The high-quality craftsmanship and styling of Thomasville furniture has made it from inside the home to outdoor living spaces. This spring, the company introduced two lines of outdoor furniture with the durability to handle the elements. Both are available at Home Depot and www.homedepot.com.

The Nature’s Retreat line (pictured) is made from hardy eucalyptus wood with an espresso finish and all-weather wicker.

The Summer Silhouette collection has a slightly more contemporary look, with cool gray upholstery and a rustproof aluminum frame with slate patina finish.

Each collection includes weather-resistant cushions and offers a seven-piece dining set, chaise, side table and umbrella. Nature’s Retreat also is available as a seating set with four lounge chairs, two bridge tables and a coffee table, or as a half-set with two chairs and a bridge table. Summer Silhouette includes a sectional sofa with ottoman.

Prices range from $99 for side tables to $999 for large seating and dining room sets.

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A slate of candidates for Boca Raton-based leveraged-buyout firm Sun Capital Partners was elected today to the board of Furniture Brands International.

Alan Schwartz, Ira Kaplan and T. Scott King won election in a proxy fight with the current board of directors at a shareholders meeting in St. Louis, the headquarters for the holding company of several well-known furniture brands including Broyhill, Drexel Heritage, Lane and Thomasville.

Sun Capital holds a 9.5 percent stake in Furniture Brands. In February, Sun Capital tried and failed to acquire the company, offering between $13 and $15 a share.

Shares in Furniture Brands (NYSE: FBN) closed today at $14, up 45 cents.

Washington, D.C., interior designer Darryl Carter is not as much of a household name as Ernest Hemingway and Humphrey Bogart, individuals who inspired previous lines for Thomasville Furniture. Nevertheless, Carter has created collections for Neiman Marcus stores, displayed work on home magazine covers and appeared on the television series “Dream House.”

Like some other companies’ collections during the spring market, the new Darryl Carter for Thomasville collection takes ideas from antiques, including antiques in his own home, and brings them up to date. His Wessex upholstered chair features a barrel back that comfortably surrounds you and that reverses the fabric, a Carter preference repeated throughout the collection.

The 100-piece line, including lighting, accessories, rugs and textiles, will be available in Thomasville stores and galleries in the fall.

Also this spring, Thomasville introduced Casual Retreat, a medium-priced, more contemporary collection.

The birch Rectangular Table features unusual one-foot extensions for the legs that can turn a dining room table for chairs into a bar table for stools.

An affiliate of Sun Capital Partners served notice in documents posted Monday by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it plans to solicit proxies and elect its own candidates to the board of Furniture Brands International at Furniture Brands’ 2008 annual meeting.

Boca Raton, Fla.-based Sun Capital Partners, which is seeking a complete list of Furniture Brands stockholders, is the majority owner of Lexington Home Brands and owns about 9.5 percent of Furniture Brands stock. St. Louis-based Furniture Brands owns Thomasville Furniture. Read more »

Clayton-based Furniture Brands International Inc. has found a buyer for its furniture.

The buyer – Muscatine, Iowa-based HNI Corp. – is the No. 2 global brand and office furniture is the largest American manufacturer of gas and wood-burning fireplaces.

$ 75 million sale of Hickory Business Furniture, expected to be completed by the end of this month, will provide an infusion of cash for Furniture Brands – the country’s No. 2-residential furniture manufacturer. The agreement will also enable the company to focus more closely on its residential brands, including Thomasville, Broyhill and Lane. Read more »

The slump in the housing industry is knocking the stuffing out of furniture sales, merchants and analysts say.

A recent casualty is Domain, an upscale regional chain that is liquidating all 27 stores, including its showroom at the Promenade at Sagemore in Marlton.

“In the past year or so we’ve lost Levitz, Storehouse and Bombay Co.,” said Jerry Epperson, furniture industry analyst at Mann Armistead & Epperson in Richmond, Va. “It’s a very challenging time for the business.”

In a recent poll of dealers by Furniture World, a New Rochelle, N.Y.-based trade publication, 70 percent of retailers said orders were down. Read more »

Furniture Brands International Inc. named Alexander Hodges chief marketing officer effective immediately, the company announced Tuesday.

As part of the newly created position, Hodges will lead Furniture Brands’ team of brand marketing employees to build the company’s presence in the marketplace.

Hodges most recently served as vice president of marketing for Russell Athletic, a division of Russell Corp. In that position he led all marketing and retail merchandising operations for that division. Read more »

In its mission to develop strong Asia-based operations and build a supply chain and logistics operation, Furniture Brands International Inc. announced Monday it has established its Asian headquarters and made several promotions and re-assignments.

The company established Furniture Brands (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., where eventually a 120-person office will serve as the headquarters of the company’s Asian operations. As managing director, Jimmy Martin will head all of the global sourcing efforts for Furniture Brands. He will be stationed in Dongguan, China.

The company named Davy Whittington head of distribution and logistics; Jeff Smith head of product development; Brian Martin head of sourcing operations; and Tara Newman will coordinate import logistics functions. Read more »

Furniture Brands International’s chairman and chief executive W.G. “Mickey” Holliman said Tuesday he expects the company’s third quarter sales to be down about 12 percent.

The company also expects its earnings per share to be between a loss of 19 cents to 23 cents a share.

Holliman said in a statement: “When we issued our second quarter results in July, we warned of a softening business environment and weakening order flow, and since then we have seen those trends continue.” Read more »

Add a charming workstation to your child’s room with this student desk. Features oval wooden knobs, embossed drawers and a scalloped base rail. Includes 3 storage drawers for notebooks, journals, homework and more. Larger shallow drawer above knee space keeps school supplies close at hand. All drawers slide out effortlessly on durable metal guides and feature safety stops to prevent spills. Spacious top offers plenty of space for kids to spread out their work. This sturdy piece features wood product construction with a soft pearl white finish. Includes detailed, step-by-step instructions for easy assembly at home. From Creative Interiors, a division of Thomasville Furniture. Coordinate with other pieces from the collection for a darling bedroom ensemble. 28.88Hx35.44Wx15.56D”.