TOMMY BAHAMA

Tommy Bahama is bringing the spirit of a safari to the home.

Kingstown, the newest collection for Tommy Bahama Home, invokes a sense of adventure with its exotic finishes and furnishings infused with British Colonial style.

The collection was showcased earlier this winter as Lexington Home Brands made its debut in the World Market Center.

"The evocative pieces in Kingstown give you the sense of a well-traveled life, of items hand-selected during journeys around the globe, from the West Indies to Africa to the Caribbean," said Phil Haney, president and chief executive officer of Lexington, which manufactures the Tommy Bahama Home line.

Cheminne Taylor-Smith, director of marketing communications, said the collection departs from the tropical island feel typically associated with the Tommy Bahama brand but still retains a casual appeal. Featuring a relaxed, traditional look, the collection was designed to fit into many different lifestyles.

"It is a group that embraces many feelings and will connect with consumers on several different levels," Haney added.

In addition to British Colonial influences, the collection shows traces of campaign style through its grandeur and hidden compartments.

The 65-piece Kingstown collection offers furnishings for the bedroom, dining room and living room, as well as occasional accents.

Each piece was designed to recreate the look of a one-of-a-kind treasure discovered during a global adventure, yet blend with other furnishings to become part of a coordinated collection.

For example, the Tortola chest is wrapped in hand-tooled leather and accented with decorative nailhead trim. The pattern repeats on other pieces, including the Drake sofa, which combines leather and fabric upholstery.

Louvered doors reminiscent of plantation shutters accent the Trafalgar armoire, while the Bonaire round dining table features a custom-designed inlay that resembles a compass point.

Helping to create the safari look is zebra-patterned hair-on-hide, which is used on both a sofa and hand-painted mirror.

Other materials found throughout the collection include glass, cane, antiqued stone and hammered copper.

The pieces feature a new Tamarind finish, created exclusively for the collection.

"Tamarind is a deep, rich color that functions as black but offers glimmers of golds and reds through its unusual chipped-through and distressed layers," Haney said.

Hardware throughout the group is finished in a custom aged bronze with copper undertones.

Even though the pieces look as if they are well-traveled, Taylor-Smith said they are constructed with the same quality and details that Lexington is known for including felt-lined drawers and dovetail construction.

They also are designed for modern lifestyles. The Stoney Point dresser, for example, can double as a media center; it has a drop-down front suitable for video components and a hole in the back to accommodate cords and wires. The Gibralter game table features concealed drawers behind the decorative apron for storage and built-in drink holders to help prevent spills on the leather top.

The collection is expected to be in retail stores around May, Taylor-Smith said.

For additional information, visit www.tommmybahama.com.