AN ORIGINAL POINT OF VIEW
As I’m walking around High Point Market this week, the world’s largest international furniture and decorative accessories wholesale tradeshow with over 80 multi-story buildings representing 10 million square feet of exhibit space, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed – and in need of a foot massage! { For that, if you’re here , too, stop at Caracole Home in the IHFC building – they’re giving free ones! }.
It’s also thrilling when you happen upon a manufacturer who has given a luxury interior designer the opportunity to showcase their unique and original point of view via a licensed collection. It makes such a huge difference, at least to those journalists, buyers, designers and bloggers, who have been to many markets, to see a fresh, original, and integrated collection.
It enables everyone to get excited and when it’s a winner, everyone writes about it, buys it, and talks about it on social media, which, of course, allows the collection to go viral and have a much wider consumer audience see it, in real time, which means more retail sales when it’s finally for sale in retail stores -whether e-commerce or brick and mortar, or both.
Four collections I’ve seen this market, so far, that represent, to me, wholly original, integrated and unique points of view are those of Charlotte Moss, Alexa Hampton, Thom Filicia and, although I wasn’t in love with the whole collection, Jamie Drake’s cocktail table, in his collection, was the stand out *piece* I’ve seen so far.
CHARLOTTE MOSS for Century Furniture: collected, eclectic, warm and comfortable
ALEXA HAMPTON for Hickory Chair – New York elegance, layered, mixed, refined
THOM FILICIA for Vanguard Furniture – bold, geometric, mixed patterns, textural { the double mirrors that opened this post are his design }
Here’s a detail of those fabulous mirrors: upholstering around a circle with wood involved isn’t easy. Kudos to the craftsperson on the upholstery team at Vanguard Furniture’s factory that executed these. The workmanship was perfect.
JAMIE DRAKE for Theodore Alexander – color, bold, luxurious, exotic materiality , international
And the underside of Jamie’s cocktail table that I believe will become a collector’s item, because it represents a truly original point of view from a world renowned designer.
When I saw this, I was reminded of Dorothy Draper, America’s first interior designer, who was famous for having an authentic point of view. Today, her legacy is being carried on by Carleton Varney, whose firm, Dorothy Draper & Design Company, redid her bold and glorious masterpiece, The GreenBrier, located in West Virginia, not too far from High Point Market here in North Carolina.
A room from the Greenbrier Resort, as re-done by Carleton Varney.
The grand staircase at the Greenbrier
{ Reproductions of Dorothy Draper’s furniture are available at High Point Market at Kindel Furniture }
The only collection I haven’t seen so far here is that of Mary McDonald, who is introducing hers for Chaddock at High Point Market. Stay tuned but just for a little teaser..here’s Mary for Schumacher. Do you see a little Dorothy Draper influence here, too?
My takeaway? No matter how bold, no matter whether traditional or modern, the eye of a great designer for proportion, scale and harmony is invaluable to manufacturer’s looking to reach today’s visually and digitally savvy consumers.
Exquisite taste never goes out of style.
for
Leslie Hendrix Wood
Decorator
Midland, Texas
Founder, Editor In Chief
Hadley Court
Gracious Living. Timeless Design. Family Traditions.
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~ Thank you ~
All images by author except last 3, courtesy of http://dorothydraper.com and http://fschumacher.com
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