At a time when daily life is infused with the technology of cell phones, iPods and plasma TVs, the American furniture industry has sensed a counter-trend at hand.


“Many of us need a balance, especially in the environment we come home to each day,” says Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance.

New furniture collections on their way to retail stores this month will meet the need with everything from pure reproductions to inspired interpretations of classic American designs.

New from Hooker is “Simply American,” a collection of bedroom and home entertainment furnishings rendered in Arts & Crafts styling. With features such as cedar-lined drawers and mortise and tenon pegs, the pieces are available in oak or cherry.

Also arriving in the weeks ahead are the first authentic reproductions of Frank Lloyd Wright furniture. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation recently named Copeland Furniture exclusive licensee for the manufacture of Wright’s furniture designs.

Copeland’s initial introductions spotlight the Prairie Period (1899 to 1910) and include Wright’s classic Barrel Chair, a full dining room, accent tables and a bedroom group.

Also American-made is the “Artisan” collection from Cresent Fine Furniture. The bedroom and dining room groups feature clean lines and a sophisticated finish on cathedral and quarter-cut walnut veneers.

L. & J.G. Stickley has expanded its Pasadena Bungalow Collection, inspired by the works of Charles & Henry Greene, influential California architects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Greene brothers were contemporaries of the Stickley brothers and pioneered the Arts & Crafts Movement on the West Coast.

Stickley historian Mike Danial is going to be at Verbarg’s Kenwood store Oct. 27-28. Details at 513-794-1555.

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