Caracole Light is launching a furnishings collection in October called Live Love Laugh, its first-ever collaboration with an independent furniture and interior designer, Ana Cordeiro of Portugal.
The 40-SKU furnishings collection will debut at the fall High Point Market in brand's International Home Furnishings Center showroom, space C-500, the company announced.
Representing another first for the brand, the Live Love Laugh collection line will include branded lamps from Arteriors and bed linens from Christian Mosso. Caracole Light is a sub-brand of Caracole.
Cordeiro has been designing her signature line of furnishings and accent items since 2009, manufacturing in Lisbon, Portugal, and selling through her store in Portugal and elsewhere in Europe. Last year, she exhibited at the Maison d'Objet trade show in Paris, where her display was spotted by Jeff Young, Caracole CEO, and Melanie Dunn, the U.S. based brand's creative director.
"In Paris, Ana's booth was like an oasis in a desert," said Young. "Her signature use of bright hues paired with high-contrast white was exciting to experience, especially after that show's emphasis on neutral and gray tones."
"The color grabbed our attention, but we also immediately recognized her ability and brilliance in the product design work, especially given that she was forced to design around limited manufacturing equipment," he added. "Ana made the best use of her resources and, in the process, managed to create designs that are fresh and highly innovative."
"In this first collaboration for Caracole Light, it was important to have a substantive product offering to unlock the potential of Ana's talent and to fully translate her European-influenced vision for our retailers," said Young. "Ana is not a stylist; she is a fully trained wood and upholstery designer with a total environment point of view, and that is contagious."
Cordeiro said she was open to licensing her designs in order to reach a larger audience. She said the Caracole team "relied on my direction and gave wings to my creativity."
In October, the Live Love Laugh collection will debut with case and upholstery, including bedroom, dining and occasional furnishings.
A Sunbrella-brand canvas fabric will be used for upholstery covers. A signature wing chair features an alternating white stripe with bold colors presented in an exaggerated scale. The bold primary and secondary accent colors include yellow, green, red, blue, pink and orange.
An exclusive, coordinating lamp collection was designed in conjunction with Arteriors. Coordinating bed linens are from Christian Mosso. A cut-and-sewn pillow program features matching embroidery thread in the same color palette. The entire collection of accessory products will be for sale in the newest Caracole Light offering.
Presenting the new collection in a cohesive manner - by displaying furniture and accessories, as well as other decorative elements - will be a critical component for sell-through, added Young, who took cues from Cordeiro's Paris tradeshow presentation.
"We are supporting our dealers at retail by offering everything needed to present this powerfully branded collection in stores in the most efficient way," he said. "With a minimum amount of space, dealers will be able to tell the whole story, expressed through Ana's unique vision, and we are confident it will resonate with their customers."
The designer said she finds inspiration in her native Portugal and its abundant access to the sun and the sea.
"We expect the Ana collection to sell anywhere that's at or near water," said Young. "And we anticipate that it will be well-received by our interior design customers as well. In some early reactions, people are telling us that the products make them feel happy. What more could we ask of Ana and her designs?"
According to Cordeiro, the Live Love Laugh collection name sums up the philosophy behind her designs and her wish for how people experience their homes. "I believe my furnishings inspire peaceful and good moods, so I can imagine people living happily ever after," she said.
