Theodore Alexander

It has been such a crazy month, I have fallen behind on writing up my impressions of the High Point Market!

One of the showrooms that was a big discovery for me was Theodore Alexander.  On the website, the furniture company is described as "shaped by English Heritage, Theodore Alexander handcrafts furniture and accessories for your home with uncompromising quality. We believe in using the most interesting materials for both function and beauty. This allows our craftspeople to create products that will not only be forever but also give distinction to your favourite spaces.  An exceptional eye for design and detail in our bench made products is the signature of Theodore Alexander”.

I was familiar with some of Theodore Alexander’s collections, in particular  their Althorp Living History collection.  Althorp Living History is based upon the furniture collection at Althorp House, the ancestral home of the Spencer family located in Northhamptonshire, England.  The house is 500 years old, and the furniture contained within reflects hundreds of years of exquisite design.  Many of the original pieces have been meticulously recreated for the Althorp Living History collection. 

One of my favorite pieces from the Althorp Living History collection is the circular extended dining table, inspired by the piece designed by Robert Jupe in 1835.  The leaves are self-storing, incorporated into the design of the piece, and we were able to watch our guide extend it all by herself in under a minute.

Another one of my favorite pieces from the collection is the dining chair that was meticulously recreated from the originals found in the State Dining Room in Althorp.

To see the entire Althorp Living History collection online, click here.

A brand new collection for Theodore Alexander is by the Keno Brothers, who are considered two of the foremost furniture experts in the United States. We were able to meet the Keno Brothers as they displayed their beautiful new collection, which is strikingly original, exquisitely crafted, and with a classically modern flair. Click here to see more pieces from the Keno Brothers collection.

The newly redesigned Theodore Alexander website is a visual feast, and easy to navigate.  Theodore Alexander has an enormous line of fine furniture, and although we were not able to take pictures in the showroom, it can all be viewed online http://www.theodorealexander.com/default.aspx.

I also recommend the Theodore Alexander blog, called ‘Theo’.   The latest blog post has a wonderful behind the scenes of the craftmanship that goes into created a Chinoiserie piece.  Click here to read the blog post – it is fascinating!  

http://theo.theodorealexander.com/2011/05/06/the-creation-of-chinoiserie-masterpieces/

To visit my store, Quatrefoil Design, click here – come see the brand new art and scupture items in the store!
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The amazing High Point Market

I have always loved furniture, even as a young child.  I remember thumbing through the Sears catalog, circling items that I wanted for my bedroom (a canopy bed was at the top of my list).  As an adult, my love for furniture only grew as I became more aware of the vast variety of styles available, and one of the highlights of finally buying a house in Atlanta was picking out furniture of my own, instead of the hand-me-downs that I had used as a newlywed.

When I was invited to attend the High Point market, with a behind the scenes guided tour of five showrooms,  I accepted the invitation immediately.  High Point is legendary for a furniture aficionado like me, and the High Point Market in particular is the pinnacle of the home furnishing experience.  It is the largest home furnishing industry trade show in the world, and it attracts visitors from all over the world.  The sheer number of languages that I heard spoken is a testament to the international presence of the High Point Market.  With over 10 million square feet of space, and over 2,000 showrooms, it is an immense but amazing place.  I had never visited before, and I was looking forward to it as much as my children look forward to going to Disneyland!

The mood was very upbeat, and the attendance was strong with an estimated 80,000 plus visitors this year.  There is a feeling that the economy is turning around, and the showrooms were packed with designers and buyers looking for what’s new and fresh in the world of home furnishings (approximately 1/3 of the attendees are designers, and 2/3 are retail buyers).  The High Point market is definitely a place where the latest and greatest in trends are presented and discussed.  It is also like a testing ground of sorts; some of the showrooms that I visited noted that the High Point Market is their primary place to see first hand how designers and buyers react to their offerings, and the reactions determine what their products lines will contain over the next year.

The trends that I observed and read about were interesting.  Customization was mentioned at just about every showroom that I visited; the designers and buyers like to tweak the designs and furniture colors to suit their client base, and many of the furniture lines can deliver on this.  One showroom noted that the collector’s approach to purchasing furniture is alive and well.  It is rare for people to buy a matched set of furniture these days, and furniture makers are delivering unique and eclectic accent furniture lines that suit this style of buying.  Even in the world of outdoor furniture, the last bastion of purchasing an entirely matching set of furniture, there is a trend towards the art of the mix.

The High Point Marketing Authority also noted the following trends:

• Furniture that shelters, and makes the home feel like a sanctuary. Upholstered beds, deep wing chairs, products that are made in the USA (the patriotic element of shelter), antique and retro styling
• Bold florals, fruit, and vegetable style fabrics
• Strong pops of color in both furniture finishes and fabrics, and fair amount of light toned wood finishes (driftwood and oak colors, whitewash) mixed in with the dark and medium tone finishes
• Menswear inspired patterns and fabrics (I even saw a sofa that was upholstered in men’s suiting fabric)
• Focus on shapes – lots of geometrics, and the trellis and Greek key motif were quite prominent
• Tribal and cultural designs, particularly in fabrics but also in hardware

Here are a few images that I took during my whirlwind day.  I am going to post more details in future posts about the amazing showrooms that I visited, including Century Furniture, Hooker Furniture, Sligh Furniture, Theodore Alexander Furniture, and Hickory Chair.  I learned so much about furniture and presentation and the sheer variety of choices out there – I can’t wait to share my discoveries with all of you, but it is truly too long for one post!  More to come.

Please note that all of the images were taken by me, with my humble camera.  There was so much to see that I feel as if I wasn’t focused on my photography skills, so please forgive the quality of the photos!

Oscar de la Renta for Century Furniture

The mix of traditional and contemporary was a signature look at Century Furniture

A piece from Century Furniture's outdoor line - this piece was a best seller at the market

A new line introduced at the spring market - Monarch by Century Furniture

A vignette from the Hooker Furniture showroom

A room scene from Hooker Furniture's new Harbour Pointe collection.

Hooker Furniture's Mélange line features accent furniture that are designed to mix into any home decor design

Beautiful detail on a piece from a chest in the Mélange line

A variety of finishes available on chairs from Hooker Furniture.  Interesting and vibrant colors in wood finishes were seen throughout the High Point Market.

Great office furniture, scaled smaller than in the past, and geared towards the latest in technology, was  beautifully displayed at the Sligh Furniture showroom.

A charming 'D' shaped desk at Sligh Furniture.

Custom color cabilities on many of the products at Sligh, with a very short lead time.

At Theodore Alexander, the Keno brothers were on the floor to showcase their new collection of furniture, composed of expertly and exquisitely crafted original pieces with a classically modern flair.

Hickory Chair's new showroom was filled with light, and there were beautiful pieces of furniture to discover in every room.

This was one of my favorite rooms - with the Candler bed upholstered in a beautiful Hickory Chair fabric.

A view of one of the rooms featuring the Suzanne Kasler for Hickory Chair collection.

Mariette Himes Gomez for Hickory Chair

Have you ever been to the High Point Market?  I highly encourage a visit for those of you ‘to the trade’!  The next market is October 22-27, 2011.  For more information on the High Point Market, please visit http://www.highpointmarket.org/.

To visit my store, Quatrefoil Design, click here – come see the brand new art and scupture items in the store!
To subscribe to my blog by email, click here.
To follow my blog on Facebook, click here.
Twitter: @TTIBlog
To see design, architecture, art, and decorative books that I recommend, please visit the Things That Inspire Amazon store.