Three Birds Casual ‘entertained’ outdoor lifestyle trends with Atlanta intros|JINHANFAIR Industry News

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ATLANTA — As consumers continue to treat their outdoor spaces as central to how they live and entertain in their homes, some suppliers are incorporating these growing trends into their product development process.

 

Three Birds Casual, a high-end importer of design-forward teak and aluminum furniture, is clearly keeping a close eye on this continued consumer momentum.

 

At its showing during the just-concluded July Casual Market Atlanta, the company brought a product assortment that aims to capture how consumers are using their outdoor spaces today.

 

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For Three Birds Casual, Atlanta remains primarily a retail market, giving the company an opportunity to present its newest ideas directly to buyers representing a broad spectrum of store sizes.

 

“Primarily, we see retailers. I’d probably say at least 95% of our buyers at this show are retailers,” said Telly Varga, director of marketing. “During the gift show, we get some more designers coming through, but Casual Market is mostly retailer appointment-based.

 

“Our retail customers are across the board,” he continued. “We work with very small stores all the way up to the big guys.”

 

Among the concepts presented to those buyers was an interchangeable table program pairing ceramic tops with a selection of bases. Although still in the testing stage, the program is designed to give retailers more variety while keeping their inventory commitments manageable.

 

“This is something we’re testing right now, so it hasn’t formally been announced, but this is our new ceramic tabletop and base,” Varga said. “We’re trying to make the tops and bases interchangeable so a retailer only has to stock a handful of bases and a couple of tops, and those tops can be mixed with all sorts of different bases.”

 

That approach allows retailers to create a much larger presentation on the sales floor than the program’s relatively compact SKU count might suggest. Buyers could also tailor their assortments to their own customers by selecting the combinations that work best with surrounding dining, seating and accessory displays.

 

“You can get 30 or 40 combinations with just a handful of SKUs,” Varga explained. “It gives retailers a lot of merchandising options without requiring them to carry a huge number of individual pieces.”

 

The company also addressed a technical challenge that can limit the practicality of ceramic outdoor dining tables: accommodating a traditional patio umbrella without compromising the integrity of the tabletop.

 

“Our team somehow managed to figure out how to cut an umbrella hole into the ceramic, which, as far as I know, hardly anybody else has figured out,” Varga said. “They reinforced the bottom with an aluminum plate, and that keeps the ceramic from cracking.”

 

Accessorizing outdoor

 

Three Birds Casual also used its Atlanta presentation to explore the continued evolution of outdoor rooms into fully appointed entertaining spaces. Coffee tables, bar carts and coordinating dining pieces are being considered as the foundation of a broader collection.

 

“We have new coffee tables, and we’re working on a dining collection to go with them as well,” Varga said. “It’s going to become a full-blown collection, which is something new for us.”

 

The designs remain in development, with Three Birds considering how additional materials could enhance their appearance and performance.

 

The company also brought a new bar cart to Atlanta, which Varga said is another response to current consumer trends in outdoor.

 

Three Birds Casual’s bar cart adds mobile serving and storage to outdoor entertaining spaces.

 

“Doesn’t everybody need a bar outside these days? We’re talking about making some improvements, possibly adding a ceramic top or something like that,” Varga explained.

 

The company’s accessory push also extended into textiles. Three Birds is working with Haven on cushions made with a synthetic-wool material, adding an unexpected texture more commonly associated with indoor upholstery to its outdoor mix.

 

“We’re working with Haven on cushions,” Varga said. “They make this synthetic wool, and it has been a huge hit with our retailers this year.”

 

Despite its substantial appearance, Varga said the textile remains suitable for warm-weather use.

 

Three Bird’s synthetic-wool performance fabric, brings indoor-inspired texture and softness to outdoor upholstery.

 

“It doesn’t feel as hot as you might think it would on a summer day,” he said. “It has a very nice feel.”

 

The cushions use WeatherMax performance fabric, a partnership Varga said has been a positive one for Three Birds. “The fabric is made with WeatherMax, and they’ve been awesome. They’re a great team.”

 

Ultimately, however, the response may reflect retailers’ appetite for outdoor products that depart from the familiar and give shoppers another reason to refresh their exterior spaces.

 

“I think a big reason people are so excited about it is simply because it’s something different.”