SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT


                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934



 Date of Report (date of earliest event reported): December 10, 2002
                                                       (December 10, 2002)

                      Furniture Brands International, Inc.
               (Exact name of Registrant as specified in charter)


           Delaware                     I-91                    43-0337683
------------------------------   -------------------    -----------------------
   (State of Incorporation)          (Commission              (IRS Employer
                                      File Number)       Identification Number)




                101 South Hanley Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63105
                    (Address of principal executive offices)




                                 (314) 863-1100
                    -----------------------------------------
                         (Registrant's telephone number)


<PAGE>


Item 5. Other Matters

     The Company reaffirmed its previous guidance of fourth quarter earnings per
share  in the  $0.50 to  $0.55  range on a  diluted  basis  and  reiterated  its
previously  stated  expectation  of $2.09 to $2.14 per common share for the full
year.

Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits

     (c)  Exhibit

          99   Press Release, dated December 10, 2002





<PAGE>


                                    SIGNATURE




     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.




                                    Furniture Brands International, Inc.




                                 By:   /s/  Steven W, Alstadt
                                       ---------------------------------
                                       Steven W. Alstadt
                                       Controller and Chief Accounting Officer





Dated: December 10, 2002

<page>

INFORMATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE






                FURNITURE BRANDS INTERNATIONAL REAFFIRMS GUIDANCE
                    FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2002


St. Louis,  Missouri,  December 10, 2002 - Furniture Brands International (NYSE:
FBN),  reaffirmed its previous  guidance of fourth quarter earnings per share in
the $0.50 to $0.55 range on a diluted basis.

W.G. (Mickey) Holliman,  Chairman,  President and Chief Executive Officer, said,
"Business  conditions are as we expected when we issued our previous guidance on
October 23. Business at Broyhill and Lane remains comparatively strong. Business
at  Thomasville,   Drexel   Heritage,   Henredon  and   Maitland-Smith   remains
comparatively  soft and shows no signs of a recovery that would impact  earnings
in 2002."

"With  respect  to the  full  year,  we also  reiterate  our  previously  stated
expectation of $2.09 to $2.14 per common  share." Mr.  Holliman  concluded,  "We
will report the final results of the fourth quarter and full year on January 22,
2003."

Furniture   Brands   International   is  America's   largest  home   furnishings
manufacturer,   manufacturing  and  sourcing  its  products  under  six  of  the
best-known brand names in the industry - Broyhill, Lane, Thomasville,  Henredon,
Drexel  Heritage and  Maitland-Smith.  The company markets its products across a
broad  spectrum of price  categories  and  distributes  its products  through an
extensive system 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, 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 most recent
reports on Forms 10-Q and 10-K.  The company also  cautions  investors  that our
forecast for the fourth quarter and the year 2002 represents 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.
[{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "filename": "form8k121002.txt", "description": "FORM 8-K FILED W/PRESS RELEASE ON 12/10/2002", "secsgml_size_bytes": 5489}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "FURNITURE BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC", "cik": "0000050957", "assigned-sic": "2510", "irs-number": "430337683", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "001-00091", "film-number": "02853798"}, "business-address": {"street1": "101 S HANLEY RD STE 1900", "city": "ST LOUIS", "state": "MO", "zip": "63105", "phone": "3148631100"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "101 SOUTH HANLEY RD", "city": "ST LOUIS", "state": "MO", "zip": "63105"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "INTERNATIONAL SHOE CO", "date-changed": "19690313"}}
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 Date of Report (date of earliest event reported): December 10, 2002
                                                       (December 10, 2002)

                      Furniture Brands International, Inc.
               (Exact name of Registrant as specified in charter)

           Delaware                     I-91                    43-0337683
------------------------------   -------------------    -----------------------
   (State of Incorporation)          (Commission              (IRS Employer
                                      File Number)       Identification Number)

                101 South Hanley Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63105
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

                                 (314) 863-1100
                    -----------------------------------------
                         (Registrant's telephone number)
Item 5. Other Matters

     The Company reaffirmed its previous guidance of fourth quarter earnings per
share  in the  $0.50 to  $0.55  range on a  diluted  basis  and  reiterated  its
previously  stated  expectation  of $2.09 to $2.14 per common share for the full
year.

Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits

     (c)  Exhibit

          99   Press Release, dated December 10, 2002
SIGNATURE

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                                    Furniture Brands International, Inc.

                                 By:   /s/  Steven W, Alstadt
                                       ---------------------------------
                                       Steven W. Alstadt
                                       Controller and Chief Accounting Officer

Dated: December 10, 2002
INFORMATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                FURNITURE BRANDS INTERNATIONAL REAFFIRMS GUIDANCE
                    FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2002

St. Louis,  Missouri,  December 10, 2002 - Furniture Brands International (NYSE:
FBN),  reaffirmed its previous  guidance of fourth quarter earnings per share in
the $0.50 to $0.55 range on a diluted basis.

W.G. (Mickey) Holliman,  Chairman,  President and Chief Executive Officer, said,
"Business  conditions are as we expected when we issued our previous guidance on
October 23. Business at Broyhill and Lane remains comparatively strong. Business
at  Thomasville,   Drexel   Heritage,   Henredon  and   Maitland-Smith   remains
comparatively  soft and shows no signs of a recovery that would impact  earnings
in 2002."

"With  respect  to the  full  year,  we also  reiterate  our  previously  stated
expectation of $2.09 to $2.14 per common  share." Mr.  Holliman  concluded,  "We
will report the final results of the fourth quarter and full year on January 22,
2003."

Furniture   Brands   International   is  America's   largest  home   furnishings
manufacturer,   manufacturing  and  sourcing  its  products  under  six  of  the
best-known brand names in the industry - Broyhill, Lane, Thomasville,  Henredon,
Drexel  Heritage and  Maitland-Smith.  The company markets its products across a
broad  spectrum of price  categories  and  distributes  its products  through an
extensive system 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, 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 most recent
reports on Forms 10-Q and 10-K.  The company also  cautions  investors  that our
forecast for the fourth quarter and the year 2002 represents 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.