For my last post on Design Influencers Tour at High Point Market, I will focus on Stickley Furniture. I will also cover a modern Danish Company, Innovation Living which you will see at the end of this post.
Stickley Furniture
To start, Stickley has been in business since 1900... 120 years of fine furniture. It has been owned only by only two families since its inception, Leopold and John George Stickley and the Audi family who bought it in 1974. It is now run by the wife of Alfred Audi, Aminy and their son, Edward. We got to hear Aminy speak at the showroom, which was such a treat! You can see that video, here along with other snippets I took during the tour.
The tradition of Arts and Crafts design (also known as Mission furniture because the designs furnished many of the Missions in California) has been on my mind of late having just moved to North Carolina, the furniture capitol of the US. In my own home, I'm using much of the pattern designs of William Morris, who has been a design hero of mine since I learned of him in my early 20s (I'm now 52). Stickley has used several Morris patterns on their upholstered pieces. Maximalist Morris patterns move me almost inexplicably. Juxtaposed next to the clean-lined Stickley furniture, it is truly and passionately artful.
Today, the new design director of Stickley, Marissa Brown, who attended Rhode Island School of Design and came from Martha Stewart most recently, is adapting the line of Arts and Crafts/Mission Furniture into a sleeker, more edited profile while in keeping with the original design mission which was a paring down of the excesses of the Victorian era. This year, Stickley was nominated for five Pinnacle Awards for the designs created by Marissa. I feel honored that we got to meet and speak with Marissa, so I do hope you'll watch and enjoy the video linked above.
I think that the photos of the sleek new designs will speak for themselves. You'll notice no wasted space in designs with hidden drawers in pieces where otherwise there would be empty space, incredible craftsmanship with all wood construction and no metal, and incredibly thoughtful design. Below is a myriad of photos taken by me in the showroom as well as photos from Stickley and Marissa Brown.
Innovation Living
Innovation Living was notable on this tour because their designs are focused on sustainability as well as functionality and beauty. All of their pieces are designed with the ability for future recycling in mind, they are flat packed for shipping to elimiate waste and the company plants 10,000 trees every year. The designs are modern and sleek and covert from living space to sleeping space. I highly recommend that you check out the videos on their website to see the ingenious way the pieces convert.
The bloggers on this tour include:
- Bari Ackerman, http://www.barijdesigns.com/blogs/bloomwild
- Matt French, http://www.frenchandfrenchinteriors.com/blog
- Jewel Marlowe, http://www.jeweledinteriors.com/blog
- Samantha Regan,www.shiningondesign.com
- Karen Wolf,http://www.kbwinteriors.com/blog
· Elizabeth Elliott, francandeli.com - Dee Frazier, https://DKORHOME.com
- Rydhima Brar, R/terior Studio
- Veronica Solomon, Casa Vilora Interiors
- Joy Williams, Joyful Designs Studio
The Sponsors participating on the tour include:
AREA by Edwards Fields, www.edwardfields.com
Cisco Home, ciscohome.net
Crypton Home Fabric, www.crypton.com
Hooker Furniture, www.hookerfurniture.com
Hubbardton Forge, www.hubbardtonforge.com
Innovation Living, www.innovationliving.com
Jaipur Living, www.jaipurliving.com
Lloyd Flanders, www.lloydflanders.com
Rowe Furniture, www.rowefurniture.com
Sherrill Furniture, www.sherrillfurniture.com
Shifman Mattress, shifmanmattresses.com
Stickley, www.stickley.com
Universal Furniture, www.universalfurniture.com