Manchester adds to Kelly Rightsell line

High Point— Manchester Furniture has added a third collection to its licensed Kelly B. Rightsell line, which the manufacturer first showed in April. The line uses a lifestyle approach, incorporating color themes from Rightsell's artwork rather than actual illustrations, so it can easily last through the teen years.

The High-Point based manufacturer debuted the Royal Princess group during October's furniture market. The collection is Manchester's take on a more contemporary Victorian look, said Kelly Hahn, who handles merchandising and product development for the manufacturer. "We tried to take Victorian and modernize it," Hahn said. "So much of it is 'overcooked,' or overdone."

Hahn said that Royal Princess lacks the carvings often found on Victorian groups, but the manufacturer did keep some styling details such as the feet on the case pieces and the bed finials. The collection is composed of 14 SKUs, including a choice of a panel or canopy bed, both available in twin and full sizes. A full-size panel bed will retail for $399, while a canopy counterpart will sell for $599.

The collection also contains a unique chest and mirror combination based on an old design Manchester found while researching the collection. It's a combination of an armoire and five-drawer chest and it retails for $799. "We were trying to find a neat alternative to the traditional dresser, mirror and chest," Hahn explained.

All the collection pieces are available in four painted finishes — white, Carolina blue, soft mint and blush pink. Hahn said that those shades were chosen because they are predominant colors in Rightsell's artwork, which was used to accessorize the showroom. Royal Princess is being made in Thailand and is set to start shipping in the spring.

Hahn said that retailers liked that the case goods ship with two sets of hardware — crystal and chrome — which is something buyers had asked for. The idea is that younger girls will like the crystal pulls, but as they get older they might prefer the simplicity of the chrome hardware. "This collection is all about flexibility and really neat beds," Hahn said.

Royal Princess joins two Rightsell collections that launched in April. The first was a girls' white group that offers panel and sleigh beds and case goods with sophisticated serpentine drawer fronts. The second group is Outer Banks, a contemporary teen line in a natural finish made of solid rubberwood. Both groups are shipping now.

Hahn said Manchester plans to release more Rightsell product at the April market. "I love working with Kelly," he said. "She has such an unique perspective that is whimsical, fun and creative."

Manchester also plans to introduce a second licensed youth line in April as part of its Alexander Julian furniture collection, Hahn said.

Manchester Furniture's Royal Princess desk and hutch are shown in Carolina blue.