Furniture fever.

Abbyson Corp. has taken a carpet ride into the furniture industry.

For 10 years, the Chatsworth-based company, owned by Millennium Rugs Inc., was selling hand knotted Tibetan rugs to the home furnishings trade. To complement its rugs, the company decided last year it would start selling chairs, beds, tables and sofas, among other items.

Abbyson spokeswoman Sarah Rahall said that today the company's sales are split about evenly between furniture and rugs. "The furniture has just exploded," she said, adding the company has created a furniture division to handle this new business. An Abbyson leather sofa goes for roughly $1,200.

Despite a tough marketplace filled with experienced manufacturers, Rahall reasoned Abbyson has found its niche by selling classic furniture while other companies are turning to modern designs. By going the classic route, she said, the company will not be stuck with outmoded designs if the trend veers away from ultra-modern furnishings.

Another plus is that Abbyson has attracted a bevy of customers from its furniture venture. With Bloomingdale's Inc., a subsidiary of Federated Department Stores Inc., the company is negotiating exactly what combination of products to put in stores. In addition, Abbyson is teaming up with Chinese companies to offer hospitality clients the ability to buy containers of furniture with everything--from podiums to conference mom tables--to stock a hotel.

And Abbyson isn't going to let its furniture merchandise go stale. Rahall said the company is going to add different types to its collections. "We are always trying to add a fresh product mix," she said. "We want to push the envelope and see what else our customers are looking for."