Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 25, 1993                   TAG: 9304230483
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: D-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHARLYNE VARKONYI KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: HIGH POINT, N.C.                                LENGTH: Medium

DURABLE DENIM IS NOW DRESSING UP FURNITURE

It's the fabric of America - from the cowboys of the Old West to the rock stars of today. And now it's on our chairs as well as on our backs.

The denim at last week's International Home Furnishings Market symbolizes what consumers say they want in furniture: comfort that lasts and a versatile look that never goes out of style.

Denim was everywhere. Thomasville used bright blue denim on an elegant wing chair with matching footstool. Berhardt had denim-covered chairs and sofas with hand-painted designs. Its "Ready for Wear" collection put soft, prewashed denim on reversible slipcovers (plaid on one side and solid on the other). Sherrill's brand new Rough Hewn collection, done in partnership with the casual clothing manufacturer, features comfortable sofas with heavily padded arms and squishy pillows covered in prewashed denim.

But casual doesn't come cheap. Berhardt's hand-painted chair-and-a-half and ottoman retails at $2,500. Sherrill's Rough Hewn sofas are $2,000 to $3,000. The more down-to-earth values were at Mitchel Gold's Design Line, Ltd., where a basic black denim sofa was $899 and an upholstered sofa with loose fitting denim slipcovers was $1,649.

"The allure of relaxed design is similar to what many of us like in our clothing - soft, supple fabrics that have a certain vintage or warmly worn look," said Robert Williams of Design Line.

Comfort - both physical and psychological - was the key throughout the collections.

Buyers stood in line to test the new canopy bed from Thomasville's Kallista collection. The $4,500 oak bed was shown with optional leather backrest and a wooden canopy with recessed lighting and a built-in rack to accommodate a 13-inch television. The TV disappears with the touch of a button. It's enough to turn couch potatoes into bedbugs.

Even traditional manufacturers and those who appeal to a high-end customer gave their designs new comfort with softer, less formal fabrics.