HIGH POINT, N.C. – Eleven manufacturers of outdoor home furnishings and accessories have been recognized for their outstanding product designs, the International Casual Furnishings Association announced today.

From among the 11 category winners in ICFA’s Design Excellence competition, two products will be selected for the Lilly Award for Outdoor Furniture and Outdoor Accents, and one product will be honored with the Lillian B. Winchester “Best of Show” Award. These honors will be announced at the ICFA Awards Gala on Wednesday, September 22 at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park.

The Design Excellence category winners include:

• Chaise Lounge: Gensun Jayne Daybed…

DELTA, BC - FPI Fireplace Products International (Regency Fireplace Products) has appointed David Fraser as its new President. Earlier in 2021, Glen Spinelli stepped down as president after 26 years of leadership and announced he would be transitioning into retirement.

During Glen’s tenure at FPI, the company experienced multiple decades of consecutive growth. Glen was responsible for reshaping the go-to-market sales, distribution, and marketing strategies, ultimately leading the company to triple in size. Glen will remain an active member of FPI’s board of directors.

David joins FPI with over 17-years of executive-level leadership experience in the residential, commercial,…

BURLINGTON, N.C. - At a time when people continue to seek new ways to personalize their homes with a greater focus on comfort, sanctuary, and function, Sunbrella unveils its Upholstery Outlook and latest fabric collection, Emerge, to tell a story about the guideposts that are influencing a wide range of customization in design. Crafted by the global design team at Sunbrella, this forward-looking report provides expert insight into the drivers of consumer interests and how they translate to a new approach to mixing patterns, textures, and colorways in residential home design.

Upholstery Outlook
Gathering inspiration from other industries, cultural…

SARASOTA, FL -  Windward Design Group of Sarasota, FL has named casual industry veteran Charles Emmons as its new executive vice president of Sales and Marketing. In addition to his responsibilities leading the sales and marketing efforts, Emmons will join the executive team headed by CIO Rachel Peace, to carry out the long-term growth mission of the company.

“Charlie is an exceptional leader and a consummate professional with immense knowledge of the casual furnishings category,” said Rachel Peace, CIO, Windward Design Group. “He has proven to be a strategic thinker, respected leader and cultivator of relationships with not only retail…

HUDSON, N.C. – Sattler Outdura, a division of The Sattler Group, Austria, announces the addition of Chris Caldwell as product manager for Outdura casual furniture and Sattler shade fabrics reporting directly to Uli Tombuelt, Sattler Outdura USA CEO and director of sales casual furniture division.

In his new role Caldwell will be responsible for the development, analysis and management of all furniture and shade fabrics as well as working closely with sales and business development to enhance Outdura’s image and create long-term value to the organization.

Caldwell comes to Sattler Outdura with a strong management background in production, product development…

COMFORT, TX - OW Lee, a manufacturer of high-end outdoor furniture, fire pits, and accessories located in Comfort, Texas, has added Laura Hutchinson-Sax as an independent sales rep for the New England Territory.

Laura joins OW Lee to represent Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. She has been in the outdoor industry for 19 years, mostly in upstate NY but has expanded her territory to include the New England states in the last several years. Previous to that she worked in a furniture store as a designer.

“Laura’s experience and personal…

HUDSON, N.C. - At this years’ Casual Market Chicago, Sattler Outdura is showing their OVATION 4 collection of textured and patterned fabrics in their new showroom, 15-101, on September 21-23, 2021. In addition to fabrics, on display in the showroom will be inspiration boards by three top interior designers illustrating imaginative ways to use Outdura fabrics to show different perspectives on using all-weather textiles. And, as an added plus, the Outdura design team from the Sattler Outdura corporate headquarters in Graz, Austria and Hudson, NC will be in the showroom answering questions and sharing their expertise.

“We have received many…

PELHAM, AL ––ICFA Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Bew White is the subject of a new biography by Christopher Taunton. The volume, ‘A Summer Classic: The Bew White Story’ delivers a detailed examination of Bew’s childhood, college years, early professional life, and the successes and failures that got him to where he is today.

What does it mean to live a truly substantial life? Can you look at the sum of your successes and failures and say that they were a job well done? ‘A Summer Classic: The Bew White Story’ explores these questions and more through a biographical examination of…