Armen Living’s Celebrates the 1-Year Anniversary of their Director of Product Development, Holly Lightfoot

Breathing new life into a legacy home furnishings brand, Armen Living is honoring the 1-year anniversary of Holly Lightfoot, Director of Product Development.

VALENCIA, CA, UNITED STATES, December 14, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Contemporary home furnishings brand, Armen Living is celebrating the anniversary of Holly Lightfoot, Director of Product Development, who joined their team in December of 2024.

"In just one year, Holly has transformed the trajectory of our product development. Her vision, discipline, and design instinct have elevated Armen Living in ways that already ripple through every new collection. Holly doesn’t just guide our creative direction — she strengthens our brand, our culture, and our future. Her impact has been immense, and we’re just getting started.” Kevin Kevonian, CEO and President of Armen Living said.

Since joining Armen Living’s team, Holly has set out to breathe new life into their home furnishings collections by launching hundreds of new items in 2025, with more to come in 2026. Designing and developing a new look that has moved beyond an exclusively contemporary aesthetic to offer a wider range of lifestyle-driven designs. While also staying true to the company’s mission, to provide stylish, affordable indoor and outdoor furniture for the trade market. “Holly's innovative approach and attention to detail have elevated our recent product introductions, setting new standards in the industry. Her ability to collaborate and inspire those around her truly distinguishes our work from the competition.” National Sales Manager, Reb Nicholson commented, “Holly’s leadership has not only driven impressive results but also fostered a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within our organization. Team members frequently express appreciation for her creativity and the enthusiasm she brings to every challenge.”

Read Holly Lightfoot's interview with insights into her role as Armen Living's Director of Product Development, with insights on her first year and her vision for the future of their legacy home furnishings brand.

Q: Can you tell us where your passion for furniture came from?
A: My passion for furniture goes back to my childhood; when I wasn’t at dance practice, my favorite way to spend a Saturday was visiting antique stores with my parents. I even designed my first bedroom around an antique Birdseye maple panel bed and matching vanity. While my degree is in Fine Arts and Art History, my professional foundation was built in retail. When I transitioned from the sales floor to a buying role, I fell in love with the psychology of the customer. Ultimately, my background isn't strictly "design" in the traditional sense, but rather a lifelong study of furniture and a deep understanding that if I don’t have the products the customer wants, I have nothing.

Q: Describe your role at Armen Living.
A: As the Director of Product Development, I set the strategic direction for our overall product line. We are a tight-knit company, so I work very closely with Kevin Kevonian, CEO and President of Armen Living to ensure our product roadmap aligns with our broader business strategy. My priority when I joined was to maintain the integrity of our reputation as a go-to resource for barstools, while simultaneously driving growth in other strong categories like Dining and our breakout Outdoor category.

Q: Does Armen Living’s 48 + year history add extra pressure?
A: Armen Living has such a strong reputation in the industry, and I am motivated to do everything I can to strengthen our standing, support our customers and increase our market share. Since taking over our product development, Kevin has implemented an aggressive growth strategy, and I am here to support that vision, to execute our product development and to drive our continued success.

Q: Describe your creative design process and where do you find inspiration?
A: Honestly? Everywhere. I am constantly jotting down ideas for new products or collections. I use a digital "Landing Pad" on my computer that acts as a whiteboard for all my concepts. It might be a snapshot of a fabric texture, a kitchen I saw in a magazine, or a unique retail display. This creates a bank of inspiration that I can draw from the moment we identify a need for a new category or collection.

Q: What exciting developments have you experienced in your first year at Armen Living?
A: "Exciting" is certainly one way to put it! We faced some curveballs this year, specifically regarding tariff pressures. However, I’m proud of how we handled those challenges with grace. In this business, partnership is everything—you must be a good partner, so factories want to do business with you11. Over the last year, I’ve focused on strengthening our long-standing factory relationships while building new ones, which allowed us to navigate those murky waters with minimal impact on our product line or pricing.

Q: Can you describe your product development plan? How far out do you plan or forecast?
A: We typically plan 9 months to a year before a launch. For example, right now I am already in the initial concept phase for collections that will debut at the October High Point show. Also with many of our outdoor customers having a seasonal market we need to plan far enough in advance to meet their demands and container orders.

Q: Describe what sets Armen Living’s collections apart? Development shift from Buying off the shelf vs Original collections?
A: The products we develop are exclusive to Armen Living; I work directly with our factories to ensure you won't find these same designs anywhere else. While similar trends exist in the marketplace, having an in-house designer allows us to maintain strict consistency in our product specs and quality, regardless of which factory we are utilizing. My team and I also work directly with fabric mills and suppliers to manage quality control from the ground up.
Q: Do you have a favorite piece in the upcoming Winter 2026 collection?

A: That is like asking me to pick a favorite child! On any given day I might prefer one over the other, but I put my heart and soul into every collection. Ultimately, my favorites are the ones the customers love the most. Right now, that would be our Commercial Barstool Program hitting retail floors very soon. The response of this new program has been amazing, and I believe the consumer is going to respond well to the value and durability of these pieces.

Q: Tell us about Armen Living’s plans for Winter Markets - Summer shows?
A: We maintain permanent showrooms at all three major markets—Atlanta, High Point, and Las Vegas—and I launch new products at every single show. Looking ahead, you can expect some major launches coming in April 2026. We have a lot in the works and some big changes in store for Armen Living. Our marketing team also enjoys planning events and engagement, to spice up our markets so there is always something fun in the works.

Discover Armen Living’s full category of new arrivals including bar, dining, living, and occasional design alongside new outdoor at Winter Las Vegas Market, January 25-29, 2026 and the Summer Las Vegas Market, July 26-30, 2026 at World Market Center, (475 Grand Central Pkwy, Bldg B, 7th Floor, Showroom B762, Las Vegas, NV 89106. And find their collections at the High Point Market, on April 25-28, 2026, and on October 17-21, 2026 in IHFC Bldg, 201 E. Commerce Ave, Hamilton Wing, Showroom H721, High Point, NC, 27260. Armen Living’s award-winning outdoor collections are on display at America’s Mart Atlanta 240 Peachtree Street NW, Bldg 1, Showroom B1 6-A2, Atlanta, GA 30303 during Winter Atlanta Market, January 13-19, 2026, and at Summer Casual Market on July 21-23, 2026 as well as during the Fall Causal Market on September 15-18, 2026 in Showroom B1 6-A2.

About Armen Living
Style leaders in design, Armen Living celebrates bold individuality, vibrant youthfulness, sensual refinement, and expert craftsmanship at fiscally sensible prices. “Each piece we design and develop conveys self-expression while resonating with a contemporary chic lifestyle.” Armen Living is the quintessential modern-day furniture designer and manufacturer, with a full line of indoor and outdoor furnishings for every room including bar, dining, living, office, bedroom, and outdoor living spaces. The result is a fashion-forward collection that is enhanced by sophisticated urban-retro aesthetics and all designed with quality craftsmanship, durable materials and without breaking your budget.

Open to the trade, their customers consist of retailers, designers, stagers, and hospitality purveyors across the globe. With a distribution center centrally located in Southern California, Armen Living offers exceptional and dependable service and is known as a wholesale company with stylish modern designs. Their brand is one of the leading resources in the country with over 500 SKUs just in their barstool category alone. Featuring a wide assortment of styles, sizes, materials, colors, and finishes - while more than 50% of their barstools are original designs - you won’t find anywhere else.

Supporting the hospitality industries their company is able to extend its full custom capabilities to effectively and efficiently meet all of its contract clients' needs. Providing unsurpassed and unparalleled attention to detail their fully integrated supply chain solution ­from product designs, to the drawing board, and the manufacturing process and distribution is beyond compare. With flexibility and speed, Armen Living’s production meets demands throughout the USA and extends to worldwide markets, exceeding their client's expectations at every level of interaction. Armenliving.com

Serena A Martin
24/7 Creative Agency
serenamartin247@gmail.com
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