Article Number: 4049
Beaulieu cooks up ‘something different’ for Bliss - New technology, designs at center of 2009 offerings
So what does the product design team that helped launch Bliss carpets last year do for an encore? Toss out the rulebook, according to Danny Wade, executive vice president of product development at Beaulieu of America. “As a rule, we develop new products based on our existing systems. This year we took a different approach.”
And different may be an understatement for the 2009 edition of Bliss by Beaulieu, he added. “This year Bliss is boldly going where no Beaulieu product has gone before.” Wade, a 10-year Beaulieu veteran, heads up the company’s Product Design Center, which consists of an experienced crew of 11— some with as many as 20 years at Beaulieu. “Some of our competitors have much bigger design teams,” he observed “but we come up with some pretty big ideas of our own.”
That means, there’s something for everyone. For sophisticated tastes and trend-setting design sense, Beaulieu will introduce Bliss Flirtation in 10 products representing 288 SKUs.
Flirtation is a first for Beaulieu, Wade noted, because it uses variable twist technology in a pattern carpet made with the mill’s PermaSoft and PermaSoft Plus nylon. “The results are those of a higher-end pattern.”
Alan Pickard and Tiffany Thornton, who were the lead designers on the collection, said “The patterns make striking décor statements without overpowering the space they’re in.”
In 2008, Beaulieu gave the industry Silver Release—the first antibacterial protection of its kind in carpeting, said Wade. For 2009, Beaulieu’s team did one better. Healthy Home (and Healthy Essence for aligned dealers) will feature the new Silver and Zinc Release—an even more effective, durable and topically applied protection.
He added, the mill spent over a year developing the silver and zinc ion technology. “The treatment is all-natural, performs for the life of the carpet and is safe for people and pets. The addition of zinc ions actually improves the antibacterial protection and speeds the active protection to within minutes.”
TV influence
The Bliss brand was built on being responsive to the needs of its customers. But getting inspiration from Hannah Montana? That’s how the new Bliss for Kids was born.
“Women with children in our department recognized the potential of bold colors in carpeting, like on the TV show,” Wade said. “So we put together 20 colors in what’s become the most talked about collection we’ve ever produced. It’s selling very well and our sales team loves to show it off.”
Bliss for Kids began shipping in August, but its formal introduction will be at Surfaces. And lest you think Beaulieu’s product development team just creates product, think again, Wade pointed out. The Bliss Direct display design is a perfect example.
“One night,” he recalled, “the idea just came to me and I sketched it out. Next morning, I got Pickard to start drawing the actual plans. Hans Bakker, director of product management, worked with a local company to build it. And now we’re applying for a patent because of its unique design and features such as the built-in sample dispenser.”
It’s been called the Abercrombie and Fitch of carpet displays and has played a highly visible role in establishing the Bliss brand, Wade added.
Dealers must agree, too, as the company has shipped more displays than at any time in its 30-years for a new product line.
For more on Bliss, call 706.272.7365.
And different may be an understatement for the 2009 edition of Bliss by Beaulieu, he added. “This year Bliss is boldly going where no Beaulieu product has gone before.” Wade, a 10-year Beaulieu veteran, heads up the company’s Product Design Center, which consists of an experienced crew of 11— some with as many as 20 years at Beaulieu. “Some of our competitors have much bigger design teams,” he observed “but we come up with some pretty big ideas of our own.”
That means, there’s something for everyone. For sophisticated tastes and trend-setting design sense, Beaulieu will introduce Bliss Flirtation in 10 products representing 288 SKUs.
Flirtation is a first for Beaulieu, Wade noted, because it uses variable twist technology in a pattern carpet made with the mill’s PermaSoft and PermaSoft Plus nylon. “The results are those of a higher-end pattern.”
Alan Pickard and Tiffany Thornton, who were the lead designers on the collection, said “The patterns make striking décor statements without overpowering the space they’re in.”
In 2008, Beaulieu gave the industry Silver Release—the first antibacterial protection of its kind in carpeting, said Wade. For 2009, Beaulieu’s team did one better. Healthy Home (and Healthy Essence for aligned dealers) will feature the new Silver and Zinc Release—an even more effective, durable and topically applied protection.
He added, the mill spent over a year developing the silver and zinc ion technology. “The treatment is all-natural, performs for the life of the carpet and is safe for people and pets. The addition of zinc ions actually improves the antibacterial protection and speeds the active protection to within minutes.”
TV influence
The Bliss brand was built on being responsive to the needs of its customers. But getting inspiration from Hannah Montana? That’s how the new Bliss for Kids was born.
“Women with children in our department recognized the potential of bold colors in carpeting, like on the TV show,” Wade said. “So we put together 20 colors in what’s become the most talked about collection we’ve ever produced. It’s selling very well and our sales team loves to show it off.”
Bliss for Kids began shipping in August, but its formal introduction will be at Surfaces. And lest you think Beaulieu’s product development team just creates product, think again, Wade pointed out. The Bliss Direct display design is a perfect example.
“One night,” he recalled, “the idea just came to me and I sketched it out. Next morning, I got Pickard to start drawing the actual plans. Hans Bakker, director of product management, worked with a local company to build it. And now we’re applying for a patent because of its unique design and features such as the built-in sample dispenser.”
It’s been called the Abercrombie and Fitch of carpet displays and has played a highly visible role in establishing the Bliss brand, Wade added.
Dealers must agree, too, as the company has shipped more displays than at any time in its 30-years for a new product line.
For more on Bliss, call 706.272.7365.
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