Alexa Hampton Designs for Cannon

By Carole Sloan -- Home Textiles Today, 2/13/2007 12:00:00 AM

New York — Noted interior and home furnishings designer Alexa Hampton has created a bedding collection for the Cannon brand, which is produced under license by the recently acquired Li & Fung division Homestead.

Hampton, who has a longstanding successful furniture collection for high end producer Hickory Chair, also is launching a rug collection for Stark and a lighting collection for Visual Comfort.

Working with Cannon as a popular-priced home textiles supplier is not a contradiction in terms of her high-end interior design work and her other licensees that also are in the upper brackets of home furnishings, she related. She brings her expertise at the high end of home to the mainstream market.

"Cannon is not an unknown brand. And there is wonderful product at all price points — both in home and in fashion," she explained. "People today are so savvy and so educated about style and design. Design today is not exclusionary."

Today, she pointed out, "Even when I'm working with the most high-end design clients, there is a budget. There's a different point of view, for example, between the design and budget for the master bedroom and the guest room."

In creating the bedding for Cannon, Hampton said, "I've approached it in a personal way — and I've had so much fun doing it. Cannon is such a great old name; I've always known it for its reliability, quality, classic standards. It fits our culture and my personal philosophy."

The debut collection "has varied groups. There is a fun paneled bed with an ikat interpretation; a paisley; a sweet floral; a natural bed; and a green and lavender documentary floral."

Her rug collection for Stark, a designer supplier of decorative fabrics and rugs, includes 20 designs each colored in at least five colorways and three constructions. The copyrighted styles are done in broadloom and rugs in silk, Tibetan weaves, hand loomed and tufted chenilles.

Her new 40-plus piece collection of furniture for Hickory Chair will launch at the High Point market next month.