INFORMATION
 101 South Hanley Road
 St. Louis, Missouri 63105
 314-863-1100

                                                          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


               FURNITURE BRANDS INTERNATIONAL COMMENTS ON OUTLOOK
                      FOR THIRD QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2001;

              COMPANY CONTINUES AGGRESSIVE LONG-TERM DEBT REDUCTION


St. Louis, Missouri,  September 10, 2001 - Furniture Brands International (NYSE:
FBN)  commented  today on its outlook  for the third  quarter and the balance of
2001.

The company said it expects  third  quarter 2001 sales to be down 9-10% from the
same period last year,  and third quarter  earnings per share to be in the $0.25
to $0.27 range.  The company  also said it expects  full year 2001  earnings per
share to be in the $1.35 to $1.40 range.  Both of these  outlooks are consistent
with previously  announced guidance,  and exclude certain charges for previously
reported restructuring activities.

W.G. (Mickey) Holliman,  Chairman,  President and Chief Executive Officer, said,
"We continue to see weak order trends across most of our operating companies and
product lines,  particularly in our case goods  businesses.  The  year-over-year
comparisons  are becoming less  difficult,  but we have yet to see any sustained
improvement  in  order  activity.  We  now  expect  the  current  soft  business
conditions to continue through the balance of this year."

"The  previously  announced  plant  closings are being  implemented,  with eight
plants  closed since the first of this year and three plants  scheduled to close
by the end of the third quarter.  While we are still incurring costs  associated
with the closing of those facilities,  all of those costs should be behind us by
the  end of the  year.  As a  result,  2002  will  see  increased  manufacturing
efficiencies and higher operating profit margins."

Mr.  Holliman  continued,  "Cash flow  continues to be robust as we maintain our
focus  on  reducing   working  capital  and  curtailing   nonessential   capital
expenditures.  During  the first half of this  year,  we repaid  $88  million in
long-term debt. Our strong cash flow is enabling us to make further  substantial
debt reductions in the current quarter."

Mr. Holliman concluded,  "Despite the current  uncertainties in the economy, our
business remains  fundamentally sound and profitable.  Recent business failures,
both in  manufacturing  and in retail,  are  accelerating a consolidation in our
industry  that,  in our  opinion,  is long  overdue.  We will  continue to offer
innovative and fashionable products, focus on long-term operating profitability,
and exercise balance sheet discipline.  We will emerge from the current economic
softness a stronger  company,  positioned  to achieve  significant  market share
growth going forward."

Furniture Brands International is an industry-leading  branded consumer products
company  manufacturing  home  furnishings  under three of the most  recognizable
brand names in the furniture  industry -- Broyhill,  Lane and  Thomasville.  The
company's  products cover a broad spectrum of style and price categories and are
distributed  through an  extensive  network  of  independently  owned  national,
regional and local retailers.

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe
harbor"  provisions  of the Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of 1995.
These forward looking  statements  include the company's  expected  earnings per
share,  profit  margins,  and cash flow,  the  effects of certain  manufacturing
realignments  and other  business  strategies,  the  prospects  for the  overall
business  environment,  and other  statements  containing  the words  "expects,"
"anticipates," "estimates," "believes," and words of similar import. The company
cautions investors that any such  forward-looking  statements are not guarantees
of future  performance  and that  certain  factors may cause  actual  results to
differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors may
include:  overall  business and economic  conditions and growth in the furniture
industry; changes in customer spending patterns and demand for home furnishings;
competitive  factors,  such as design and marketing  efforts by other  furniture
manufacturers;  pricing pressures; success of the marketing efforts of retailers
and the  prospects  for further  customer  failures;  the  company's  success in
furniture design and manufacture;  the effects of manufacturing realignments and
cost savings  programs;  and other risk factors  listed from time to time in the
company's  public  releases  and SEC reports,  including  but not limited to the
report on Form 10-Q for the  quarter  ended  June 30,  2001.  The  company  also
cautions  investors  that our forecast  for the third  quarter and the year 2001
represent  our outlook only as of this date,  and we undertake no  obligation to
update or revise  any  forward-looking  statements,  whether  as a result of new
developments or otherwise.