HIGH POINT MARKET - DAY FOUR Part I of II

HIGH POINT MARKET - DAY FOUR / Part I of II

...I know, I know, the market is over and I'm still writing like it just happened. Well it did just happen...a few days ago anyway!

I've just gotten back to Santa Barbara after seven very long days in High Point, NC. Now don't get me wrong, High Point is a quaint town, and the people gracious, but it's not SB! I'm so glad to be back in my beloved SB.

We landed to balmy weather, a breeze, and a crescent moon just beginning to show itself, the setting sun reflected its colors on the mountains...oh puleeze!

Sometimes I make myself sick!

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Now about the market on Day Four:

We started the day at ARTISTICA, a California based furniture manufacturer, and one of the states best. We've been dancing around this line for a long while, and after much persistence, their sales Rep. Greg Eiseman prevailed upon me to bring my crew to take a look at this line.

Here's what we saw: The furniture is traditional Italian/Tuscan style. Well executed inlay patterns using multiple stains and wood species on the drawer fronts and the cabinet tops, and price points definitely under that of Baker Furniture which was great.

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Photos:

Above Left: Round Dining Table with Pedestal base that was pure contemporary, along the lines of designer Barbara Barry's Collection for Baker Furniture.

Center: The table top with "book matched" veneers

Above Right: The Dining Arm Chair. Matching Dining Side Chair available.
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Artistica also debuted a new division at the show, Anthology, which will be their higher end, couture furniture line. Anthology featured traditional furniture with a more contemporary sensibility, a collection of pure contemporary occasional tables with angular stainless steel tubing topped with white Carrera Marble. Some pieces were purely Spanish style, with a heavier block front design in Chest's, Buffet's and Consoles.

Photos, above: Two views of the uber sexy new Anthology Dining Arm Chair in Leather; and the Arm and Side chair with the new wood top dining table on a tublular stainless steel base.

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Photo below: The Anthology Collection runs the gamut from the contemporary occasional tables on the left, to the classic Spanish Block Front Chest on the right.

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I felt that some of the finishes on some items were a bit shiny for my taste, and we shared that observation with our Rep, and the company owner who had welcomed us to the showroom upon or arrival. Hopefully they will consider the importance of sheen when selecting future finishes for their line.
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Other selections of interest at Artistica:

Photos below:

Top Left: A new bed, available with open fret work, or backed in linen upholstery.

Top Right: A Bombay style Chest in a Burled Walnut veneer and custom hardware.

Bottom: A blond finished hardwood European style Dining chair with rush seat and back (cushion optional), and A new interior Rattan Dining Chair in the Klismo style.

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We have decided to buy into this line. It's beautiful, well priced, and is well made. The line offers a lot of breadth; will arrive faster and for less money because it's shipped to us from within California which will save us, and ultimately our customers, 18-25% in freight costs.

We should have the first pieces on the sales floor at Cabana Home Stores by mid-December.

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Next stop, the new J. Douglas Showroom, just down from Artistica. J is a savvy showroom operator/owner whom we know from the Americas Mart in Atlanta. J represents several lines, including Aidan Gray and Jan Barboglio (Jan was our former neighbor when we lived in Dallas' Greenway Park's neighborhood), both of which we carry in our stores.

Photos, above: Jan's fall collection looked great. She showed a great new reclaimed wooden plank Console, with an elaborate polished steel stretcher.

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Aidan Grey showed a few furniture pieces and some fresh new lamps repeating the resurgence of the "Belgian look", that we'd had on the showroom floor of our stores three years ago.

Three years ago?

Yes, we first saw the "new Belgian look" three years ago in Paris at the Maison & O'bjet Show. It was everywhere and being done by everyone. It was new then, and we imported it into California, had our fun with it and we've moved on.

Then just about two weeks ago, Restoration Hardware presented the "new" (so they say) Belgian look (again) in their fall catalog.

OFGS's (similar to "OMG"...ask your teenager!)

So now, we figure that every other person will be walking into our stores asking if we're going to get that "new (old) Belgian look". So did I miss something here? So when did it become the thing to do, to buy ones furniture at a "Hardware" store..or from a "Barn" for that matter?

As I said above...OFGS's!

So to answer the question...yes, we did buy back into the "new Belgian look" again. It's not new, but if the customer says so, then we'll happily oblige.

We bought a great "Belgian" style console with a reclaimed sandblasted oak top, the finish left raw, and mounted on a wrought iron base. We also bought a table that is a console which opens to the width of a Dining table when needed, in a "scrubbed oak" finish (another term in the Belgian vernacular). Then we bought a pair of lamps made from wooden architectural relic's in a naturally aged finish (also a Belgian look) that were very tasty!

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Photo's above: The "New" Belgian look in lamps.

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And lastly at the Douglas Showroom, we bought into a line of Linen throw pillows from Lacefield Designs. With down fills, the pillows will retail in the $125-$170 price range, which is a price point that we couldn't believe considering their high quality. Lately it seems as though throw pillows have gone up to ridiculous highs, with some of them retailing in the $450-$700 range.

Above photos: The pillows were purchased in the forward colors of grey and yellow...expect to see the trend for these two colors for the next year or so.

So, now you have two more things to watch for, the arrival of the "new Belgian look" and a new color story: grey and yellow, at Cabana Home Stores in the late December, early January!

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For more on the color forecast, please see tomorrows blog:

High Point Market - Day Four / Part II of II

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Okay, got time for a little "Worst in Show":

A unique high-back sofa in purple ultra suede with rhinestone button tufting.

This just took the cake for the day!

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Don't know anymore about whats going on with this truck than you do. We were just standing on a street corner waiting for the light to change when this truck went driving by? I've heard of hood ornaments, but...

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Good Night Moon