BY CHARLYNE VARKONYI SCHAUB
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The looks that shouted “buy me” at the International Home Furnishings Market had clean lines, beautiful colors and a dash of celebrity cachet.
Think national designers such as Candice Olson, Jessica McClintock and Barbara Barry. And recall those with roots in the town of Palm Beach, Fla., such as Mimi McMakin, Brooke Huttig and Celerie Kemble.
Manufacturers aren’t tiring of the name game, and as long as the collections are stylish and innovative, neither will those of us who shop for furniture with a trained eye.
MIMI MCMAKIN AND BROOKE HUTTIG
This Palm Beach duo from Kemble Interiors has a reputation for combining great style with a touch of whimsy. McMakin and Huttig, who could star in their own sitcom, don’t take themselves or their decorating too seriously. And that’s what makes them stand out from those who play it safe.
This time, their Palm Beach by Mimi and Brooke for Laneventure features fun accents like the dove feet on the La Paloma accent table ($649) that was inspired by the landscape and tranquility of Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. Tree Tops, McMakin’s childhood home, inspired the new Tree Tops bar table ($1,749), which features a flower-inspired metal base and glass top.
The best story, though, is the La Salona accent chair ($1,309), featuring shirred borders, button tufting, a scalloped skirt, crisp welts and fluted legs. The smaller-scale chair was created in honor of a good friend and client, Palm Beacher Burk Ross.
“He has four of them in Palm Beach,” McMakin says. “He loves them. He likes to sit lower than his friends. He feels that it honors them.”
CELERIE KEMBLE
Kemble, who runs the New York office of Kemble Interiors, is McMakin’s daughter. She’s a regular on the party pages of W as well as in design magazines such as House Beautiful.
Her young, hip, sophisticated and contemporary look translates well in her Celerie Collection for Laneventure. Her signature piece at this market is the sculptural Vera chair ($1,309), with its open flying back. It’s covered in her fave look of the moment – faux shagreen vinyl.
“I am putting faux leather on the walls, on the interior of bookcases,” Kemble says. “It’s a miracle fabric. It can be Liberace, Elvis or rock star. It is very timely and terribly usable. I have totally gone over the deep end with it.”
The faux leather, which is part of the Celerie Collection for Valtekz, just came out and is available to trade and furniture manufacturers only. It sells for $45 to the high $80s a yard. Kemble says it applies like wallpaper and comes in an infinite array of colors.
“I don’t want to bash leather,” she says. “I love the patina in an old leather piece, but this is consistent and comes in 54-inch widths. Only the super-trained eye will know it’s not leather.”
CANDICE OLSON
Olson, former Canadian volleyball star-turned-designer and host of “Divine Design” on HGTV, has created her first collection of upholstered furniture for Norwalk. Traditional designs have been slimmed down and dressed up with details such as pleating, nailheads and tufting. Color rules from bright orange to brown. It’s glam to the hilt.
Her signature piece is the Giselle, an upholstered headboard born from the traditional wing chair and dressed with nailhead trim. The showroom samples were in a feminine damask and a macho black leather ($1,300-$1,700). A more contemporary style is the Beckett chair ($737), which she says is her interpretation of a classic Barcelona chair.
Olson describes the 14 upholstered pieces as “classics with a twist.”
“People are scared of contemporary,” she says. “All the designs have details that speak to the past – rolled arms, nailhead trim, curves. The recognition of the past calms the fear of contemporary.”
JESSICA MCCLINTOCK
What comes to mind when you hear the name Jessica McClintock? The fashion designer known for her feminine prom gowns and wedding dresses has created a line of upholstered furniture for C.R. Laine. The furniture designs were inspired by her elegant Pacific Heights home in San Francisco, as well as her travels.
The collection is divided into four themes. Studio has clean lines and is more transitional. Boudoir has a smaller scale and is more romantic. Parlor is classic with upholstery details, such as rouching, upholstered buttons and fringe. Conservatory brings the outside in with garden colors and woven botanicals.
The design team sketched the furniture based on a trip they made to her home. McClintock reviewed the drawings and made some changes. For example, one of the sketches contained orange, not one of her favorite colors.
“I love England and I love the French creative palate,” says McClintock, who was dressed in a black Donna Karan pantsuit that she made her own with the addition of white lace cuffs. “The French always throw their homes off-balance with an interesting pillow or vase or the way they put things together. They make their home reflect the people living in it.”
BARBARA BARRY
The Los Angeles interior designer known for clean lines and soft colors continues to create elegant environments with her Barbara Barry Realized for Henredon. Her color of the moment is blush, a creamy tone that flatters the skin of those sitting in the room. The natural light changes the color, says Judy Acks, vice president of the Barbara Barry brand. It appears soft and cool in the morning and it gets rosy in the afternoon.
“Blush is a new color for us,” she says. “Barbara loves colors. She always uses a tint along with a pale neutral such as grays, greens.”
Highlights of the collection include the Hexagonal Hatbox occasional table ($2,250) featuring her characteristic oval motif and the streamlined Conversation sofa in a rich auburn velvet and her solid walnut dining chairs with blush lacquered linen upholstery ($1,500-$1,600 each).
“We all live hectic, crazy lives as working women,” Acks says. “When we come home at night it should be a calm, restful place.”
Acks sees the prime customer as a wealthy, young couple with a lot of disposable income.
“There is a young customer that had Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel in their first home,” she says. “They want to create their own look. This is a grown-up version.”
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TRENDS
Armless loveseats: They look sleek, take up less space in small townhouses and condos, and are more versatile to arrange in a room.
Beds: It’s easier than ever to get a custom look of upholstered beds in many variations. The hot look now is the headboard that mimics the shape of a wing chair.
Colors: Orange remains strong in all hues, and so does red. But also look for soft colors such as celery, sea glass, Tiffany blue, spa blue, cocoa, gray, sand and blush; also yummy shades such as apricot, pumpkin, raisin and watermelon. Bronze is big in everything from lamps to leather.
Etageres: These freestanding shelf units open on all sides and used for display were everywhere, providing a more open, less bulky look. You’ll see them on freestanding shelves as well as plasma TV units.
Entertainment units: Manufacturers are convinced that women now don’t mind looking at a large plasma TV screen. More options put the TV on display. Look for a variety of consoles. But, if you are willing to spend the big bucks, more high-end companies are offering the plasma lift system, which makes the TV disappear with the flick of a remote.
Fabrics: Some of the prints are so oversize they look as if they’re on steroids. Another big look is luster stolen from the runway, whether it’s luminescence on a tassel, silk pillows, iridescent polyester/ rayon blend or metallic leather that shimmers like a hip handbag. Multitonal fabrics resemble the fabric of a Chanel jacket.
Faux leathers: They wear well and look like the real thing from ostrich to croc to python. They also make great wallcoverings.
Hidden chargers: Hate the look of your cell phone charging on your nightstand? Companies such as Magnussen Home and Aspen Home are putting chargers inside the drawers of nightstands and desks.
Oval ottomans: These fabric- and leather-covered ottomans provide a more elegant look.
