Occasional flirts with French influences
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, April 28, 2002
HIGH POINT — A popular look in occasional this market was French-influenced shaping with smooth lines, moderate to light carving and a distressed, warm brown finish.
The look traversed collections from high-end manufacturers like Century with its new Consulate, Henredon with Acquisitions, Harden Furniture with Vendôme and Bernhardt with Collingwood, and also showed up in midpriced lines such as American Drew and Butler Specialty.
French-influenced furniture can include details from many styles. Pieces within a collection can be eclectic and still give a cohesive feel, said Robert Maricich, Century president and chief executive officer. Century based Consulate on the French Empire period, a time influenced by baroque, Greek, Roman, Egyptian and other forms as Napoleon conquered much of Western Europe, said Bill Hayes, Century senior vice president.
"The overall effect was a 'paring down' of excess," Hayes said. Furniture was very precise, yet conveyed a certain softness with curved forms and opulent finishes.
Consulate follows on the heels of last year's Matilda Bay, an eclectic group inspired by antiques taken to Australia from many other countries. In both collections, customers loved the shapes, the finishes, and the solid feel of the furniture, said Maricich.
Eclectic also describes Acquisitions by Henredon, more than 55 pieces reflecting various historical periods and styles. Woods include mahogany, walnut, cherry, pine and some antique reclaimed species. The two primary tones are a deep, rich brown and a slightly lighter honey, with alternate variations formed by the natural colors of the woods.
Harden introduced its French country Vendôme to strong response in October and added new pieces such as a sideboard and bombé that "have the appearance of being handed down for generations," according to Mary Oughterson, marketing director. The pieces feature the best elements of country French styling, she said, "such as hand-plank detailing, inlaid parquet tops and specially designed hardware including large barrel hinges and special deep-toned tarnishing."
American Drew introduced an import group from India, Artisans Guild. The first phase includes about 40 eclectic pieces, most featuring solid alder and Old World English finish with heavy distressing. The group has heavy cuts of wood such as solid, shaped drawer fronts, thick drawer construction and posts. A bachelor's chest retails for about $1,300 to $1,400 and armoires are $2,500 to $3,000.
Butler Specialty featured many pieces with hand-painted designs or inlaid stone, but its best-selling group this market was its Plantation Cherry line that has been in production for about four years. Eighteen new pieces feature the distressed, warm brown finish on cherry veneers. In fact, the most sales dollars came from a new demilune chest with an apothecary-style 12 drawers. It was second in units sold even though it was near the top of Butler's line at $1,400 retail.
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| Bernhardt features mahogany in its new Collingwood collection, named after Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, who served in the British navy during the Napoleonic era. The nesting tables have graceful lines and a warm finish. |
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