KLAUSSNER FURNITURE ANNOUNCES DESIGN TEAM FOR NEW DICK IDOL COLLECTION Award Winning Designers to Create New Concepts with Wildlife Artist ASHEBORO, N.C. (February 26, 2001) - Klaussner Furniture Industries, the world’s largest privately held furniture manufacturer, today announced that after an extensive search and evaluation process, it has selected two well-known furniture designers to work with artist Dick Idol in developing a unique and exciting new line of upholstered furniture and case goods that evoke the feeling of the great outdoors. Klaussner plans a key dealer pre-line in August and a full line launch at the October 2001 market. Andrew Collins Gibson, an Emmy Award winning designer, will collaborate with Idol on the new line of upholstered furniture. DAPHNE and ROSCOE Awards winner, Don Burgess, who designed the Bill Blass and Old Havana lines, as well as Henredon’s Natchez Classic Collection, will be responsible for designing the case goods line. Gibson, a graduate of the prestigious Nottingham School of Design in Nottingham, England, spent his childhood in the African countries of Kenya and Zambia, and is passionate about the outdoor lifestyle. Since arriving in the U.S. fourteen years ago, he has built his company, ACG Designs into one of the most respected design firms in the world. Burgess, a 1979 honors graduate of the Kendall School of Design and owner of Burgess Designs, has produced successful collections for Pennsylvania House, Henredon and American Drew and was selected for the unsurpassed quality and inspiration of his work. It is very rare that a case goods designer and an upholstered furniture designer work together to create a completely integrated collection. But Gibson and Burgess have worked together successfully in the past and have an intuitive understanding of and respect for each other’s talents. The designers recently spent time together with Dick Idol at his home studio in Bigfork, Montana where the famed artist and outdoorsman led them on an excursion into the Rocky Mountains and showed them, first-hand, his vision for the furniture collection. Both designers gained new insight after the week with Idol. “Dick sees nature through the eyes of an artist,” said Burgess. “Furniture is the most common type of art in any home. It identifies who we are and what we aspire to be. Our job is to take Dick’s artistic vision of the outdoors and translate it into understandable and environmentally friendly works of furniture for people who want to bring the great outdoors into their homes.” Major influences for the Dick Idol line include the beauty of nature, wildlife and American history. Dark, distressed wood finishes, leather, antiqued looks, unique trimmings, and a variety of distinctive upholstery patterns will be important elements in the collection. The line will also include “signature” pieces that are based upon Idol’s artwork or tell a particular story and have a history behind them. Klaussner is providing extensive marketing and merchandising support for the brand at the October 2001 furniture market including the development of a 5,000+ square foot Dick Idol Collection showroom at company headquarters in Asheboro, North Carolina. The showroom will include a full Dick Idol outdoor lifestyle presentation. In addition to furniture, a variety of other Dick Idol home products will be available for sale including lamps, decorative accessories, florals, pillows and throws, floor and wall coverings, and wildlife art. Founded in 1979, Klaussner Furniture Industries is one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the United States and is the largest privately held furniture manufacturer in the world. Klaussner boasts 20 manufacturing plants as well as numerous support facilities in the United States and abroad. Its corporate headquarters and 100,000 square foot showroom are located in Asheboro, North Carolina. Dick Idol Ventures, LLC was founded in May 2000 in order to meet the demand for authentic outdoor lifestyle products. Although best known for his bronze monuments of whitetail deer (some measuring over 30 feet high) and his wildlife sculptures and paintings, Dick Idol is also widely recognized as one of America’s premier outdoorsmen. He is co-founder of North American Whitetail Magazine and is a writer and speaker on conservation and outdoor subjects. When he’s not on one of his frequent trips to unspoiled locations, Mr. Idol works out of his home studio in Bigfork, Montana, two miles from the closest road. For more information about Klaussner Furniture Industries, please visit www.klaussner.com For more information about Dick Idol Ventures, please visit www.dickidol.com.