DATE: Sunday, March 16, 1997                TAG: 9703140081

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE

SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   84 lines

HAPPENINGS IN HOME FURNISHINGS

IF FURNITURE and home accessories are on your shopping list this spring, you'll want to note the new locations, products and approaches of some area merchants. A MOVE UPSCALE

The Hub Furniture Center, which opened in January at 5144 Virginia Beach Blvd., is just across the street from its original location. In style and spirit, however, the new store is a world away.

Designed by Connie Post, one of the nation's top furniture-store designers, the new Hub has a bright, inviting layout, with dramatic architectural touches like the walls of waves that roll through mid-store, lending an amusement-park look. At 50,000 square feet, the store is twice the size of the one it replaced.

The galleries that line either side of a central ``power aisle'' each specialize in a brand name. And many of those brand names are more upscale than those that filled the old Hub, which featured moderately priced merchandise.

``The Kincaid and Broyhill lines are experiments for us,'' said sales manager Kenneth Flick, ``and they're doing very well.''

The Virginia Beach store is a prototype for the other 21 Hub stores in Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland and Pennsylvania, according to Flick.

The new Ducks Unlimited hardwood collection, manufactured by Kincaid, has its own gallery in the Virginia Beach Hub. Kincaid donates a portion of the sale of each piece in the collection to Ducks Unlimited, a waterfowl and wetlands conservation group that celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

Billed as a collection for those who love the great outdoors, the black cherry and oak pieces are rustic but elegant and could work in a beach house as well as a formal setting, Flick said.

Many carry North Carolina names, like the Knots Island glider and ottoman, the Currituck clothing center and the Corolla bedside chest.

The cherry huntboard, pictured here, currently sells for $789.

Flick explained why it stands a mighty 42 inches high:

``During a fox hunt the servants would carry a table like this outside and set refreshments on it. Its height allowed those on horseback to grab food and drink without having to dismount.'' SHEDDING NEW LIGHT

Barnett's, the Virginia Beach store that specializes in lamp sales and repair, has moved from the Hilltop North shopping center, its home for 11 years, to 1201 Laskin Road, near the Birdneck intersection. The store grew to 2,900 feet from its original 1,800.

``We looked for a larger location so we could expand into more accent furniture items and chandeliers,'' explained Bunny Cutler, who co-owns the shop with Martha Darden. The pair also hope to bring in the work of local artists. GIVE YOUR CHAIR THE SLIP

Got a really ugly chair in your house? Don't just sit on it. Take its picture and bring or mail the picture to UnderCover, the fabric retail store in downtown Norfolk. The store's ugly chair contest will begin April 1.

``What better day to open a contest like this than April Fool's Day?'' said Susan Pilato, who co-owns the 6-year-old shop with Donna Irwin.

And what better prize than a custom-made cover for the chair?

On Saturday, April 12, in their store window, Pilato and Irwin will slipcover the chair they designate the ugliest with fabric of the customer's choice.

At the same time interior designer Yvette Crosby will give a free seminar to customers called ``Interiors Recycled'' about how to make the best use of furnishings you already own. Crosby worked in Hampton Roads before moving to Houston about a year ago.

The recycling theme will be repeated in the shop owners' invitation to customers to bring in empty aluminum beverage cans from April 1 through 12. Those who do will be rewarded with a 10 percent discount on a fabric purchase.

The civic-minded duo recently collected 600 pounds of food for Norfolk's FoodBank in a similar promotion. Customers who donated food received a 15 percent discount on labor. In June customers can earn discounts by bringing in dog and cat food, which Pilato and Irwin plan to give to the SPCA.

UnderCover is located downtown at 243 W. Bute St., Norfolk 23510. To make a reservation for the ``Interiors Recycled'' seminar, call the shop at 623-7760. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

KINCAID FURNITURE

RIGHT: The Kincaid line, including this cherry huntboard, is selling

well at the new Hub Furniture Center on Virginia Beach Boulevard.

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