11Oct2017
Behind The Design
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October 11, 2017 /
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Our Statement Making Furniture Speaks for Itself

Every piece of furniture we make has a personality of its own—from the Robyn bed’s country casual vibe to the Vivica chest’s go-glam-or-go-home attitude. There isn’t a chair, chest, ottoman, or etagère that doesn’t make a statement; we designed them that way! Recently we imagined what our furniture would say—how it might introduce itself, for example—if only it had the chance. We featured some table talk in our October magazine, but the conversation didn’t stop there. Meet some of our favorites:

ROBYN: I’m a sleigh bed infused with a cottage vibe—contemporary yet rustic, as cozy in a city loft as I am in a summer beach house.

KINGSTON: I’m tropically inspired, with a reeded headboard and footboard design; I’ll instantly transform your bedroom into an island getaway.

LINCOLN: I may look casual, but I have great fashion sense. My upholstered headboard can be dressed in your choice of dozens of fabrics so I can show off your unique style.

FAIRFAX: I’m proof that traditional doesn’t have to be old-fashioned. I’m neoclassical with a modern twist—and I steal the show in any space.

GRAYSON: I have a generous seat for roomy relaxation—and with my Chippendale-inspired design, I look fabulous anywhere, especially in the middle of a room.

VERSAILLES: I’m inspired by Louis XV and generously proportioned for comfort. My hand-carved details are subtle—but stunning.

VIVICA: I’m all about the glamour; my silver leaf wood frame is dressed head-to-toe in antiqued mirror panels. Va va voom!

ADELAIDE: I’m Gustavian (that’s part Swedish, part French); my breakfront effect and delicate ring pulls make me one-of-a kind.

BOWEN: I’m a petite beauty with a big personality, dressed in a faux snakeskin-embossed leather in white or silver, and detailed with antiqued silver nail head trim.

18Sep2017
Behind The Design
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September 18, 2017 /
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Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Art is personal. What moves one person may do nothing at all for someone else. Enter our custom art program, an opportunity for you to enjoy art—from landscapes, abstracts and pop art to portraits, geometrics, photographs and more—on your terms.

Shawn Lang spearheaded the development and launch of our custom art program while director of wall décor for Ethan Allen (he’s now a social media consultant for us). We asked him a few questions about how he conceptualized it—and what makes it unique.

How did you visualize the custom art program before you launched it?

Shawn: When we decided to update the existing custom art program, we knew we wanted to design a simple, user-friendly program for both our designers and clients. We wanted it to have a fresh look and offer a wide variety of artwork to capture all lifestyles, so we included traditional landscapes, contemporary abstracts, photography, and transitional pieces that can work in any room.

Did you work with artists who already have pieces in the Ethan Allen collection?

Shawn: We did include artists we’ve worked with in the past. At the same time, we also added new artists to the mix—we thought they would provide the new assortment with a fresh update. All in all, we added more than 180 new images to the collection.

From your perspective, what makes the new program special?

Shawn: I think the best thing about it is that we can refresh the assortment quickly. We can easily add new imagery as trends evolve, so the collection is always relevant.

 

How does it work?

Shawn: We designed the process to be easy for anyone to do in just a few quick steps:

  • First, launch the custom art creation tool.
  • Then browse our selection of works. You’ll find a wide array of styles and genres.
  • Choose to have your work printed on either paper or canvas.
  • Decide on the scale that works best for your room: small, medium, or large.
  • Preview your art in dozens of frames, in a wide range of styles to match your décor.
  • Add options like mats, pen lines, bevels, fillets, or liners to really make it your own.
  • Preview your artwork so you can see exactly what the finished piece will look like. You can even view it against different wall color samples to get an idea of how it will look in your room—before you buy.

What happens once it’s ordered?

Shawn: Once your custom art piece is created, it’s sent to our Passaic, New Jersey, workshop to be framed by hand. In the workshop, mats are cut by hand, and pen lines are drawn by hand. Our artisans have learned and honed their skills over many years, and I think the quality they produce really differentiates us from other custom art programs out there. No detail is too small for them.

If you have any questions about our custom art program, visit a Design Center, or chat with a designer online. At the end of the process, you’ll have a piece of art that’s truly your own.

 

8Sep2017
Behind The Design, Design Trends
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September 8, 2017 /
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We’re so in love with these pressed botanicals, we decided to repost this again for everyone to enjoy!

Julie Franklin’s classic botanicals are naturally lovely. Natural, because they’re made from genuine sprigs, leaves, and stems—and lovely, because the artist chooses the delicate specimens carefully, then preserves and presses them herself.

Julie started gathering flowers and leaves in her native Georgia with her cousin, a botanist who collected specimens for research, and soon learned how to preserve her pretty finds. First, she places a fresh botanical specimen between leaves of paper in an old-fashioned wood press, then hand-tightens the press as the specimen dries. When the press is opened, it often reveals exaggerated curves and colors—unexpected beauty captured in two dimensions.

We frame Julie’s botanicals in our New Jersey workshop—as befit these distinctive works of art. Our artisans mount a pressed specimen onto deckle-edge archival paper, along with an identifying card, and float it in a solid wood frame with an aged gold fillet, under museum-quality UV glass. Our botanical collections include 26 unique specimens set against a white background, and 12 set against black. Hang them alone, in pairs, or in groups to create a stunning gallery wall.

 

5Sep2017
Company News
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September 5, 2017 /
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It’s our anniversary!  This fall we’re celebrating 85 years of craftsmanship, innovation, style, service, and quality. We picked Labor Day to kick off the party—a day that honors the great tradition of the American worker. Appropriately, we’re celebrating 85 years of jobs well done. We’re so incredibly proud of our workers—from the craftspeople who make our wood pieces to the designers who help our customers create beautiful rooms.

Throughout September we’ll be celebrating our history (look for highlights of our timeline), our favorite anniversary palette (beautiful black and gold), and the creativity of our artisans. We’ll be sharing entertaining “then and now” stories and going behind the scenes inside our photo studio and manufacturing plants.

Don’t worry. We’ll still be sharing our Design Stars’ stories and serving up fresh decorating ideas, but we’ve got some serious celebrating to do this September.

We may be 85, but we can party with the best of them—come along for the ride!

—The Ethan Allen Design Team

 

 

 

Video Portfolio
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August 31, 2017 /
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A beautifully made bed is a pleasure to behold, with its sumptuous layers and gorgeous mix of textures. It all starts with the bed, of course—and no one makes beds like we do. The bestselling Quincy is just one of the beds we manufacture right in our own American workshops. And we do it all: from sourcing timber to applying finishes by hand. Take a look and see for yourself how we bring the Quincy bed to life—from wood … to wonderful.

29Aug2017
Behind The Design
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August 29, 2017 /
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The ancient art of block printing has been around for 2,000 years. As a traditional method of textile design, it’s held up surprisingly well. Block printing is essentially the transfer of an image or design (in this case, coral) to a surface (a soft, white linen-and-cotton blend fabric) from a carved material (rubber, although wood is widely used) covered in ink (ours is water-based and nontoxic).

PRINTING OUR PILLOW, STEP BY STEP
An artist starts by carving the coral design into a piece of rubber to create a stamp that can be used again and again. The stamp is then glued to a piece of plexiglass, and ink is rolled out onto the raised stamp, ensuring the pigment is applied evenly. The pillow face fabric is placed on a padded surface, and the plexiglass is then turned over and positioned onto the fabric, inked side down. Pressure is evenly applied to the back of the plexiglass. While the fabric is held down, the plexiglass is then cleanly lifted away. The fabric is hung to dry before being sewn into the finished pillow.

Our Fan Coral Pillow is a contemporary example of the time-honored technique that’s widely associated with India, China, and Japan. The beauty and fine details of the natural sea fan coral are printed by hand onto cloth to produce an original, strikingly modern design—done the old-fashioned way. Our gorgeous block-printed pillows are made close to home, in a workshop in downtown Chicago. Each print is inked by hand, so variations will occur—only adding to the natural beauty of the piece.

 

© 2017 Ethan Allen Global, Inc.