Adler designing holiday "adorableness"

By Aarthi Sivaraman

NEW YORK (Reuters) - "Happy chic" designer Jonathan Adler has a clear view of how the 2009 holiday season will look in his stores -- a "crack den of adorableness."

Adler, who designs high-end home goods from sofas to salt shakers, expects his 2009 holiday sales to increase 15 percent after a similar rise in 2008 holiday revenue -- a period when the overall retail industry suffered its worst hit in nearly 40 years.

"I'm expecting to do the same. God knows I've been working hard to deliver the stuff," Adler said at the Reuters Global Luxury Summit in New York.

"Christmas is huge in the gift (business), so it is really my season," Adler said. "I have written in giant letters on the corkboard behind my desk -- 'irresistible giftables.' That is my mandate. I hope that when you walk into my store you will feel like you're in a crack den of adorableness."

Home goods sales have dwindled in the past year, hurt by a prolonged downturn in the U.S. housing market and tight access to credit. Mounting job losses in the recession have added to consumers' problems and forced them to spend sparingly on expensive items they do not use on a daily basis.

Though the home goods sector has been ailing for months, Adler said he has managed to thwart the sales pressure by being creative and putting "hard to resist" items on store shelves.

For instance, items such as a $48 pair of salt and pepper shakers and a $48 banana-shaped vase are seeing strong demand, while bigger items are a tougher sell, Adler said.

Adler's more expensive designs include a $6,400 sofa and $1,650 mirror.