Fall HPMkt 2012: Part V
Posted on November 19, 2012 by mhorgan in Blogger Spotlight, Color Forecasting, Fashion and Design, Furniture Market, Trendy Tips
At Fall Market 2012, we continued to showcase what Drexel Heritage is known for: customization, high-end upholstery and finishes and the ability to take a personal and specialized spin on traditional and classic designs. Below, are some of examples of Drexel’s custom designs that our friends at Apartment Therapy recently shared on their blog. We hope these pieces featured will show you how a classic design can look completely new and will inspire you to be your own designer with Drexel Heritage!
Drexel Heritage’s Tweed Upholstered Wingback Chair
A handsome cut of menswear-inspired tweed upholstery, tailored for a wingback chair from Drexel Heritage.
Drexel Heritage’s Tie Dyed Wingback Chair
They’ve been designing and selling furniture since 1903, but that hasn’t stopped Drexel Heritage Furniture from taking playful risks, like this colorful tie dyed upholstery wingback chair.
Maxwell spots a color trend (fuschia!), and in the process snapped several of our editorial staff (Janel, Jason, and Chris) taking the tour at the Drexel Heritage showroom.
Fall #HPMkt 2012: Part IV
Posted on November 9, 2012 by mhorgan in Blogger Spotlight, Fashion and Design, Furniture Market, Trendy Tips
In part four of our Fall Market blogger coverage, we share the insights of the fabulous Fanki Durbin, designer and author of the blog Life in a Venti Cup. Below, we have shared her thoughts and reactions from her visit to the Drexel Heritage showroom. Enjoy!
High Point Market: Design by Drexel Heritage
Trending at Market: hair on hide. It was everywhere. This chair was one of the best examples I’ve seen of the trend. Love the placement of such organic elements around such a finely crafted French style chair.
Another element seen repeatedly at Market: the quatrefoil. Rarely, however, is an entire piece of furniture formed in this classic shape. I loved this versatile occasional piece. Bedside chest, end table, accent table… you name it, this piece could fill that role. A really beautiful element in any room.
A stunning sofa rests in the bqckground with fabulous cream frame and blue trellis bench seat. Of course the styling in the showroom, as seen on the cocktail table in the foreground, is so good you simply have to stop and admire the grouping.
Always the best part of any showroom visit: the resource room! Drexel realy turns it out when it comes to fabric samples. I’d love to have my own fabric swatch inventory arranged this way in my home office. Isn’t this delicious?
And of course, a French sofa with an incredible silhouette and a Gustavian Gray finish. I do have a weakness for these linen covered pieces with European stylng. A truly beautiful upholstered piece. And isn’t that rug yummy?
Zebra, anyone? This particular fabric has an ombre effect to it, with the stripes having more intensity of color in the center and fading out slightly at the edges. Note how it was placed on this classic chair finished in silver leaf. Serious pop of drama.
One of the showroom tours I was most looking forward to at Market was Drexel Heritage. I’ve had a soft spot for in my designer heart for years for this brand. I love the sheer variety of the showroom and it’s artisan appeal. But much of this stems from my appreciation of the talent of their creative director Denise Alala. She is one half of the creative team behind this luxurious furniture brand and never ceases to amaze me with her ability to evolve and surprise when it comes to new introductions for High Point Market.
Drexel Heritage doesn’t have a “look” or a style. Their collections run the gamut between classic European pieces (like bergeres and French settees) and on-trend designs that clearly derive influences from runway fashion and modern culture (as is the case with the zebra & silver leaf chair above). It’s this delicious visual melange that keeps your eyes from ever tiring during a showroom tour. Beyond every corner is a vignette in a completely different look that the one you just passed through.
The unifying quality, of course, is the “collected” look that Drexel does so well. Each piece is offered in a seemingly endless array of finishes. Have that iron bed painted chippy antique white or do it up in rich red. The choice is yours and the showroom reflects this attention to personalization. Their upholstery selection knows no bounds either. From shimmering wovens to vibrant prints, the beauty of their textiles is always a treat for the eyes.
Beyond what they offer, the mood at Drexel is always quite sexy. Lights are dimmed just so. Vignettes are styled so richly that you want to move right in. It’s such a lush space that you want to occupy not just the space but the lifestyle that the styling implies. Design books are scattered about, fresh flowers are scattered about in vases, art supplies are gathered here and there. This is what good showroom styling is all about. Drexel is selling an artisan lifestyle and I love it.
While I was there I was able to spend time with longtime online (and now real) friend Stacey Bewkes of Quintessence Blog, Ronda Rice Carman of All the Best Blog(a VERY longtime online friend whom I’ve finally had the pleasure to meet & spend time with) as well as the always lovely Meg BIram of Mimi and Meg. This was a fantastic group of girls to be on tour with and it was so nice to finaly get that offline time with “my girls” – especially in a stylish environment like the Drexel space.
Thank you, Denise for the tour and for your time. And thank you, Lisa Hanly ofFurniture Brands for inviting me to come play at Drexel!
If you have a Drexel Heritage showroom in your city, please go visit. The variety of styles and personalization choices will astonish you. Each piece truly is crafted to your specificiations. Stay tuned in the next few weeks to my twitter & facebook feeds, as I’ll be posting even more snaps from my tour. Many lovely photos to share with you.
Fall #HPMkt 2012: Part II
Posted on October 26, 2012 by mhorgan in Blogger Spotlight, Fashion and Design, Furniture Market, Trendy Tips
One of the reasons we love High Point Market so much is because we get to meet with all of our favorite design bloggers! Our friends at Apartment Therapy were kind enough to stop by our showroom and share some of their favorite new Drexel Heritage trends. From pops of pink to menswear inspired pieces to creative leather detailing, Apartment Therapy covered all of the new Drexel style stories on their blog, which we have shared with you below. Enjoy!
High Point Highlights: 5 Amped up Style Directions at Drexel Heritage
The Drexel showroom was one of our first stops at High Point and the whole team wanted in on the tour! In addition to our guide, Lisa, being absolutely 100% entertaining, there are plenty of good design ideas getting served up by the creative team behind this brand. Here are a few of the style stories that were apparent in their collections for this season:
Classic Menswear
Hot Pink Details
Global Patterns in Blue and White
Creative Leather Detailing
Vintage Inspired Plaids and Florals
Fall #HPMkt 2012
Posted on October 19, 2012 by mhorgan in Blogger Spotlight, Furniture Market
It happens twice a year and is one of the furniture industry’s biggest events – High Point Market. We had a great Fall Market this year and were fortunate enough to visit with some of our favorite design bloggers, like Ronda Carman from All the Best! Keep reading below for Ronda’s recent blog post about her first visit to the Drexel Heritage showroom at High Point Market!
Tomorrow I leave for High Point Market in North Carolina. It’s one of the biggest events in the industry and I have yet to attend (making this trip even more exciting). This past February I met the lovely Lisa Hanly, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Relations for Furniture Brands (including:Thomasville, Drexel Heritage, Maitland-Smith, Pearson, Henredon, Broyhill, Hickory, La Barge, Lane Furniture and Lane Venture), who kindly invited me to come and witness High Point for myself.
The theme for this market is ‘Fashion Focus’ and I am eager to see what’s in store–especially after Lisa sent me these fabulous sketches of Drexel Heritage’s new Viage Collection. In the same vein, I really want to see the two Thomasville tables (below) in person! I will try to post as best as I can while at market, but feel free to follow me on Instagram (AllTheBestBlog) from great photos or Twitter @allthebestblog
Additionally, Rizzoli is hosting it’s 2nd annual ‘Superstar Book Signing’ on Monday, Oct. 15, at 4pm in the Market Square Courtyard. Authors include Charlotte Moss, Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, Susanna Salk, Florence de Dampierre, and James Lowell Strickland. The first 75 attendees will receive an exclusive sneak-peek of my book Designers at Home: Personal Reflections on Stylish Living.
Drexel Heritage Viage Collection Panel Bed
Drexel Heritage Viage Collection Buffet
Drexel Heritage Viage Collection Pedestal Table
Drexel Heritage Viage Collection Linen Embroidered Headboard Post Bed
Drexel Heritage Viage Collection Leather Chair
Thomasville Furniture Banyon Bay Collection Nesting Table
Thomasville Furniture Banyon Bay Collection End Table
Menswear Revival
Posted on August 23, 2012 by jbutler in Fashion and Design
As we’ve seen in previous blogs like Peplum Prediction, Tribal Time and Color Blocking, Again, design often gathers influence from fashion trends. But inspiration doesn’t strictly come from women’s fashion. Menswear has a commanding influence on designs at Drexel Heritage, including our new Vintage Originals collection.
Details like embossed leather drawer fronts bring a masculine polished look to traditional pieces like our Haberdashery Chest. The lighter scale drawer nightstand can double as an end table and offers a classic functional element to any room with a refined genteel style.
Our Haberdashery Chest
Custom upholstery options in rich colors and timeless patterns and textures offer the tailored look of menswear fashion in your home. Designed to mix and meld, Vintage Originals allows you to blend the tough and manly with the flirty and feminine. Our Wilhelm Sofa features a masculine silhouette, rounded out by its feminine button-tufted sides.
Our Wilhelm Sofa
Similarly, the Cartwright Sofa has a curvaceous, feminine shape perfectly complemented with leather embellishments.
Our Cartwright Sofa
And of course, we can’t forget our Pate Chair with rough, wire-brushed leather juxtaposed by a softer blue tweed. It is the ideal showpiece of melding elements that make up the New South – traditional but modern, masculine yet refined.
Our Pate Chair
Finishes are the final touch that makes our menswear-inspired pieces so stirring. Our glazed cordovan finish features a rich warm brown with dynamic texture. Layer upon layer of hand-rubbed stain creates a multi-faceted look that is completely one-of-a-kind.
Vintage Originals Nightstand in our glazed cordovan finish
Have you already incorporated menswear influence into your design? How are you using tweed and leather to create a refined look?
Vintage Originals
Posted on August 16, 2012 by jbutler in Fashion and Design
From music to fashion to food, classic southern staples are getting a whole new look, blending old traditions with modern and elegant details. Restaurants like Georgia Brown’s in Washington, D.C. and Gravy in New York City have welcomed this idea of the “New South,” reinventing classic southern dishes with fresh ingredients and a contemporary spin.
We, too, have embraced the New South and have used its inspiration to create something completely new for Drexel Heritage. Unlike any collection we have ever designed before, we’re excited to introduce Vintage Originals.
What is Vintage Originals? It’s your grandfather’s antique end table and your new floral armchair coming together to create the perfect reading nook. It’s the traditional chest custom finished with a bright paint, mixing traditional form and modern color to create the interesting juxtaposition of old world elegance and new world style.
It’s the perfect marriage of yesterday and today. Vintage Originals takes traditional forms and modernizes its details to create the perfect mixture of old and new in its designs. Pieces like the Vintage Originals china cabinet and secretary (which doubles as a bar) give you the freedom to mix your grandmother’s class with your sass to create your own interpretation of what it means to live in the New South.
Our Vintage Originals Secretary
While the Vintage Originals dining table features a traditional rectangular tabletop accented with modern square legs for the ideal balance of classic chic.
Our Vintage Originals Dining Table
So, are you up for the challenge? We’d love to hear how you are redefining your traditions to create a fresh new look in your home!
Mix It Up!
Posted on July 18, 2012 by jbutler in Fashion and Design, Trendy Tips
It’s time to mix it up this summer! Think stripes and floral, polka dots and plaid, houndstooth and animal print. Do we sound crazy yet? Once considered a fashion faux pas, mixing patterns is now a lively trend that is all about experimentation and creativity. The trick is to use patterns from the same color family and designs that won’t compete, like these looks from the fashion and crafting blog Say Yes to Hoboken.
Liz Stanley from Say Yes to Hoboken mixes it up!
The best part about this trend? You can mix and meld pieces you already own to create a revamped style without breaking the bank.
As you know, fashion trends are often mirrored in design, and mixing patterns is no exception! This trend creates depth in any room, and at Drexel Heritage, our designer Denise Alala is always introducing fun and unexpected twists on traditional furniture upholstery.
By mixing patterns, a single piece of furniture can add flair to any room in your house. Try the striped Holloway Sleep Sofa with elegant patterned throw pillows for an effortlessly chic design.
Our Holloway Sleep Sofa
Or, for a complete room makeover, try contrasting our Millington Chair with plaid curtains for a polished, pulled-together look.
Our Millington Chair
Mixing patterns is the perfect trend to build off what you already own. Mix and meld new and old furniture to create a look that is more collected than decorated. If you already own a neutral sofa, try adding our Runway Chair in houndstooth accented with a bright floral throw pillow to give your room an unexpected pop of style.
Our Runway Chair
So, we must ask – are you up for the challenge? How will you mix patterns in your home?
Can You “Sea” Nautical in Your Home?
Posted on July 6, 2012 by jbutler in Fashion and Design
“Anchors aweigh” has a whole new meaning this summer with nautical-inspired trends taking over the runway and yacht club alike. We’re seeing everything from monkey knots to anchors to patriotic red, white and blue looks. We love this Ralph Lauren striped jacket with brass buttons, paired with trendy red cropped pants for a sophisticated approach to fashion.
Our designers at Drexel Heritage can’t get enough of this revived, bold look and are incorporating seaside trends into functional pieces for your home. The Selat Mirror is the perfect accessory for any room with its modern take on the elegant “rope look.”
Our Selat Mirror
The brass links on the Filigree Side Table compliment the dark wood finish for a complete and en vogue furniture piece.
Our Filigree Side Table
The key to nautical décor is to keep it clean and simple, which is why we love the beautiful Daughtry Sofa. The white sofa with blue trim and tufting is just enough to add a pop of color without going overboard.
Our Daughtry Sofa
If you’re ready to jump right in to the nautical trend, try adding a splash of red to your bedroom with our Urban Contemporary Bed.
Our Urban Contemporary Bed
Can you “sea” how to incorporate the nautical trend into your home? We’d love to hear you design ideas!
Design Dictionary: Tufting
Posted on July 2, 2012 by jbutler in Design Dictionary
This week’s Design Dictionary is all about tufting, a furniture and textile-weaving technique that occurs when the thread is sewn and tied inward with the embellishment of buttons. The result? The fabric is gathered, giving the piece a tight, finished look that adds a new level of dimension to the upholstery.
If you want to incorporate just a touch of tufting into your design, then our Hexham Chair is perfect for you – sophisticated, yet fun, this piece features understated stylish tufting on the chair back. Make the Hexham Chair your own by choosing from 21 fabulous frames and 54 beautiful fabric options. Or, go even further with individualizing your chair by selecting the buttons and piping in a contrasting color to make an extra bold statement!
Our Hexham Chair
Experiment even more with this design feature by upgrading your old, simple headboard to the Serendipity Upholstered Bed, which features stunning tufting and a beautiful walnut frame. Upholster the headboard panel in any of Drexel Heritage’s custom fabrics, or, for more masculine appeal, select a rich leather upholstery.
Our Serendipity Upholstered Bed
For a mix of fashion’s latest trends and this classic upholstery technique, try our Laurie Chair, which combines tufting and the runway trend crochet, which we recently highlighted in our Crochet Craze blog. Distinctively individual, our Laurie Chair features tufting on the seat of the chair, rather than the chair back where tufting in typically created.
Our Laurie Chair
For a fun summer project, practice tufting on your own with this DIY diamond tuft pillow. Then, add it as an accent to your favorite Drexel Heritage piece whether it is a throw pillow on the Serendipity Upholstered Bed or an accent pillow on the Hexham Chair.
Crochet Craze
Posted on June 20, 2012 by jbutler in Fashion and Design, Trendy Tips
Rejoice – it’s no longer just for doilies and tablecloths! Crochet is back in style, and this time around, its intricate detailing has a sophisticated and trendy vibe. Today, everyone from Chanel to Tory Burch to Ralph Lauren is integrating crotchet into their summer fashion lines, and we love it for its surprisingly elegant and beautifully simple feel, as seen here in Who What Wear’s fashion spread.
Fashion blog Who, What, Wear loves the new crochet trend — and so do we!
Drexel Heritage is leading the furniture world into this trend with our beautiful, contemporary Laurie Chair and coordinating crochet-inspired pillow. Available in a variety of stunning colors and patterns to suit your preference, our Laurie Chair pillow looks stunning in a deep, cool blue crochet-inspired upholstery or a soft, sweet pink. Choosing a crisp, white upholstery combines two of this season’s most versatile trends – crochet and the ever-elegant white.
Our Laurie Chair
If you’re ready to fully embrace this trend, try the Laurie Chair in a crochet-inspired upholstery, accented with a bright pillow instead.
Try our Laurie Chair in this crochet-inspired upholstery
The Laurie Chair wowed the crowds when it showcased at the High Point Market showroom, and we’re sure that when upholstered in the trendy and sophisticated crochet, it would be just as much of a statement piece in your home!