I’ve just returned from the famous High Point market in North Carolina where I was able to browse through some of the best showrooms in the business, mingle with editors, store owners, buyers, publishers, designers, bloggers and more.. and let’s just say, the trip was a success. It’s not often that you get to have lunch with Alexa Hampton, Suzanne Kasler, Thomas O’Brien, Mariette Himes Gomez and Katharine Hable.
Century Furniture
There were so many amazing things to see at Century this Market but a few things really caught my eye. They have such a wonderful range and variety of pieces and styles, so it makes it easy to find something you love. They’re constantly evolving and refreshing their lines so that what you saw as traditional yesterday, is still tradtional, but with a twist and a touch of the unexpected.
I entered through their garden room which emerged from nature and organic inspired fabrics. Botanicals and gardens are very relaxing and refreshing in general, so who wouldn’t want to bring that into their home?
A gorgeous sideboard with beautiful carved details and a touch of whitewash
Notice the fern tree fabric on the headboard and the branch-like legs on the bedside table
This chest of drawers is nature at its best. Such a great and unique piece that will catch the eye of just about anyone
Another collection that stood out for me at Century Furniture was Ed Robinson’s natural, weathered (yet practical) line seen below. Ed knows how to push the envelope ever so slightly to create a natural feel that’s modern and approachable.
Here you see Ed explaining his line beside his gorgeous sandblasted center table with the most exquisite base I’ve seen in a long time
A hand rendered sketch by Ed sitting on top of the actual DR table that was produced from the sketch. Rustic yet divine!
soft and serene
The chair below was created by a student who was selected as this years winner in Century’s student design competition known as Project UDesign. Ryland Quillen created this fabulous next generation sustainable wing chair that wowed the judges and you can see why! What a great and fun idea to bring a new piece into your line.
Ryland Quillen’s winning chair!
Hooker Furniture
I was pleasantly surprised when walking into the Hooker showroom which seems to be moving more in a transitional direction as opposed to the traditional and classic styles I remember them for. Their Melange line stood out for me the most because every piece in the line was inspired by textiles, art, jewelry and apparel rather than existing furniture. It just goes to show that inspiration comes from everywhere and all creations come from things that are beautiful.
A beautiful silver leafed scalloped chest of drawers lined with a fun wallpaper design on the inside!
A rustic and weathered chest of drawers with a beautiful interior lining. Notice the ornate knobs on this piece. Hardware can do wonders to your furniture
Hand woven water hyacinth dark mahogany bed that’s even prettier in person!
Sligh
Sligh furniture specializes in quality home entertainment and media furnishings that are highly practical. So much thought goes into each piece which made me realize how focused they were on their consumers needs. If you’re going to build a media cabinet you need to think about all the elements that are going to make that cabinet function while still keeping it stylish and well made. It was clear that Sligh did just that.
A simple yet beautiful desk with more function than meets the eye
Here you can see how they incorporated a secret outlet for all your charging and plug-in needs!
A close up of a cabinet with a lovely robins egg blue background
One of my favorite moments in the Sligh showroom was when they showed me their room filled with 1000 (almost) oragami birds which are supposed to bring you good luck. I’ll let you know if my luck changes in the next few days. fingers crossed!
Theodore Alexander
TA struck me as high end, well crafted English furnishings that will give your home a sense of distinction. Although I wasn’t allowed to take pictures while in the showroom I did catch the Keno brothers showing off their unbelievable new collection exclusively sold at Theodore Alexander. This collection is a must see because of its innovative, modern approach to fine, handcrafted and extremely labor intensive work.
The Keno brothers (known best from ‘Antique Road Show’) explaining their collection and concepts behind each design which i have to say are extremely unique and breath taking. They have a variety of finishes which include olive ash burl veneer and tamo veneer to mention a few. You can see the gorgeous chevron box in the foreground that was enough to make me want more.
I’ll be back to share more from my trip to the high point market including one of my all time favorites, Hickory Chair. Until then, browse around the websites of the companies mentioned above – you won’t be disappointed!
Below are some fun examples of what you can do to make a pretty big statement without having to spend a ton of money.
