, with a permanent showroom in the International Home Furnishings Design Center in High Point, NC. Founded in 1983, Excelsior Designs produces contemporary and transitional furniture, including bedroom, dining room, home office, entertainment, and occasional lines. Casa Novalia, a division founded in 2001, specializes in the use of mixed media materials. In early 2005, Casa Novalia Leather will debut at retail. All collections are manufactured in Italy and feature exquisite polished finishes and artistic uses of exotic veneers and inlays such as sycamore, African rosewood and Birdseye maple. The products are available in fine furniture stores throughout North America. For more information visit excelsiordesigns.com and casanovalia.com.

About Metropolitan Home
Metropolitan Home is published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.), the New York-headquartered subsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi Médias. HFM U.S. reaches nearly 50 million readers in the U.S. through its 17 titles which include American Photo, Boating, Car and Driver, Cycle World, ELLE, ELLE Decor, ELLEgirl, Flying, Home, Mobile Entertainment, Popular Photography & Imaging, Premiere, Road & Track, Sound & Vision, Woman's Day, and Woman's Day Special Interest Publications. HFM U.S. also includes custom publishing, integrated marketing, database and market research as well as Hachette Enterprises. Hachette Filipacchi Médias is a subsidiary of Lagardère SCA.

About Western Interiors and Design
Western Interiors and Design is the first magazine dedicated to showcasing the finest innovative design and architecture within the remarkable landscapes of the American West. Recently named "Best New Consumer Publication" and "Best New Home, Design and Entertainment" magazine by the Western Publications Association, and voted "one of the top five" launches of 2003 by Folio magazine, Western Interiors and Design continues to charter new ground in the shelter category. 

About Cantoni
Founded in 1984, Cantoni has grown from a single location in Dallas, to more than 100,000 square feet of showroom space in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Irvine, Calif. and the newest location in Atlanta. Cantoni’s goal is to provide the best contemporary furnishings and accessories from the world's cutting edge designers. In addition to furniture, Cantoni houses an accessory gallery showcase with unusual gifts and decorative items, and is home to an original contemporary art collection.