Apr 16, 2010

At Home Evolves into Major Home Marketplace

White Plains, NY — Both established industry brands and innovative newcomers will be showcased in At Home at the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®) for the summer 2010 edition. With nearly 500 home goods suppliers – offering a complete range of hard lines and soft goods – alongside thousand of complementary lifestyle and gift lines, At Home will offer buyers one of the largest and most diverse selections of trend-focused home resources in the country.

“At Home has evolved into a powerhouse marketplace for home goods,” said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM senior vice president. “This summer, At Home will offer a significant increase of bedding, furniture and wall décor suppliers, as well as a showcase of current and emerging home décor and design trends – such as the return of vibrant colors and new takes on environmentally-conscious products.”

At Home’s hard lines are consolidated at Pier 94, with some 220 companies presenting furniture, floor coverings, wall art, lighting and decorative accessories. New companies debuting at this location include Fleur de Stone (wall décor), Carolina George (furniture/decorative accessories) and Richard Emden (furniture). Other newcomers to Pier 94 this August include Biggs Art Studio (wall art), Kevin O’Brien Studio (pillows/bedding) and Pacific Connections (decorative accessories/trays) – all relocating from NYIGF’s Handmade® division – and Antonio Aguilar Home (pillows) moving fromStudio.

As the economy improves, several established home brands also are returning to the New York market this summer: Amity Home (bedding/curtains), Barreveld and DK Living (furniture and decorative accessories), Harvest Goods (home and garden décor), Rose Ann Hall (decorative accessories) and Sid Dickens (wall décor). At the same time, several of At Home’s current exhibitors are increasing their presence at Pier 94, including Art Addiction (wall art), Courtney Jack (decorative accessories/wall décor), Julian Chichester (furniture), Pomeroy (decorative accessories), Rock Flower Paper (decorative accessories) and Urban Evolutions (furniture).

At the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, At Home featuring Home Textiles will welcome the return of several key home fashions suppliers, as well as several first-time participants. Following an absence from the New York Market, Better Living (bedding), Hamburg House (bed/bath linens) and Peacock Alley (bedding) will return to NYIGF, and these well-known brands will be joined by a number of newcomers, including: Caro London (loungewear), Sefte (bedding), The Thai Silk Association (silk home accessories) and Urban Hues (bedding). In total, At Home featuring Home Textiles presents some 200 suppliers of bed and bath fashions (table linens, kitchen textiles, towels, decorative accessories, area rugs, window treatments and decorative fabrics), together on Level One of the Javits Center.

An exciting concentration of leading home textiles brands will be positioned at the entrance to the At Home exhibit floor, setting the standard for the division’s overall product offerings. Companies in new locations include Designers Guild (bedding/pillows), Harvey & Straight (home accessories), The Koko Company (pillows/rugs), Mike + Ally (bath accessories), Ogallala Comfort Company (down), SDH (bedding), Softline (curtains) and Zoeppritz (bedding). These companies will be positioned alongside Matouk (bed/bath linens), Pine Cone Hill (bedding, loungewear, rugs) and Sferra (bedding/sheets).

At Home featuring Home Textiles is one of three locations comprising Home Textiles Market Week® in New York-the nation’s largest collection of mid- to high-end home textiles with more than 600 home fashion suppliers located across New York City.

In addition to exhibits, NYIGF offers several events and seminars especially relevant to home furnishings and home textiles vendors and buyers. On Saturday, August 14, from 5:00-6:00 pm, retailers are invited to attend the At Home welcome reception on Pier 94 to celebrate the market’s opening day. Buyers can browse the At Home aisles while enjoying red and white wine, compliments of NYIGF.

On Sunday, August 15, two seminars at the Javits Center will offer home retailers trend information and industry support. During the ART (Accessories Resource Team) Retailer Roundtable, from 9:00-11:00 am, retailers are invited to share business, personnel and buying issues in a confidential, invitation-only session. From 12:00-1:00 pm, The Trend Curve presents Home Trends – What’s Now? What’s Next? This session will provide key insights into rising and declining home décor trends from colors and materials to and styles and patterns. Complete details and registration is available online at www.nyigf.com/programs.

At Home runs Saturday, August 14, through Wednesday, August 18, at Pier 94; and At Home featuring Home Textiles runs Sunday, August 15, through Thursday, August 19, at the Javits Center.

NYIGF is the nation’s premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace, with 2,800 exhibiting companies featuring an extraordinary breadth and depth of design-driven home fashion products and complementary giftware. Some 35,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 85 countries worldwide are expected. Information and registration is available online at www.nyigf.com.