Woods International Signs License With Drew & Jonathan Scott

Furniture World News Desk on 1/30/2014

Leading outdoor lifestyle, furnishings and home décor supplier Woods International reported that it  has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Drew and Jonathan Scott—hosts of HGTV's popular television series Property Brothers, Brother vs. Brother and Buying & Selling—to develop a comprehensive coordinated collection of home furnishings and accessories under the new “Scott Living” brand name.

The Scott Living collection draws on the prodigious architectural experience and sophisticated design sensibilities of twin brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott, partners in Scott Brothers Entertainment, the multifaceted media production company and content provider that is licensing the Scott Living brand. Scott Brothers shows air in more than 80 countries and territories worldwide.

The initial Scott Living collection will encompass seven completely coordinated product ensembles for outdoor living, indoor living, bed and bath fashions, home décor and accessories, and will debut at the National Hardware Show, May 6 to 8, 2014 in Las Vegas.

“The Scott brothers have huge, huge consumer appeal, with the number one, two and three shows on HGTV,” asserts Scott Woods, founder and president of Woods International. “We are extremely excited to be able to curate an entire indoor-outdoor living experience for the consumer and to offer our retail customers a uniquely coordinated home décor statement through this new partnership.”

The Scott brothers are known worldwide as experts when it comes to home design, Drew Scott notes, explaining, “We pride ourselves on quality in everything we do, and Woods International shares that commitment. Woods International is well established as a reputable manufacturer of quality products and we can trust that our designs will be brought to life by a company that understands our creative vision, at a price point that reflects the consumer’s needs and desires.

“The company’s proven track record for creating a coordinated line that has style, functionality, high-end design, and most importantly, affordability, is exactly why we have teamed up for Scott Living,” Drew Scott continues. “Woods International combines design and product development expertise, international sourcing capabilities and strong ongoing relationships with leading retailers in the U.S. and Canada.”

Woods points out that the Scott Living brand is exciting and innovative because it is the first totally coordinated collection to address both indoor and outdoor furniture as well as home décor and accessories. In the past, outdoor and indoor living products have been treated by most national retail chains primarily as impulse purchases, with little relationship to each other or to other product segments throughout the stores.

“We’re not just talking about a single product or category focus, but an entire themed lifestyle approach, bringing the total design package under one roof,” Woods relates. “Our strategic advantage is very clear: Most other companies in our industry are focused on selling one key category of product—planters, fountains, lighting, furniture, accessories, textiles, etc.—and therefore are leaving it up to the retailer to try to pull from all of these different categories to make a meaningful, coordinated assortment for the consumer. We, on the other hand, bring all of these products and elements under one roof, with one design team interpreting the Scott Brothers’ singular vision.

“We expect the Scott Living brand will help our retail customers turn their home décor departments into a destination shop,” Woods continues. “We are developing products that span 10 or more different merchandise categories to offer the consumer a totally coordinated and complementary presentation. A hallmark of the Scott Living brand will be ‘style at an affordable price,’ giving consumers a wonderful array of products to make both their indoor and outdoor living areas a special place to relax and entertain.”

The Scott brothers themselves are passionate about engaging the consumer and delivering a meaningful assortment of merchandise that fits into everyday lifestyles.

“The reason our shows are number one hits is simple…the viewer can relate to Jonathan and I,” comments Drew Scott. “We don't use stuffy design terms that confuse the average consumer. Our collection is ‘relatable swell.’ From larger furniture options to small accents, our collection gives the consumer the solutions for their space regardless of restrictions in budget, size or desired overall design.”

Both brothers say it is extremely important to them to be directly involved in the design process. “We want the Scott Living collection to be a reflection of our personal design philosophy,” explains Jonathan Scott. “The collection mirrors our tastes and preferences and makes great design accessible for the average consumer.

“The Scott Living brand will have an overall modern, clean-lined design aesthetic, with some aged and vintage elements layered in for added interest,” Jonathan Scott continues. “I love the mix of old and new, and pulling in interesting materials, textures, finishes and colors to create a real signature look for the collection.”

Woods International is placing the design and product development for the Scott Living collection under a team of industry veterans, including Shawn Stanton, lead indoor and outdoor furniture designer; Susan McAllister, lead textile designer; and Terri Laughlin, outdoor living design coordinator.

“The strength of Woods International for the past 17 years has been our design department, working closely together with our long-standing partners in Asian manufacturing, as well as with our retail customers in North America,” Woods remarks. “We have had numerous meetings with the Scott Brothers to understand their style, their ‘look,’ and how we can bring this collection to life.”

Laughlin says the Scott Living collection focuses on the continuing trend of bringing interior décor elements to the outside of the home. “It is important to us, and to the Scott brothers, to have the patio or deck area be just as sophisticated and comfortable as the inside of the home,” she states. “The other thing we want to achieve is coordination across categories, to help the ultimate consumer decorate. Not everyone is confident in their abilities to pull things together, so we are doing it for them.”

The collection liberally mixes materials, including marrying ceramics with metals, wovens with textural glazes, and stone with metal. “We also like playing with color and texture placement, using matte and gloss ceramic glazes to create tonal variations,” Laughlin says. “For instance, a piece may be one color and texture on the outside with an unexpected pop of a different color on the inside—this is another signature design element that emphasizes the whole inside/out theme. We are hoping to develop several of these ‘signature elements’ that will continue to appear over time.

“Each collection features a broad variety of materials to avoid too much of a ‘matchy-matchy’ look,” Laughlin adds. “We are using aged steel, copper and zinc finishes; these coordinate with teak and woven materials. Ceramic finishes include crackled, distressed and ombré looks. We also are using a few unexpected elements like rope and aged mirrored surfaces, as well as glass in a wide range of finish techniques and colors.”

Stanton elaborates, noting, “We are developing seven distinctive collections for the first outdoor offerings encompassing a wide variety of materials and style categories. The style categories range from traditional to transitional to contemporary, while the materials being used in these collections are teak, cast aluminum, and several types of wovens. Throughout each collection, we are offering a number of pieces that are functional and versatile in their uses; we even have one collection designed specifically for multi-function items that can be used in smaller spaces.

“The Scott Living brand will include an upscale ‘Black Label’ line as well as a more price-conscious collection,” Stanton adds. “These collections will greatly benefit the consumer in that they can buy a full outdoor setting that is already coordinated for them no matter which pieces they choose to buy within the collection.”

McAllister points out that the collection draws on an expansive spectrum of trends and influences for the designs, fabrics and furniture frames. “We are inspired by the need to balance our surroundings and eliminate the ‘disconnect’ between our outdoor spaces and our interiors,” she declares. “We all have a need for peaceful places, sanctuaries where we can escape stress, meditate and relax.

“The collection resonates with global influences, reflecting the sophistication and aspirations of the well traveled consumer,” McAllister continues. “We also are appealing to the ‘new traditionalists,’ with the mix of the old with the new, and revisiting the past through vintage textiles, including geometrics, Mid Century Modern designs, and nostalgic Boho looks drawn from the free-spirited ‘70s that have the look of one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted, or block-printed textiles. Our whole concept is to allow the consumer to create a customized and personalized look by mixing and matching color, pattern and accessories to make their own unique style statement.”

According to Woods, the Scott Living collection is designed to be accessible and engaging to a broad base of consumers. “Traditionally, the customer base for outdoor living products is in the 45-plus age group,” Woods says. “However, the Scott Brothers appeal to consumers from ages 25 to 65, men and women alike. This therefore represents a huge opportunity for retailers to increase their buying audience.”

Besides being integral in the design of the collection, the Scott brothers also will be actively involved in the marketing and branding efforts in the outdoor living arena. The marketing approach combines social media, including Facebook, Twitter and the Scott Brothers website, as well as traditional print media, including in-store signage and national advertising.

Woods says these marketing and branding efforts are unprecedented in the industry. “I have always felt that for outdoor living category in most major retail chains has not been approached as a destination location,” he explains. “The Scott brothers will be heavily involved in supporting the brand and creating marketing ‘buzz,’ drawing consumers into the retail locations and creating a true destination shop for the Scott Living brand.”

The initial launch will include several key outdoor living product categories, including planters, bird baths, fountains, tabletop lighting, hanging lighting, torches, pathway lights, wall art, occasional furniture, fire pits, garden seats and serving trays. The first products from the Scott Living brand will be available in stores in Spring 2015.


About Woods International: Woods International is a leader in the lawn and garden décor business, focusing on key retailers in the U.S. and Canada. Woods International has built its niche through a very strong in-house design team and also work with outside designers that offer unique looks. The company currently holds licenses with Disney, Military branches, Garfield (PAWS INC.) and regularly expands its assortment with new and dynamic collections. The company has offices and showrooms in the U.S. and in China.


About Drew and Jonathan Scott: The Scott brothers host HGTV’s top shows, Property Brothers, Buying and Selling, and Brother vs. Brother as well as Off Topic With The Scott Brothers, a 60-minute lifestyle radio series on Canada’s Corus Radio produced in conjunction with a third brother, J.D. Scott. Scott Brothers Entertainment is a multifaceted company that strives to develop cutting-edge original entertainment for television and other platforms and is dedicated to the craft of production and providing innovative content for U.S., Canadian and international markets.