At Home Builds Mitchell Collection As Exclusive Brand – HomeWorld Business

PLANO, TX At Home is rolling out the Grace Mitchell Collection in a partnership that builds off earlier initiatives but with this one representing a new milestone as it undertakes building an exclusive brand that will develop over time.

The collaboration that At Home has established with interior designer Mitchell is already vast, at 400 items, and meant to last, as the two parties refine their work together across categories from furniture to home decor to lighting to textiles to tabletop.

Mitchell, who in addition to doing her A Storied Style blog, has been featured in several HGTV shows including One of a Kind and Design at Your Door, is working in collaboration with a retailer for the first time.

Chad Stauffer, At Home chief merchandising officer, said the company has been pleased to craft a collection with high-end style at sharp values. Style and value will be critical in the ongoing collaboration that At Home and Mitchell will cultivate and extend. Mitchells classics with a twist styling approach provides a flexibility in development but also a grounding in practicality and practice. In the case of the initial collection, Mitchell based product development on what she experienced in renovating her 100-year-old home in Fort Worth, TX, as well as products she commonly turns to in her everyday doings.

When Grace set out to build this collection, she focused on the kinds of pieces she loves to use when decorating a room, but often has a hard time finding in stores, Stauffer said. With this collection our customer can get the kind of high-end decorator touches shes always dreamed of but at the amazing prices shes come to expect from At Home.

In approaching the collection, Mitchell said she wanted to translate traditional designs for todays consumer.

As far as the process, I came to the table with ideas of some items I wanted to create, whether they were vintage items I wanted to do a fresh take on, or products I wished I could find in stores and never could, she said. From there, we ordered samples and tweaked them as needed. Maybe the color, maybe the style, maybe the size.

Mitchell said that consumers who have been spending more time home are increasingly inclined to freshen interiors theyve been living with for what seems like too long. Although many, in an era when home decorating information and expertise is abundantly available, have at least some confidence in their ability to switch up the looks of their home, consumers dont necessarily want to just jump on the current trend. Many consumers appreciate a connection to tradition even if they dont feel altogether bound to it. Mitchell said she recognizes that such consumers want to connect the then and now, but with the added notion that they are telling a tale about who they are personally and, very often, about their families.

The message I get from people is: My whole home design is around the idea of a story, she said. I really was thinking about whoever loves home and wants to make their home feel special and unique.

As it launched in all 219 At Home stores, Stauffer pointed out that the collaboration with Mitchell emerged, at its inception, from a commonality of approach.

About a year ago, we sat down with Grace for the first time after being introduced by a mutual friend, he said. We have been incredibly focused on bringing our customer the best new home trends at the best prices, and when we met with Grace, it just clicked. Grace is all about storytelling through her designs and thats something Im incredibly passionate about: How do we use the 50,000 SKUs in our store not only to deliver great value but to help our customer build a home that tells their familys story?

Stauffer and Mitchell agreed that the collection isnt about a specific target group within the larger At Home customer base. Rather, it has been designed so that just about any shopper entering an At Home store could find something or some things attractive within the collection at an affordable pricepoint, such as a decorative clock at $12.99 or a tufted upholstered bench for $99.99.

One of the most fun parts of shopping at At Home is we really do have all dcor styles under one roof, Stauffer said. Our customer is creative and passionate about home dcor and were focused on bringing her the best of every style at an incredible value. We have set out a plan to find and partner with the best collaborators in each of the styles our customers love, and we are excited to partner with Grace on an assortment that we know will inspire and delight our traditional dcor customer.

This isnt the first collaborative collection launched by At Home even if its the first one intended to develop as an exclusive brand. Stauffer said the retailer builds design partnerships based on consistent terms. What was true in the past was true with the Mitchell collaboration even if it will be more expansive.

First off, we have a rule at At Home that we seek out partnerships with people we genuinely like, he said. That was easy with Grace. We are thrilled to be embarking on a collaboration with a partner we admire and respect as much as her. Secondly, shes Fort Worth born and raised. Were a Texas-based brand and that connection for our first full brand collaboration just made sense. And lastly, her design aesthetic is classic and timeless. Weve seen a lot of farmhouse collaborations in the market over the past few years. We thought our customer would love to see something different. Theres a lot of beauty in what Grace does: Its rooted in classic shapes but it has Graces amazing twist.

The effort At Home and Mitchell put into developing the collection effectively marks the retailers initiation into building exclusive brands.

This is really the first time weve pulled together such an extensive and long-term collaboration, Stauffer said. Given our unique model and 100,000 square-foot store, we think this is the sort of immersive shopping experience our customer could only really find at At Home. The response has already been incredible, and were excited to have several more collaborations in the pipeline.

The launch of the Mitchell collection not only represents a new phase in At Homes evolution but also as a new approach to providing shoppers with something fresh and potentially exciting.

Its been a hard year for everyone, Stauffer said. Were all spending more time at home, more time with family, and I think customers are going to want their homes to feel happy. Graces optimism and happiness are truly authentic, and it comes through in everything she touches.

Read more:
At Home Builds Mitchell Collection As Exclusive Brand - HomeWorld Business