Italian, Arts & Crafts tops in furniture showrooms

By Jenny Heinzen York

Modern looks that have dominated the past few High Point markets appear to be softening as more traditional styles take center stage at the major furniture producers' showrooms. Italian-inspired styles and Arts & Crafts looks – long stalwarts of the business – are back in force.

The Tuscan styles offer a traditional feel without the stuffiness of French and English styling, making them accessible to more consumers' design tastes. Warm finishes and rich woods are made comfortable with large, livable pieces that aren't fussy. And with manufacturers spanning all price points getting on board, watch for the look to really make an impact at retail by the fall.

Mission and Arts & Crafts looks have always attracted a wide audience because of their classic, clean feel that works in almost any decor. The Frank Lloyd Wright Collection at Copeland exemplifies the look, but the influences are apparent in several major collections.

Contemporary is not dead, though, at least insofar as Art Deco is still a tour de force. The looks have proven popular over the last several markets, and more producers are looking to capture some of that business.

This market's lineup lacks the big, personality-based licensed groups, but many manufacturers have been aggressive with product development by putting together extensive full-line collections designed to cover a whole home in a unified look.

Here are some of the furniture highlights: (compiled by Furniture/Today)

Aico, IHFC G-777 and G-782 — Opulent is an Old World traditional collection of bedroom, dining room, occasional and entertainment in mahogany, cherry and olive ash burl veneers with birch solids in a Sienna Spice finish highlighted with silver and gold tipping, or a Regal Black finish. Pieces include a 92-inch dining table that extends to 146 inches, a poster bed with a floral theme interwoven into the metal posts and a panel bed with diamond-quilted inset leather and hand-rubbed burnished highlighting.

American Drew, IHFC C-926 — Via Delano is a 20-piece bedroom/dining room in contemporary Art Deco styling. It features Mozambique flat-cut veneer with a dark chocolate amber finish and sterling silver hardware.

Bauer International, MSS G-504 — Featuring the Newland, Tarlton & Co. collection of safari and campaign furnishings. The original Newland, Tarlton & Co., established in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1904, was a pioneer in luxury travel in Africa, introducing the golden age of travel to Africa. Pieces in the collection are hand crafted with Bauer's signature mahogany, leather and brass and are reminiscent of the pieces found on safari in Africa during the golden age of European exploration. As was true in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the pieces in the collection are collapsible and can be transported from location to location. Case goods pieces include a dining table and a vanity in distressed mahogany and brass.

Bernhardt, IHFC D-601 — Windemere is a casual collection in European cottage styling with Victorian and American influences. Mahogany veneers in a burnished, reddish-brown are accented by a black hearth, rubbed-through finish. Features include light carvings, turned legs, decorative scrollwork and shaped moldings and crowns. Tuscan Villa is a traditional European collection inspired by the Italian countryside with a mix of knotty cherry and walnut veneers in a dark Umbrian Brown finish with a two-tone effect.

Broyhill, IHFC C-600 — New collections include Elements, a 26-piece transitionally styled bedroom and dining room collection; Chambrey, an 18-piece traditional dining room/bedroom with marquetry treatments; Tropez, an 18-piece traditional dining room/bedroom in tropical materials; Bennington, a 16-piece transitional dining room/bedroom; Plaza del Sol, a 22-piece mixed-media bedroom/dining room collection.

Butler, IHFC C-354 — Known for its accent furniture, the company has created a new division, Chicago Bedroom, which encompasses four collections: LaSalle, an 18th century Low Country French design; Hyde Park, in 18th century European styling with a signature linen-fold inlay in maple, walnut and cherry veneers; Marquette Park, in Country French styling in rogue cherry veneers and a cognac finish; and Lake Shore Drive, in transitional styling enhanced by cathedral-grain cherry veneers and maple inlays.

Cresent, HS 204 — Artisan, a 30-piece transitional group, inspired by Arts & Crafts and Japanese designs, from a collaboration with designer Fred Spector, who has worked with Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel; cathedral walnut veneers and Caramel finish; three beds: poster bed with canopy, modern sleigh bed and panel bed; dining has clipped-corner table, round table with octagonal pedestal, gathering table that expands from rectangular to square; occasional includes an étagère and media console.

Fine Furniture Design & Marketing, US P-302 — The Centovalli Collection features Centovalli china, crafted of walnut hardwoods and veneers in Italian styling with an espresso finish. Features include hand-carved details, such as capitals and rosettes, contrasting back panel and concave beveled glass. The Tocino panel bed, in walnut solids and veneers with a two-tone finish, is an antique regency design inspired by 18th century Italian design and antiques. Features include curved sides, carved channel and crown, and shaped legs.

French Heritage, 442 N. Wrenn St. — Introductions include the Haute Couture commode, in solid cherry with ivory accents, featuring two large drawers and one small drawer with carved decorative drawer fronts.

Hamilton & Spill, CP 118 – The No. 4519 Constantia bedroom includes a platform bed and a panel bed. Collection combines wood, glass, leather and fabric. The Deco curves and oval hardware contrast with veneers for a transitional design statement in a deep cognac finish. A TV armoire also is available.

Hammary, IHFC D-104 — Hampton Lane is a bedroom, dining room and occasional collection that blends casual lifestyle with urban simplicity. In birch solids and maple veneers with a black tone finish, the collection features moderate scaling with generous turnings and moldings. Select items are accented with cane, providing a subtle two-tone effect.

Harden Furniture, 200 N. Hamilton St. 110 – The company is remerchandising its Natural Transitions line, a Shaker-inspired collection in solid cherry with a burnished oil finish that has been in the line for 15 years. The new Natural Transitions features decorative walnut accents; interesting functional applications, such as a bed with an adjustable headboard; and two flat-screen TV applications. New pieces include the No. 981 easel mirror, in cherry with walnut accents, $1,199; and the No. 970 bachelor's chest, with walnut drawer pulls and dovetailed feet, $1,899.

Hekman, 200 N. Hamilton St., 107 — Hekman is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Copley Square Collection, one of the industry's longest-running collections, with 24 new pieces. Features include crotch mahogany veneers, inlaid with ebony and satinwood, hand-inlaid inset fan medallions and the warm Copley Square finish. The styling is Georgian and Hepplewhite with elements of classic Chippendale.

Highland House, MS 414 — Adding Scandinavian Simplicity to the European Excursion line. New collection includes upholstery plus a 19 pieces of bedroom, dining and occasional. Wood finish is a dark chocolate brown called Midnight Sun. Metal occasional pieces and bed finish is Antique Pewter. Pieces include a metal canopy bed and a wood poster bed, master chest, chest on chest, oval dining table with chairs, wide server, buffet/library combination, 78-inch-wide entertainment console and three metal tables.

Hooker, IHFC W-1047 — Four bedroom groups are introduced: Fairfax, a relaxed traditional to transitional group in pine solids and birch veneers with dark brown cherry and antique white finishes; Brisbane Bay, a relaxed, British West Indies look in mahogany solids and veneers with twill accents; Benton Place, a traditional bedroom in cherry solids and veneers in a rich brown finish; and Simply American, a Mission-influenced bedroom in solid, quarter-sawn oak and oak veneers or solid cherry and cherry veneers.

Lane, IHFC C-800 – Lane is adding two complete collections to the National Geographic program. Provence Home combines classic silhouettes with 18th century charm. Rustic paint finishes reflect the French region's vibrant hues. Pieces include a leather bed in a wingchair design with brass-finished nailhead trim and hand-carved, solid-wood scrollwork. Cote d'Azur is reminiscent of 19th century Louis Philippe styling. Classic and symmetrical pieces blend with rich, vivid colors and soothing neutrals to capture the refined sophistication of the French Riviera. Constructed of figured Mozambique and mahogany solids and swirl mahogany veneers, in a Truffle Brown finish, with accents of leather, metal, nailhead trim and leaded glass.

Largo, CTT 100 — The Jaclyn Smith Bel Aire collection is a clean-lined transitional group with classic traditional elements, including detailed veneer work on top surfaces, cast zinc hardware and a 14-step hand-burnished finish.

Leda Home Furnishings, IHFC G-576 – Princeton debuts, a 33-piece dining, bedroom and entertainment collection in cherry veneers and cherry and maple solids in traditional design and in four finishes: Chestnut, Scotch Mist, Shiraz and Espresso. Also, Astoria, a complete collection in mahogany and maple with a warm brown finish features a transitional design, inspired by France's Post Moderne era and North America's Art Deco period. Jewelry-style hardware in aged sterling.

Legacy Classic, PS C-100 – French provincial looks star in a new group that features radiate veneers and pine solids finished in golden brown with burnishing and gold tipping, plus bronze highlights. Other new collections include a traditional group in auburn finish, a contemporary line made with zebrano veneers and two-tone finish, and transitional group in ash with a mocha finish.

Lexington Home Brands, 1302 National Highway, Thomasville — Jimbaran Bay, an addition to the Tommy Bahama program, is a 30-piece full-line collection in eclectic transitional styling. Inspired by Balinese designs, the collection combines Asian simplicity with subtle European influences. Features select tropical hardwoods, primavera veneers, woven split rattan and applied pencil-post rattan in a deep, coffee-colored finish.

Lifestyle Enterprise, 320 E. Commerce Ave. — The Carlton House collection offers 19th century English Regency styling in crotch mahogany veneers. The Central Park South collection is a contemporary statement in rosewood veneers. The No. 5245 collection features Mediterranean styling in primavera veneers and No. 5123 is a classic American collection in ash solids and veneers.

Magnussen Home, IHFC M-1010 — Oak Park is an updated Mission design with a clear finish showcasing the straight grain of the quartered oak veneers. Other features include softened edges, traditional mortise-and-tenon details, oil-rubbed brass hardware and multiple configurable bed options. The Bailey Collection, an urban design in a rich, caramel finish, features distinctive reeded glass treatments and raised panel details.

Maitland-Smith, 227 Russell Ave. — Making the largest launch of new dining chairs in the company's history, in a broad style assortment including traditional, Spanish, contemporary and provincial styles.

Palliser, 220 Elm 400 — Seville is a bedroom/dining room collection in urban contemporary styling that incorporates beveled edge detailing on the drawers and smoked glass top surfaces. The Bali series is a bedroom in java mahogany veneers with unique carving textures and aged pewter accents. The Atlantic Collection is a traditional bedroom/dining room collection with a unique diamond-pattern veneer, curved drawer fronts and tops and available in two colors.

Powell, NFM 100 — Colorado is a bedroom in rugged, traditional styling with features that include arched apron rails, panel and frame doors and antique brass-finished galleries. The Ascot Collection of bedroom and dining room furniture is being added to the Michael Payne line. The collection includes a full formal dining room with buffet and china; a master bedroom with canopy beds; and an array of accent pieces. The collection features acanthus leaf carvings, rosettes and fleur-de-lis moldings.

Primex, IHFC M-1401 – New pieces include the M1 Murphy chest, a retro 1950s contemporary look with clean lines, tuck finger pulls and cross-grain detail on the drawers, the modular W6 Wine Enthusiasts credenza, and the Bridgeport bedroom, a casual elegant look with romantic touches and classy details.

Riverside, IHFC C-302 — Palais Royal is a nine-piece bedroom in traditional styling with an espresso finish. West Side is a contemporary bedroom group in contemporary styling and Chelsea finish.

Stanley, IHFC C-1158 — Shelter Island is a bedroom group inspired by the idyllic beauty and refined sensibilities of the Hamptons. The group combines an urban aesthetic with a relaxed, leisurely attitude. Anchored in classic design, it features updated Sheraton silhouettes in two sophisticated finishes — black marimba and a white piano key finish — and Sheraton-style hardware in dark antique bronze or white frosted pewter. Serafina and Tre Venti are companion collections in Old World European styling. Traditional European silhouettes are dressed in pecky pecan veneers with accents of dramatic oak cluster burl for the caramel-coated Tre Venti and swirly ash burl for the frosted almond Serafina. Grand silhouettes and dramatic wood grains define the 24-piece bedroom collection, along with bold arches, canted posts, handsome columns and substantial octagonal fluting.

Universal, 2622 Uwharrie Road, High Point – Cortina is a full line including bedroom, dining, home office and living room goods; Italian-inspired pieces with laurel burl veneer, cherry and hedguia boarders in deep, rich brown finish with a higher sheen and marble accents. Riverwood bedroom and dining is a simple traditional collection with hand-engraved brass panels. Jefferson Manor bedroom and dining offers classic 18th century in cathedral veneers.