Dec 6

Dec 6 HERE'S TO ANOTHER ARTS NOMINATION!

The holidays bring about a time to reminisce about all that has happened throughout the year. It brings about that warm and fuzzy feeling of being thankful for everything that has happened. One major thing that we are incredibly grateful for is being nominated as a finalist for the third time for the 30th ARTS Award! It is truly an honor that our peers chose us as a company that stands out to them in the industry.

Home Accents Today interviewed Brian, our President, about being nominated for a third time:

By continuing to stretch the imagination of what can be produced in the wall décor category, Howard Elliott Co. once again returns to the ARTS arena with its third consecutive nomination. “Howard Elliott pushes the design envelope by utilizing a combination of materials, substrates and unique finishes,” says President Brian Berk. Here, he provides the details of another successful year.

With regard to your category, what was your formula for success this year?

We’ve been able to increase our reach with the introduction of our Hand Painted Canvas Wall Art collection. This has afforded us the ability to not only soften the look of our showroom by balancing the reflectivity of the mirrors, but it provides our customer base with original subject matter framed at the perceived value Howard Elliott is known for.

View Canvas wall art collection

What were the standout pieces that earned you this recognition?

We feel that we are recognized for creating pieces that incorporate great finishes with geometric shapes, represented in our Felicity and Raven Mirrors. The geometric characteristics afford versatility in their use. In contrast, we introduced softer finishes with our Grayson Mirror Collection that blends Coastal and Cottage trends with reclaimed wood frames finished in a blue-gray wash. Finally, we are always recognized for our oversized mirrors like our Countess Mirrors in both black and white lacquers, inspired by Italian wood molding.

In what ways have you elevated your presence in the market this year?

We made a concerted effort to learn how to communicate with the interior design community - we have truly learned to read, write and speak all over again to properly position ourselves with this emerging channel of distribution. We have elevated our base of high design clients with our ability to create custom mirrors for their unique commissions. Additionally, we have worked diligently to enrich our committed partnerships with our retail customers to further understand and alleviate their pressures.

What was your company’s greatest challenge in 2018 and how have you tackled it?

Without a doubt, it’s been the newly imposed tariffs. In fact, we participated with other ART members prior to the High Point market to discuss the challenge and potential solutions. While I cannot say that we have solved a challenge which comes with a great deal of uncertainty, I think that we have communicated our plans with many of our current and new customers. I feel that we have a good working understanding with our peers and customer base regardless of the result.

On the other hand, our ability to continuously adapt to the changes in the industry and provide custom product and programs has certainly contributed to our growth in 2018, and we hope to build upon this success into 2019.

As an industry, what did we learn from 2018?

I think that many of our competitors learned that we can use organizations like ART to not only network, but to use as a forum to collaborate to find solutions on sensitive subject matter without divulging proprietary or sensitive information. I think that we are currently finding that together, we might all be able to weather the storms that we might have found insurmountable alone. I think that ART affords a community atmosphere to provide a little sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day.

This year’s awards celebrate the 30th anniversary of the ARTS program. Please reflect on the influence it has had on both the industry and your company.

ARTS is a special organization and its reach continues to expand. An influx of many influential designers and retailers are now given a forum to voice their opinions and network with their suppliers and the press. Howard Elliott has been afforded the opportunity to be an integral part of ARTS and it certainly has given us additional credibility.

VIEW ALL FINALISTS HERE >