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Harrods and Highland House's furniture line accentuates British details
Saturday, March 17, 2001 By Patricia Sheridan, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
The English represent the epitome of proper, with a sense of decorum that extends from manners to manor houses. But achieving that quintessential style in the home requires more than overstuffing a room with chintz and Chippendale.
The new Harrods Fine Furniture Collection fluently translates an authentically English look for trans-Atlantic habitats. The line is the result of a collaboration between London's world-famous department store, Harrods of Knightsbridge, and U.S. furniture maker Highland House, a division of Thomasville Furniture Industries.
Today's Home, exclusive retailer of the line in the Pittsburgh area and one of only a handful of U.S. stores to receive the first shipment, will officially introduce the collection in two "tea and biscuit" chats on Friday at its Greentree Road location. Designer/architect Bill Mitchell of Harrods and Tom Staats, president of Highland House, will talk about the collection and mingle with guests at 3 and 7 p.m. Today's Home is one of only four stores nationwide that the Harrods team will visit.
The collection of 55 pieces won high praise when it was introduced in the fall at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C. Harrods owner and chairman, Mohamed Al Fayed, acknowledged the applause in a statement:
"After the excitement at High Point and the extremely favorable reception to the Harrods Fine Furniture Collection, I am delighted that the range is finally arriving in the stores. I have every confidence that the pieces will be as warmly received by the American consumers as they were by the trade."
Clippings
Sandy Feather
Growing With Phipps
Though the entire collection will not be on the floor at Today's Home, all the signature products will be on display. Among those that bring the legacy of the English look to life are the Eaton curio and the Halkin sofa. Both have elements of Georgian styling with the curio's curved arched glass panel door and the single-cushion sofa's exposed wood frame and scrolled arms. The designs were inspired by similar pieces in the Harrods archives.
"Mitchell went into the archives of Harrods, going back 125 years for some of the design details of these pieces," said Today's Home president Jeff Lenchner.
The mahogany curio features very ornate carving on the door and moldings. Some of its details can be traced to a c. 1700 English door shown in the book "The Age of Mahogany." The sofa, shown in a pale spring green damask, rests on eight fluted wooden legs with what is described as a lotus-flower toe.
It is the collection's roots in history that lend it authenticity.
"There is a story behind everything, and that is really where Bill Mitchell flourishes," said Lenchner. "When you hear him talk about it, that piece of furniture comes to life, and that doesn't happen often in our business."
Mitchell's relationship with Al Fayed has spanned 30 years. They are so close that Countess Raine Spencer, Harrods' international director, refers to him as "the chairman's personal architect."
Now in his 70s, Mitchell has worked as a mural painter, a petty officer in the Royal Navy, a toolmaker and decorator. He created Harrods' famous Egyptian Halls and seven-floor escalator. A hands-on designer, Mitchell carved 180 panels that represent Egyptian life on each floor. For the escalator project, he was challenged to interpret Al Fayed's "vision of a 2,000-year-old journey through Egypt and up the Nile." He has also worked on Al Fayed's Hotel Ritz in Paris.
For his part, Staats was lauded in a recent Robb Report with the likes of Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein for his vision in making the Harrods collection a reality.
"He is mentioned with the icons of fashion because this is such a unique project in the industry," said Lenchner.
Mitchell's designs for the Harrods Collection exude elegance and eclecticism. A perfect example is the Stanhope demilune console with four doors. Done in satinwood veneers and hardwood solids, it's adorned in a hand-painted floral motif intended to reflect the Sheraton style.
Presenting the perfect picture of posh is the Chelsea recamier, also known as a chaise lounge. Dressed in a "buttercream yellow" damask, its deep button tufting is a siren call to the world-weary who prefer to recline regally. The mid-Regency period design includes an arm and partially rolled foot rest.
The collection also offers a reproduction of a Georgian Aldwych swivel-top game table with mahogany veneer and rosebud feet. The top turns and flips into a 38-inch square and brass stretchers add visual interest. From the Victorian era is the Sloane corner stand, which would have been used to hold a water basin in a bedroom.
"If you had to describe it in a nutshell, I would call it an extraordinarily elegant collection with historic significance," said Lenchner.
Lenchner, a strong supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, opted to boost the charity in the special event next week. Anyone who makes a $10 donation to Make-A-Wish on Friday will be in the running to win two round-trip tickets to London on US Airways. In addition, they'll receive a private VIP tour of Harrods and a piece from the collection, the Westminster Canterbury magazine rack. Lenchner stressed that the donation is completely optional and the event is free.
Reservations are suggested for the tea and biscuit chats at Today's Home. Call Nancy Wassell of Today's Home at 412-343-9750.
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