HIGH POINT, N.C. - Bogey, Oscar, Martha.

The cult of personality that usually grips this otherwise sleepy little Southern town during the biannual International Home Furnishings Market hit fever pitch as Thomasville tapped Lauren Bacall and her son Stephen Bogart to tout its glamorous new Bogart line.

Century made Oscar de la Renta available to chat up his first foray into furniture, and even embattled Martha Stewart made a rare appearance last week, amid her stock-sale woes, to launch Martha Stewart Signature Furniture with Bernhardt.

Yet the star-studded collections merited the hoopla surrounding them. And "they'll certainly give stores something to promote" when they reach consumers in 2003, said Cindy Sheaffer, spokeswoman for the American Furniture Manufacturers Association.

Vanguard made striking additions to the alternative looks of its Stetson Home Classics, Gypsy Chic, and modernist Michael Weiss lines. Broyhill turned to English antiques for inspiration in developing its new Yorkshire Market collection, and Madison Square Furniture of Hanover, Pa., created a wonderful Monticello line inspired by the design savvy of an old name but a big one - Thomas Jefferson.

During the weeklong market that ended Wednesday, attention was drawn to furniture that was manageably scaled, well priced, and amenable to a mix-and-match approach. And companies whose lines were produced in America often pointed that out in light of the labor problems in West Coast ports.

"There's no better time to be an American-made company with the surge in Americanism, and all the things that are going on in the world," said Michael Peterson, president of Madison Square, based west of York, Pa.

Following the court injunction ending the lockout at the docks, there's been a slowdown in unloading shipments, said furniture-industry analyst Jerry Epperson. "Things are not back to normal... and retailers are concerned."

But they came to High Point more receptive than they had been recently, said Epperson, because the seasonal surge in consumer furniture-spending finally kicked in this month, after a slack August and September.

"No retailers turned down the opportunity to buy the Bogart line," said Mitch Scott, Thomasville's vice president of marketing communications, although those who came to see it were longtime Thomasville dealers.

The Bogart collection - due at retail in February - evokes the life and times of Humphrey Bogart rather than his films. The 1940s and '50s style of Hollywood's golden era comes across in mahogany, rosewood, silver leafing, leather, and sophisticated upholstery.

"People like to be relaxed but are tired of the dressed-down approach in society," said Scott. "They'd like to have a little more fashionably stylish home, yet not something that's stuffy."

Standout pieces included the Chateau Marmont bar cabinet, featuring five exotic wood veneers in a fanned design motif ($4,140), and the Hollywood vanity, featuring deco styling, mahogany frame, fossil stone top, silver leafing and mirror ($4,000; leather-topped stool, $900).

Stephen Bogart, a TV producer and author, said he suggested Thomasville do the line because he liked what they had done with the Hemingway collection. Bogart and his family live in North Jersey in a home that is "somewhat modern but includes antiques."

"That's what I wanted - a collection to fit in with antiques," said Bogart, who was involved in discussions about the look.

"Stylish yet not stuffy" could also describe the new pieces in Vanguard's Gypsy Chic, Stetson and Michael Weiss collections, although "stunning" also comes to mind. Among a few Stetson standouts were a sofa with wood frame accented in leather with Indian-blanket fabric and nine pillows ($6,280), and a settee with a floral washed-velvet back, tapestry seat, and shirred fabric border ($3,800). Both will be in stores in February.

There were also some outsized pieces in Stetson, such as a Colorado lodge-inspired mahogany dining-room table with two leaves ($3,400) and a mahogany coffee table made to appear as if it had been constructed of antique door frames ($1,300). Both are due out in the spring.

Restrained style with a definite presence was the hallmark of Oscar de la Renta Home, inspired by the furniture in the designer's homes on Park Avenue, at his country estate in Connecticut, and at his island retreat in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Outdoor pieces were also included in this framework for gracious living, due out in April.

A low, neutral sofa with wide padded arms and brightly colored throw pillows was the starting point of the collection. "These are fabrics I created for the line," de la Renta said, pointing to the sofa's camel-colored woven cotton with fine stripes in a lighter tone, accented by pillows in cherry wool or handblocked in a pattern that was embroidered ($4,000, including four pillows).

Why did he put all that color in the pillows and not the sofa?

"I don't dress a lady like a couch, and I don't dress a couch like a lady," said the designer.

An eye-catching red-lacquer coffee table with butler-tray top ($2,000) had its roots in a casual bar in one of his homes. "I don't like [matching] sets," he noted. "I like a home that's made up of things you buy and put together, and... you get a certain sense of harmony."

One intriguing piece was a radially expanding table that, when turned counterclockwise, provided room for leaves to be placed inside, extending the diameter to 84 inches. The price was about $25,000 for the table, leaves and storage pedestal, but retailers are expected to discount it to $17,000 or $18,000.

The understated but distinctive look of Broyhill's new Yorkshire Market collection should find plenty of takers when the collection lands in stores in December and January (www.broyhillfurn.com or 1-877-518-9182).

Individual pieces can add an English antique sensibility to a room without overpowering it.

The Wensleydale fowl safe china cabinet ($1,740) features a pull-up grille in the base. In original pieces, live chickens were stashed there and fed and fattened for Sunday fare. A chairside shelf table displayed nicely scalloped lines ($315), and a graceful washstand ($490) added interest at the foot of a bed.

At Madison Square, where the 30-piece dining and occasional collection was fashioned with curators from Monticello, the line included reproductions, adaptations and pieces inspired by Jefferson's home, such as a curio cabinet that evokes its entrance ($3,995).

A two-tiered dumbwaiter ($795) reflected Jefferson's love of mechanical elements, said company president Peterson, demonstrating how it can collapse into a more vertical piece.

The collection, due in stores in early January, has sold so well, it will probably make up 20 percent of the company's total sales, he said.

At Vaughan-Bassett, Doug Bassett was showing off various Elvis-inspired rocker-recliners ($399-$799). The top of the line comes in leather with a cooling unit for beverages and a massage control.

"We had a fantastic promotion with the 25th anniversary of Elvis' death in August," said Bassett, referring to bedroom sets launched at the spring market. "But now, we need new products and promotions to keep the dealers excited."

Bassett thinks recliners are the ticket and is aiming to have them in stores in January. That's Super Bowl season, and "President's Day," he observed, "is one of the finest days to promote them."