Ready-to-assemble furniture used to be as stylish as the box it came in, and just about as sturdy. But people who may have been happy with a rickety ready-to-assemble desk or a shoddy bookshelf in their student days are now looking for something more for their homes and finding it.
”We`re seeing more and more companies with . . . everything from Eurostyle to colonial to plastics and laminates,” says Kimberly Rawn, a spokeswoman for the National Housewares Show, which was held in Chicago last month and featured ready-to-assemble furniture from more than 200
manufacturers.
And, such furniture is no longer a boring afterthought to the purchase of a TV, a VCR or a stereo.
”When people buy ready-to-assemble pieces for their electronic equipment, they are no longer interested in buying a square box where they can plop their TV on top,” says Benjamin Levy, director of sales and marketing for the ready-to-assemble division of Soundesign. ”Whether it be a TV stand or an entertainment center, they`re looking for pieces that have more functions, that integrate some form of storage for tapes.”
And, says Levy, the furniture ”has now moved out of the living room and the family room into all areas of the house, and the materials used have been upgraded.”
One reason for its enduring popularity is that ”it represents immediate gratification,” he says. ”You see it, you buy it, you assemble it and enjoy it. You don`t have to wait two or three or five or even eight weeks for delivery.”
Some of the pieces listed below were only recently introduced to the trade at the Housewares Show, but should be available in stores. If you can`t find a product, the manufacturers listed can tell you where it is sold in this area. All prices given are suggested retail; products may be available at a discount at certain stores.
Every room in the house
Soundesign recently introduced the Regency Collection of home entertainment and home office furniture. The 10 pieces in the line have a wood-grain motif with a walnut finish and offer a variety of storage options. With its Homecoming Collection, Soundesign has created a line of furnishings for many rooms of the house. These oak-finished pieces with silk-screened glass mirrors and brass-toned hardware include a gossip bench, mirrored hall trees and a serving cart with storage cabinet and built-in wine rack. Prices: $79 to $199 for the Regency Collection, $149 to $249 for Homecoming. Soundesign Corp., Harborside Financial Center, 400 Plaza Two, Jersey City, N.J. 07311-3962 (201-434-1050, ext. 221).
Bedside manner
The ready-to-assemble pieces in the Country Reflections collection from American Moulding & Millwork Co. are reminiscent of furniture handcrafted during the Regency period in the early 1800s. This solid pine series designed for the bedroom includes an armoire, a nightstand, various dressers as well as desks and a TV/VCR cabinet. Prices: $49.99 to $169.99. American Moulding & Millwork Co., P.O. Box 8220, 2801 West Lane, Stockton, Calif. 95208 (no phone inquiries).
High-tech style
In addition to its ready-to-finish solid hardwood furniture for the dining room, Whittier Wood Products now has a home office line. The latest in this collection is a streamlined contemporary-style desk designed with electronic equipment in mind. Features include a hutch library top, a sliding keyboard tray and a drawer for computer paper. Adjustable desk chairs on casters are also available. Price: $175 for the desk, $85 for the hutch top, $99 to $119 for a chair. Whittier Wood Products, P.O. Box 2827, Eugene, Ore. 97402 (503-687-0213).
Tuned in
The sleek Eurostyle Milestone Collection from Armstrong offers an entertainment center, a VCR tape storage unit, an audio sound center and a TV/ VCR cart. The pieces are designed with a high-gloss, black polyester finish and feature brass-finish accents. Some of the storage areas are concealed and others have glass doors. Prices: $79 to $159. Armstrong Furniture, P.O. Box 339, Thomasville, N.C. 27361 (800-446-8073).
Colorful collection
Amisco`s Mecano collection, labeled FTA (fun-to-assemble), brings lively, contemporary styling to rooms designed for children. A bunk bed, twin bed, shelves, a drafting table and a clothes tree are made of white tubular steel with red, blue and yellow accents. Bolts are concealed by red caps and black washers accent all rod and rail ends. A colorful desk chair on casters is also available and white dressers and a nightstand with drawers outlined in primary colors complete the collection. Prices: $140 to $650. Amisco Industries Ltd., C.P. 250, L`Islet, Quebec, Canada GOR 2Co (local representative:
708-501-3600).
Black and white
The Strata Home Office Collection from Venture Horizon presents ready-to- assemble furniture with clean, simple white surfaces edged in black. No tools or hardware are required for assembly, because the interlocking Melamine panels are designed to fit together easily and securely. The manufacturer says that a desk can be put together in four minutes and the furniture for an entire office in less than one hour. Prices: $179 to $249 for desks, $119 to $159 for other components such as bookcase and file cabinet. Venture Horizon Corp., 1221 State St., Suite 200, Santa Barbara, Calif. 93101 (805-564-3441). Space saver
If space is scarce in the kitchen, bedroom or hallway, TRENDLINES has the solution with its dropleaf table/desk. This piece of ready-to-assemble furniture mounts on the wall. It is only six inches deep when closed, but the dropleaf folds out to a surface that is 18 inches deep and can be used for doing homework, writing letters or preparing food. Price: $50.99. Trendlines Inc., Governor Lane Blvd., RR 3, Box 100, Williamsport, Md. 21795
(301-223-8900).
