Art Van Furniture Collaborates With Global Stylemaker And Celebrity Photographer Nigel Barker On 2014 Spring Catalog

WARREN, Mich., Feb. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Nigel Barker, internationally renowned photographer, author, filmmaker, celebrity judge for 17 seasons on the hit reality television series, America's Next Top Model, and host of The Face on Oxygen, is bringing his passion for fashion and incomparable eye for beauty and design to the pages of Art Van Furniture's 2014 Spring Style Catalog. In this unprecedented furniture industry collaboration, Barker's images will appear throughout the new Art Van Furniture catalog, including the front and back covers, showcasing the flair and function of the season's stylish collections through his high fashion lens. He is providing the creative photographic direction for the entire catalog, and his artistic influence will be recognizable on every page.

"Photographs evoke emotion, and Nigel Barker is a master when it comes to capturing the essence and beauty of his subjects and settings," said Art Van Elslander, founder and chairman of Art Van Furniture. "To have a photographer of Nigel's caliber with his stellar international reputation tell our fresh spring style story through his images is truly groundbreaking and will offer an extraordinary visual experience for our guests."

"Beauty exists everywhere, from the runways in Paris to the pages of Vogue to every Art Van Furniture showroom," said Barker. "Art Van Elslander and I possess a mutual love of style, and I am eager to share my vision, inspire guests and tell Art Van Furniture's home fashion story through my photography in their 2014 Spring Style catalog."

Barker's shoot locales across the United States will include High Point, Miami, Chicago and Detroit. Art Van Furniture will host a press conference with Barker in metro Detroit on February 12 to share additional details about the innovative catalog project. In April, Barker will also be the special guest at two private launch parties celebrating the release of the 2014 Spring Style Catalog to be held at Art Van Furniture stores in metro Detroit and in Chicago.

Barker has been a creative force in the worlds of fashion, beauty and entertainment for the past 20 years. After 17 seasons as a judge on America's Next Top Model, Barker now hosts The Face with Naomi Campbell on the Oxygen Network, which debuts its second season on March 5, 2014. In 2010, he published his first book, Nigel Barker's Beauty Equation, which is being developed into skin care and cosmetics lines designed to help women get camera ready.  Barker has been a spokesperson for Avis, Microsoft, Sony, Crest White Strips, and Nine West. He has appeared on numerous television shows and had a cameo role in the feature film Arthur. Barker is also a humanitarian, a filmmaker whose award-winning documentaries, including Dreams Are Not Forgotten, have highlighted some of the world's most pressing issues, and an ambassador for the United Nation Foundation's Girl Up initiative. He resides in New York City with his wife, Crissy, and their two children, Jack and Jasmine. 

For additional information and high-res images, visit www.artvanmedia.com.

About Art Van Furniture
Art Van Furniture is the Midwest's largest furniture retailer and America's largest independent furniture retailer. The company operates 37 stores throughout Michigan, five stores in Chicagoland, one store in Toledo, Ohio and in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a full service e-commerce website, plus 39 freestanding Art Van PureSleep bedding stores in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Founded in 1959, the company is family-owned and headquartered in Warren, Michigan. Visit artvan.com for more information.

SOURCE Art Van Furniture