Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Back from Market!

I'm back from my whirlwind adventure to Highpoint Market week which was so incredibly fun but also highly educational (pun intended)!The talk of market seemed to be the new line of Ralph Lauren lighting (which I was sad not to see for myself) as well as the new line of AMAZING furniture for Theodore Alexander designed by the history savvy and passionate Keno brothers of Antiques Roadshow fame; also - the return of claw and ball feet, even on very modern pieces. The Keno line has not officially launched but believe me when I tell you that you will be blown away; not just by the quality but by the incredible design, a reinterpretation of mid century modern. The brothers chose the company for their line because of TA's exceptional quality and old world contruction techniques out of Vietnam. I also fell in love with a few pieces of furniture for myself (oh to have a bigger apartment and larger bank account!). I am having an affair with a chair: the Louis XVI square back chair from Hickory Chair. Most notedly in the weathered mineral gray finish seen above with ivory stripe and a blue ultra-suede upholstery (just in case those fine folks want to send me this sample, hehe). It was probably the most beautiful chair I have ever seen and I felt it could have been inspired by the great Jansen and classic French 40s design. Look forward to a future post on this great company right here.I also loved nearly every piece in the Grand Tour line at Century. The textures and quality really just blew me out of the water; I was even stuck oohing and aawing while the rest of the tour group ran on ahead! I'll definitely be showing you more from Century soon as well.We were able to meet with the adorable Bunny Williams and see her new pieces from BeeLine home. There are a few new pieces I'm sure you'll be seeing EVERYWHERE very soon such as this Swedish cupboard below.In practical applications, we were fascinated by the technology being incorporated into furniture at Sligh. Media centers which look like fine antiques caught my attention. These hide all of your nasty cords and machinery behind fine wood doors and traditional design and operate through smart eye technology. They even ventilate the insides of cabinets much like a CPU so your equipment doesn't fry. They had some great office solutions too: stylish and practical; who says office furniture has to be ugly?The folks at Hooker Furniture are shaking off their traditional image and creating some amazingly cute new pieces at very affordable prices. I think you'll be seeing a lot of them in the future -especially some of the quirkier finds that they feel appeal to a younger demographic like these chairs below. Not everyone was as friendly as the above mentioned companies however. We had a bit of a run-in at one of my favorite furniture companies (where I've encouraged friends and clients to spend a LOT of money in the past) which shall remain nameless but you can probably guess who they are from the photo below. Social media is here to stay and companies need to keep up. Oh and also don't piss off a tired group of design bloggers because you'll hear about it again!Everything you hear about market is true: wear comfortable shoes as it's enormous, book your hotel room months in advance so you're not stuck miles away, the parties are so much fun you'll never want to leave and you'll be seeing old friends as well as make many new ones (compare it to an adult summer camp for designers perhaps?) If you made it to High Point this year, what were your favorites?

32 comments:

quintessence said...

I didn't make it to market but I've been following along online and on twitter. Many people made mention of how beautiful the Hickory area was and I ADORE that beautiful chair as well. Love BeeLine's Swedish cupboard and I noticed a fabulous bookcase there also. Look forward to reading more of your findings soon!!

David Toms said...

I am going to have to fight you for that chair! Truly beautiful. I also am in awe with the media centre! I have just the wall for it!

Reggie Darling said...

Sounds like you had a marvelous trip. I look forward to reading more about it. Reggie

WM Twigs said...

It was fun meeting you at Hickory Chair.
I am glad that you enjoyed your visit to my "old home",
and the blue chair!
Sorry that you were not treated well across the street!!

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Quintessence - Hickory was amazing and incredibly crowded! I plan on doing a few in depth posts on their different collections.

David -Sligh had a few different collections and in many different colors -i just liked that sort of 'mid century' look. It had great hardware too.

Reggie - wished you had been there to join in on all the fun!

Will - it was great to meet you as well. After you left we heard all about your many great additions to the company!

Kerry Steele- Design du Monde said...

I'm so desperately jealous. It'll be a few more years before I can get away.
The stuff from Century looks so nice, I can't wait to see more.
Its unfortunate that "you know who" was so ungracious. Its another reason not to purchase from them. I was actually looking at a few items from them last week.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Kerry, Century was amazing and the different collections were so varied -something for everyone!
The un-named company has a great product and the showroom looked magnificent....just would have been nice to have been treated with a little respect while being thrown out ;-)

Anonymous said...

So much inspiration. I love the new Bunny Williams line.
I hope you are having a wonderful week.
Happy Wednesday,
E&J

homestilo said...

Thank you for bringing market to those of us who couldn't make it!

Unknown said...

I am such an ignorant, i do not travel to such events and perhaps its time to put fun into my small
business. LOL! I have put family life first, but reading all this makes me want to run!
Well, I over exaggerated, but you get the idea...
Bunny Williams line looks good, I also like the idea of the return of the ball and claw footed furniture. Especially modern versions! Cool! It will fit in with the retro movement, there seems no end to this one!
Which is good!
To bad the old man's club attitude is something we have to put up with from the certain unnamed company, perhaps not...they shoot themselves into the foot with this approach! Eventual people will notice!
There are so many possibilities out there, we do not relay on them alone!
I am glad you enjoyed yourself!
Happy spring, Stefan!
PS: you might like this site:
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/0411/Default.aspx

Unknown said...

I am such an ignorant, i do not travel to such events and perhaps its time to put fun into my small
business. LOL! I have put family life first, but reading all this makes me want to run!
Well, I over exaggerated, but you get the idea...
Bunny Williams line looks good, I also like the idea of the return of the ball and claw footed furniture. Especially modern versions! Cool! It will fit in with the retro movement, there seems no end to this one!
Which is good!
To bad the old man's club attitude is something we have to put up with from the certain unnamed company, perhaps not...they shoot themselves into the foot with this approach! Eventual people will notice!
There are so many possibilities out there, we do not relay on them alone!
I am glad you enjoyed yourself!
Happy spring, Stefan!
PS: you might like this site:
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/0411/Default.aspx

Blue said...

Excellent post, Stefan. I'd toyed with the idea of going to Market and I think next year will find me there.

I'm looking forward to the Keno furniture line. If that piece standing between them is one of their's then I reall am looking forward to the rest!

Also looking forward to other posts about Market.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Victoria -that is a great project - amazing modern house!

Blue - definitely go to market but have a list of what you want to accomplish -it's OVERWHELMING!
I'm not allowed to officially show pieces of the Keno line as it's not officially released yet....but you're probably warm with your guess ;-) It will KNOCK your socks off -truthfully. The quality, the design, the freshness - the best thing I saw hands down. Plus -meeting them was a small thrill and they were so passionate about their work and about design in general; We could have talked to them all day long if we had had time!

ArchitectDesign™ said...

EddieRoss -heard you were there as well giving a presentation? Sorry to have missed you guys!

pve design said...

Thanks for sharing all the hight lights!
You are such a sweetheart to always report back with fun finds - we need to focus on the positive!
pve

Abby said...

Such a great wrap up. Look like you had so much fun. I have a long standing affair with many, many chairs, and now some new ones to add to the list.

I love that you're taking over the world, one design blog post at a time!

Turner Pack Rats said...

all that said, who do i have to kill to get that incredible TA dresser and that Century table (more of that please). wowee - i do have a question, however, has furniture stagnated? that is, are there still designers pushing the envelope or is a new genre dead the same way rock and roll is dead? either way, glad you went so you could share it with us that didn't altho your pix make it a great temptation. thanx.

security word def - "gradd" - a system of rating things that are above the best (like that dresser)as in "that's gradd AAA+++

Turner Pack Rats said...

sorry -suffering from old-timer's disease. i meant to thank you for that incredible series of posts on Vizcaya. Between your great photography and getting into all the spaces that no one ever features (pantries), it was the "Deluxe" tour of tours. now i have to sell more stuff and go. thanx again !!!

security word def - "ressedly" - archaic adverb for too much of something (you pick what)

Mark D. Ruffner said...

I really like that Swedish cupboard. It's a wonderful mix of Neoclassic with a contemporary feel, and I love the stars. The more I delve into the Neoclassic, the more I'm drawn to the Swedish interpretation.

Topaz said...

I love the fact that you have an appreciation for traditional furniture. So many designers I meet turn their noses up at anything that isn't squared-off and boxy and "contemporary."

And I'm glad to hear that companies are still making TV cabinets. I'd heard they were so out of favor that Goodwill won't even accept them anymore at their stores, but nothing to me is worse than having a large TV dominate a room.

Speaking of traditional furniture, the word verification is "grambed," i.e., what you inherit from your mother's mother.

Feng Shui By Fishgirl said...

For indoor/outdoor furniture, Seasonal Living showing at InterHall was awesome! Their new "Halo Collection" by Louis A. Lara was yummy. I also was blown away by Michael J. Clements handmade lamps--this artisan out of New Orleans is going places. Oh! And did you see the 50 Million year old fossils used in John Strauss Furniture Design's tables? Outstanding.

home before dark said...

Thanks for taking us along. My feet thank you for doing the foot work! Don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to see that Baker St. might be getting lost in cyberspace.

Kwana said...

Thanks for sharing your market adventures. Some really beautiful things there.

Kim Shaver said...

Stefan,
Your post on market was so inviting it made me want to go back to market even though I'm exhausted from working 10 days straight! Thanks for making Hooker Furniture part of your High Point visit..Kim

Karena said...

Stefan just meeting the Keno bros would have made it worthwhile. Im very excited to see their new line.

The entire trip, people and events sound equisite!

PS No one deserves to be treated in the way you were at B....Such a world class company with low class manners in this instance.

xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena

Laura Holland said...

It was great meeting you, Stephan, at market! Thank you for sharing your Hickory Chair favorites in your blog today. Thanks for sharing all of your other visits with all of us. Hopefully you can visit us again in the future!

Jay Reardon said...

Thank you Stephan for your kind comments on our Chair. The great news is you do not have to fight over one. We can make you one of your own in just a couple of weeks!

alex shuford said...

Stephan- From the whole family here at Century Furniture, thank you so much for coming in to see us. High Point Market is our favorite time of the year because we get to share our toys and play.
Best to you this spring.

Comer Shuford Wear said...

Ditto to what my brother, Alex, said above! Thank you for taking the time to come to down to High Point. I enjoyed meeting you and touring you through Century Showroom. I hope to see you again soon.

Gregory Piccini said...

love the "hedge" wallpaper!

Unknown said...

Stop by the DC Design Center and visit us at Century Showroom to get your fix on the Grand Tour Collection!

P.Gaye Tapp at Little Augury said...

I can feel your pain about Baker-however I will also be the only one to try and defend their mishandling, not knowing the specifics. They have always-& not just recently- been very selective in letting market goers come and browse. They have always felt that their dealers are the priority and in fact that is an absolute truth. They have always wanted designers-and press coming to have an appointment to be given the tour by staff. Honestly, the exclusivity of Baker is all dealers have left in terms of putting them first. Their staff is high gear commission and giving anyone their time is another sticky and tough spot to be in. I like their pieces and have used them too-their HPT showroom is for dealers and less so for the trade during market time and they are very strict. The people working there-I know them are really very nice. Being in close proximity-I get a very different view of this dilemma they deal with during market vs.year round. I'm conflicted about it too-however again- there is a loyalty to the people that buy from them-the dealers-that is very admirable to me it this day and age of Anything goes. They want to give some cache to those that feed them. It has got to be a slippery slope & they no doubt will have to reckon with it. Were you at HPt with a specific group that got together to go-sounds like fun and did you go to Kindel across the street? Gaye