Elrene Home Enters New Categories

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 2/26/2007 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

Having mastered the table linen and more recently also the kitchen textiles businesses, Elrene Home Fashions is now looking for further challenges in new categories — window coverings and scatter rugs.

Soft window treatments are still in development. Only hints of this new line were sprinkled around the showroom, particularly in the holiday section, for this market. The launch is slated for the August market.

But scatter rugs, currently only "a fringe" business, will become a more important category as Elrene further expands on its kitchen textiles offerings. "It's a logical addition to our kitchen line as another coordinate," explained Bryan Siegel, president.

The scatter rugs available now include an India-made smattering of chindis, wovens and chenilles, all made of cotton. They coordinate with a new casual color-and-texture focused collection of place mats and runners in the same constructions. Come August, printed polyurethane comfort mats will also be part of this scatter rug mix. And they will coordinate with kitchen textiles programs for more complete sets.