Larry Thomas

Manufacturers and retailers who sell dressers, chests and similar clothing storage units are undoubtedly relieved that the Consumer Product Safety Commission finally came to its senses and approved furniture stability rules that were developed months ago by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

The new rules, which are set to take effect Sept. 1, are aimed at preventing tip-overs caused by small children who climb or play on the units. You’ve surely read some of the horror stories about these tip-over accidents – several of which have resulted in deaths and serious injuries.

According to Thomas Russell, editor-in-chief of Home News Now, the CPSC decided that the ASTM standards meet the requirements of the STURDY Act (Stop Tip-overs of Risky Dressers on Youth), which was signed into law by President Bid

Since the pandemic, “home entertainment” has taken on a whole new meaning for furniture retailers, wholesalers, interior designers and the like.

The category still features popular items such as television consoles, home theater seating and motion sofas, but has expanded in recent years to include items that require more active participation. We’re talking pool tables, dart boards, foosball tables, pinball machines, and other games commonly found in bars, restaurants and arcades. An exhibitor at this month’s High Point Market is even offering a home version of the century-old Skee-Ball arcade game.

Zuo began capitalizing on this trend more than a year ago when the company unveiled Bonker

I’m anything but avid gamer, but in recent days I’ve had fun playing Design Home, a leading home decorating game that allows users to pick out brand-specific furniture and décor while designing everything from a new bedroom to that dream home.

I downloaded the app, which is available in the Apple Store and Google Play store, at the behest of Zuo CEO Luis Ruesga, who excitedly told me about his company’s new partnership with the game’s creator. The partnership allows Zuo items to be among the options from which players can choose when designing a bedroom, living room, home office or outdoor space.

“It’s a very cool way to extend the reach of our brand to more consumers and interior designers, especially tech-savvy Millennials who have grown up with video games,” Ruesga said.

Althoug

At last month’s Las Vegas Market – the most upbeat furniture industry show we’ve attended since the pandemic – there was a fair amount of discussion about the dreaded “R” word.

Are we in a recession now? Is a recession likely to occur later this year? Should we worry about a recession at all?

The most common answer to all three questions: I don’t know.

While that may seem like the classic evasive answer, it’s probably the best one, given the confusing and sometimes contradictory indicators we’ve seen in recent months.

January’s unemployment rate, for example, was only 3.4 percent – the lowest in decades. But the inflation rate was still uncomfortably high at 6.4 percent – although that was well below last summer’

The collaboration between the Las Vegas Market and four other major January trade shows has led Zuo to secure a high-profile sponsorship role at the annual Kitchen and Bath Industry show (KBIS), the premier event for kitchen and bath designers.

No, Zuo isn’t planning to add kitchen sinks or bathroom vanities to its product line anytime soon, but the sponsorship allows the company to tout its importance to the restaurant industry by supplying all the seating and other furnishings for a lounge that will host a variety of presentations at the KBIS show. (Restaurant designers shop KBIS because, after all, those businesses need kitchens and bathrooms, too.)

Both shows take place Jan. 29-Feb. 2 in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Market, where Zuo maintains a year-round showroom, is at the familiar World Market Center, while KBIS is at the recently e

Readers of Home Accents Today, the leading trade publication covering decorative accessories, accent furniture, gifts, lighting and an array of other home furnishings categories, have named Zuo as one of the top three home office furniture suppliers in the business.

That’s pretty heady stuff, but the publication’s prestigious Reader Rankings are no joke. Retailers, interior designers and distributors in the residential and hospitality furniture segments take them very seriously, and it’s quite a feat to get consistently high marks from HAT’s readers – many of whom are Zuo customers.

“We are very humbled by this honor, and we appreciate the confidence the readers of Home Accents Today have shown in our company,” said Luis Ruesga, CEO of Zuo.

Ruesga was quick to point out

The Las Vegas Market’s recently announced partnership with three major trade shows that overlap the January home furnishings market could be a boon for furniture industry exhibitors anxious to get in front of buyers from the design, construction and home improvement fields.

This unique buying opportunity is possible because of the market’s partnership with the International Builders Show (IBS), which is sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders; the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), which is sponsored by the National Kitchen and Bath Association; and the National Hardware Show. (IBS and KBIS operate under the Design & Construction Week banner.)

All three shows will take place Jan. 31- Feb. 2 at the massive Las Vegas Convention Center. Those dates conveniently overlap the furniture market, which will be Jan. 29-

If you’re a female business owner or interior designer involved with home furnishings, here’s the perfect excuse for your next trip to Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Design Center, which is made up of about 30 year-round showrooms in Building A of the World Market Center, is hosting a panel discussion and luncheon on Oct. 6 called Project You: Empowering Women in Business. The half day event will be headlined by five female entrepreneurs and business owners who will, in the words of event organizers “inspire collaboration and education.”

“We are proud to be a sponsor of this unique gathering of some of the top young female entrepreneurs connected with the home furnishings business,” said Luis Ruesga, CEO of Zuo. “Not only will attendees gain insights from the panelists, but they will also have boundless networking opportunities with their pe

Considering that women have made the vast majority of home furnishings purchase decisions for decades, it was refreshing to hear that female architects and designers had most of the high-profile speaking slots at the recent national conference of the American Society of Interior Designers.

Called Gather, the event was ASID’s first in-person conference in more than two years. We’re told it was a very well-attended conference that included a wide cross-section of professional and student designers, architects and builders – the majority of them female.

Both of the event’s keynote speakers were female, as were roughly two-thirds of the more than 100 panelists and workshop presenters at the conference’s many educational sessions.

“It was an incredible demonstration of the grow

I’ve known Zuo CEO Luis Ruesga for more than a decade, and I’ve always been impressed with his creativity and his willingness to think outside the proverbial box.

So I’m thrilled to report that those talents were recently recognized by Furniture Today – the industry’s most influential trade publication. He was named one of the “20 People to Watch” in its fifth annual People Issue.

An accompanying profile of Ruesga noted his love for the furniture industry, in general, and modern/contemporary design, in particular.

He was also cited for his aggressive posture during the pandemic, when he refused to dial back product development and maintained Zuo’s typical pace of launching about 100 new SKUs at every High Point and Las Vegas market. In order to keep up that pace, Zuo opene