The XH0202C sofa by Henredon is a classic piece of traditional furniture. Its well rounded arms give it a subtle feel as well as a sense of not dominating the room. Fabric skirts touch down nearly to the carpet which is true with many of their pieces and holds today for many traditional lines. Proximity to the carpet offers a smooth transition from sofa to floor creating an atmosphere that the two surfaces blend together into one. The rounded edges of the sides provide flow in the room space and cause the viewer to not necessarily focus all attention on the sofa. The middle contours inward slightly adding style and grace to the frontal appearance. The multitude of cushions invites sitting comfortably and relaxing. Colors of the cushions could be mixed up to add more flair to the sofa and tie it in to other colors in your room.
The magazine that defined modern design for a generation of readers is extending its brand into the furniture realm. Following in the footsteps of publications such as Country Home and Better Homes and Gardens, Metropolitan Home is launching their own line of contemporary furniture called--appropriately enough--the Unveiled to the media at the Fall 2006 High Point International Furniture Market and scheduled to hit retail stores in March 2007, the contemporary furniture collection features more than 65 upholstered pieces and case goods marked by understated lines and rich--occasionally surprising--finishes. (Full disclosure: I occasionally contribute to Metropolitan Home.)
To create the collection, the magazine turned to renowned interior designer Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz. Long a fixture on Met Home's pages, Noriega-Ortiz brings not only name recognition to the contemporary furniture line, but a sleek, sophisticated sensibility that's modern but understated enough to allow pieces to be mixed and matched at ease. To encourage this, the designer eschewed traditional suites of furniture in favor of "lifestyle groupings" that can be combined together as the consumer sees fit.
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Christie’s sale of English furniture on Monday in New York includes some 18th-century Irish antiques, each carefully notated in the catalog with a typically Irish winged-harp symbol. The harp is helpful, because it can be difficult to identify 18th-century Irish antiques.
Even experts become confused, but help is on the way. Yale University Press has just published “Irish Furniture,” by Desmond FitzGerald, an expert in Irish antiques, and James Peill, a furniture specialist at Christie’s New York. The book has been in the works for more than 40 years.
Continue reading "Irish Furniture, Gutsy and Ebullient, in a Book and a Sale" »
