I love Drexel Heritage – Part 3

Posted on May 27, 2010 by brandaid in Fashion and Design

I love Drexel Heritage is a 4-part series featuring Drexel Heritage team members and what they love about working with the company. We hope that you will enjoy this inside look at our brand!

Robert Jones, Frame Assembly

Who loves Drexel-Heritage? Robert Jones for one! He’s been coming back to work at Drexel Heritage day after day, year after year for 20 years. Robert loves his job because Drexel Heritage makes a quality product that is affordable, the company provides a safe work environment and he shares a common goal with his team members to work together to produce the best-made furniture available.

And Robert knows a well-made piece of furniture. His dad taught the craft of woodworking, and by the time he was 12-years-old Robert was doing cabinet and finish work. About 60 percent of the furniture in Robert’s own home is Drexel Heritage, with much of the remainder consisting of pieces he has designed and built himself.

In addition to quality, safety is another area that Robert takes seriously, and he knows a thing or two about how to effectively implement safety procedures in the work environment. He serves on the safety committee at the plant, is trained as a first responder and is on the emergency response team. Drexel Heritage regularly provides safety information and first aid training.

Robert said that one of the best things about Drexel Heritage is that the company takes the time to carefully hire qualified employees who are committed to finishing the job. According to him, it’s because the right people are hired that the training process goes smoothly and as a result, a sense of teamwork is established.

“It is very important for people to work together to make the best product we can,” Robert said. “Also, David Lewis, our plant manager is an excellent person to work for and with because he’s not afraid to jump in, help out and show you what he knows, too.”

Inspired Patterns: Medallions

Posted on May 21, 2010 by brandaid in Trendy Tips

One of the things I love about Architectural Digest, other than looking at beautiful home designs that I’ll never be able to afford – like this one from Architects Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner, is the latest and greatest in the world of design. Recently, the magazine covered “Inspired Patterns,” and after taking a look, we are definitely on the right track. Paisley ? Check.  A honeycomb-inspired pattern? Check. Then I noticed this beautiful floral theme, and I know this may be hard to believe, but I was at a loss for the word to properly describe it. Spots? No. Blooms? Nah. Dots? Hmm…Wait. It’s…medallions!

As we’ve mentioned before, big bold patterns, like the beautiful medallion prints in this photo, can take your beautiful but plain sofa from “oh so-so” to “oh so fabulous.”

Let’s take a closer look at the pillow in the picture to the right. This bold medallion pillow works wonders for this great retro-themed chair. It adds that needed modern touch to the vintage craze that will make you the design envy of all of your friends. (Can’t you hear the whispers of “How does she get her rooms to always look so effortlessly fashionable?”)

If you don’t want to take our word for it, then do you remember when we introduced furniture and fashion to each other a few weeks ago? After looking over the latest collection of Louboutin’s, these lace medallion peep-toed pumps, nearly rendered me speechless. If my feet deserve (yes, deserve) these shoes, then surely your furniture deserves the same?

Paisley: Persian Pickles or Welsh Pears?

Posted on May 18, 2010 by brandaid in Trendy Tips

I love seeing paisley prints popping up everywhere recently and when I do I can’t help but think, “That’s so 80’s.” As it turns out, paisley is so 80’s… 1880’s that is, when paisley designs used in textiles were called Welsh Pears. Don’t you just love it when some little tidbit of history seems really interesting? Also, American Traditionalists especially quilt makers, refer to the droplet shaped motif as Persian Pickles. How fun! Had we known that last week, we could have talked about honeycomb prints and paisley patterns together in our post on delicious fabrics. 

When I was at market and looking at all of the new Drexel Heritage upholstery options, I seemed to gravitate towards the paisley designs. (Seriously, is there anything more fun than looking at fabrics?) One of the Drexel Heritage designers noticed that I was pulling aside all the paisley samples, and we started talking. She told me that historically, paisley fabrics have sold well because both women and men like them. Think about it. Women tend to like floral and many times men do not. Paisley is not a floral…simply a classic pattern that many men like. At the same time, it is pretty enough to serve as a floral substitute in most situations.

From fashion to rock and roll, paisley has definitely been associated with some iconic names and brands over the years. I would love to have this timeless Christian Dior suit from 1967, incidentally the same year John Lennon had a Rolls Royce painted in a paisley motif. While I’m at it, I might buy this pink paisley Fender Telecaster that’s a reproduction from the original made in 1970. Why no, I don’t play guitar, but it would look great hanging on the wall or propped in the corner of my living room!

And let’s not forget about Prince… excuse me, I mean the artist formerly known as Prince who in the mid-80s paid homage to paisley’s rock and roll history by forming the recording label Paisley Park Records in conjunction with Paisley Park Studios and recorded the song Paisley Park. I wonder if he considered naming it Persian Pickles Park.

I love Drexel Heritage – Part 2

Posted on May 14, 2010 by brandaid in Fashion and Design

I love Drexel Heritage is a 4-part series featuring Drexel Heritage team members and what they love about working with the company. We hope that you will enjoy this inside look at our brand!

Kathryn Kavicky, Design Consultant

While she did not start her career in interior design, Kathy Kavicky has had a positive association with the Drexel Heritage brand since she was a child. Part of fulfilling the American Dream to her German immigrant grandparents was building a successful business, earning a place in their community and being able to afford the best. For them, that meant furnishing an entire home with Drexel Heritage furniture!

Kathy can remember her grandparents’ bedroom furniture, china closet, buffet and the dining room table as well as every holiday meal served on that table. She and her sisters most loved a pair of lime green, semi circular, tub-shaped spinning chairs that were irresistible for girls who loved to twirl around and around in them while Nana yelled from the kitchen, “Quit swinging in the chairs!”

Perhaps it was these fun family memories and the fact that Kathy saw how well her grandparents’ investment in Drexel Heritage furniture stood the test of time through three generations that caused her to take a
second look at the classified ad for a Drexel Heritage design consultant.

“Even though I spent the majority of my career in public relations and marketing, I always had a passion for decorating and did it for my family and friends,” said Kathy. “Everyone said I should do it for a living.”

And they were right. In her first month as a Drexel Heritage design consultant, Kathy was one of the top ten salespeople in the company. She attributes this success to engaging customers when they come into the store, educating them about Drexel Heritage’s complimentary design services and establishing a good rapport with those customers so they return.

How to always be the Queen Bee: Honeycomb fabric

Posted on May 11, 2010 by brandaid in Trendy Tips

In the post about the fabulous color gray, we discussed how to accessorize with bright bursts of colors on a neutral slate. Today, we’re taking that to a whole new level with delicious fabrics.

This year at spring market the buzz was all about tasty textiles – literally. You can take any fabric from vanilla to divine with, well, things like vanilla! Infuse vanilla, chocolate, caramel, cinnamon, plum, tangerine, kiwi and of course, honeycomb, into your fabrics, and you’ve got that perfect pop any room will crave.

Today we’re focusing on taking the honeycomb (and the other afore mentioned foods) out of the kitchen and putting it in the rest of your home. Be the Queen Bee of your domain with honeycomb fabrics, particularly this fantastic Drexel honeycomb, deep amber honey-colored fabric. It has a retro feel, which thanks to shows like Mad Men, has really been a hot trend recently, but on top of that it’s just delectable.

For example, let’s look at this Drexel chair. While there is no doubt that it’s gorgeous on its own, the honeycomb pillow is that perfect pop that brings the chair to life. The best part about this fabric is that what it does for this chair, it can do for your bed, sun room table, office chairs, love seat, bathroom, etc.

So, if there is ever that moment where you think to yourself, “what does this room need?” Maybe the answer you’re looking for is actually in the kitchen.

The Intersection of Fashion and Furniture: Gray Matters

Posted on May 6, 2010 by brandaid in Color Forecasting

One of the best pages on the internet for any fashion junkie has to be the latest trends at Bergdorf Goodman, which usually feature “A color story.” Breaking apart from the usual idea of pastels, this spring’s color en vogue happens to be all things gray. From Prada’s awe-inspiring peep-toe sling backs to this knockout Hervé Leger sequined number, it seems every designer is having a love affair with the color gray.

Fashion, meet furniture. Furniture, meet fashion. Welcome to a world where having the “it” chair is just as important as those coveted Gucci pumps. This year, gray is the link between two worlds so similarly entwined.  A color normally associated with the words “drab” and “dull,” has made a comeback as the way to stand out in a crowd (or in your own home). It’s the quintessential slate for making those bright touches of color you add in your accessories stand out even more. (Imagine that Hervé Leger sequined dress with this Ippolita bright green constellation ring – delicious)

Furniture is ahead of this curve this year in the fashion scene. Take this gorgeous gray Drexel heritage chair and gray silk pillow, for example. By adding pops of electric green, gray has been transformed into an eye-catching must-have. If you’re going to give yourself this season’s fashion favorites, doesn’t your home deserve the same?

So, the next time you head out for a night on the town in your jealousy-inducing gray dress accessorized with a pop of color, just think about how your living room, kitchen, bedroom or office is doing just the same.

I love Drexel Heritage – Part 1

Posted on May 4, 2010 by brandaid in Fashion and Design

I love Drexel Heritage is a 4-part series featuring Drexel Heritage team members and what they love about working with the company. We hope that you will enjoy this inside look at our brand!

Terry Patton, Retail Inventory Control Manager

Terry Patton loves to shop. While she likes to find a good deal, she thinks that quality – which sometimes means investing in a name brand – is most important. Working with a brand that is synonymous with quality in home interiors is a perfect fit for her.

“I love the Drexel Heritage brand because the name demands respect,” Terry said. “Much like the pride that comes with carrying a Prada bag or wearing Jimmy Choo heels, it shows that you made a choice to have the very best.”

Terry has spent four years as the retail inventory control manager for Drexel Heritage. In this role, she serves as a liaison between Drexel Heritage’s retail stores and corporate operations to ensure control of the inventory.  In other words, Terry helps deliver the quality experience she expects as an avid shopper to Drexel Heritage customers.

“You want something nice and when it’s something like furniture for your home, you want something you can be proud of that makes you feel like it is a smart investment,” said Terry.

Terry has Drexel Heritage furniture throughout her home. She likes Drexel Heritage collections and pieces because she thinks they work well blended with other things such as her antique piano and other antique finds. The expert shopper in Terry says this is especially important if you can only get a couple pieces at a time.

“You can work on your décor over time using Drexel Heritage as great stepping stone pieces that are good quality, will last a long time and you can build on them,” Terry said.