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OLD BISCAYNE DESIGNS 411 Southerfield Road P.O. Box 688 Americus, Georgia 31709 Tel: 229-924-4050 Fax: 229-928-0805 Nick and Gretchen Gabrielli started in the furniture business importing antique furniture of Italian and Spanish origin from Argentina. Over the decade their love for this fascinating combination of style and design inspired a collection of new furniture that is both sophisticated and finely constructed. The company that grew out of this, Old Biscayne, now offers antique reproductions and original designs, each with a story and signed and dated by its author, "the Gabriellis." Made with original solid bronze, iron, and aluminum castings meticulously detailed by artisans using Old World techniques, the furniture is manufactured from heavy gauge iron and solid steel components insuring a very sturdy and durable, heirloom quality product. Made with reinforced, welded construction. Each weld is concealed by an individually handpoured pewter casting using all hand-turned and hand forged steel. Old Biscayne finishes their furniture with hand rubbed patinas employing Old World layering techniques and advanced formulated environmentally friendly paint finishes that improve with age. Custom heights and sizes are available. Some pieces are signed by the artist as an original work of art. The collection includes beds, armoires, chests, benches and end tables. This is high-end furniture with quality to match their prices. OLD CASTLE FURNITURE 367 W Victoria St Gardena, CA 90248 (310) 329-8680 OLD HICKORY FURNITURE 403 S. Noble St Shelbysville, IN 46176 (800) 232-BARK, (317) 398-2275 Fax  Old Hickory has been helping make memories for most of the last 100 years. The enduring popularity of rustic furniture began with the pioneers who first made rustic furniture in the early 1800's. Their craftsmanship was honed in small towns and some evolved into companies manufacturing rustic furniture known for its style and natural elegance. The first of these companies was Old Hickory, incorporated as Old Hickory Chair Co. in the late 1890's.
Old Hickory's beginnings predate accurate newspaper records, but can be traced back to a craftsman named Billy Richardson. In the 1880's, Richardson built hoop chairs, settees and tables from the hickory wood that flourished in the limestone-rich soils of Indiana. On weekends, he sold his furniture on the town square in the nearby county seat of Martinsville. But even Billy Richardson was building on earlier traditions. The earliest pioneers who crossed the Great Smokies discovered that hickory was well-suited for building furniture that would endure for generations. A few years back, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture described hickory wood as "exceptionally tough, heavy and strong," confirming the experienced wisdom of our early pioneers. Out of this legacy, Old Hickory was born. It grew because people found comfort and quality in its natural forms and sturdy construction. People in Chicago and New York were attracted to Old Hickory furniture by displays in merchandise marts and department stores as early as 1920. From the early 1900's. many of our national parks featured Old Hickory furnishings, including the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone, where the dining chairs from the 1906 opening are still in use today!. One of our favorite photos from that era presents Greta Garbo sitting very nervously on an Old Hickory chair next to an uncaged lion. In today's world, many things change. Making Old Hickory furniture is not one of them. Each winter, the self-regenerating hickory trees are harvested and the wood is shipped to us here in Shelbyville. After curing in our own kiln, the wood is crafted into the casually elegant furniture that is our hallmark, and shipped throughout the world. "The best goll-durn furniture you ever did see" quipped one customer in 1910... "an instant heirloom" said a recent customer. Old Hickory is firmly rooted in its beginnings and remains today stubbornly old-fashioned in its insistence on old-fashioned quality. We believe that Old Hickory continues to thrive today because we continue to build our furniture in a way that Billy Richardson would understand ... each piece is hand-crafted and assembled with old-fashioned care because good quality is always in fashion. OLD HICKORY TANNERY PO Box 3389, Hickory, NC 28603. tel: (828) 322-5076 fax: (828) 324-5417 Leather upholstery manufactuer. They specialize in traditional styles in an upper quality upper price range. You can be assured when you purchase an Old Hickory Tannery sofa that if you take good care of it, it will last for generations. OLEY VALLEY REPRODUCTIONS 6321 Oley Turnpike Road Oley, PA 19547 Tel: 610-689-5885 I stood behind the showroom of Oley Valley Reproductions shaking my head. In each direction were acres and acres of farmland. Historic Berks county is only an hour from the insanity of Philadelphia traffic, noise and congestion yet here in this field, time stood still. I made a 360 degree panoramic sweep with my camera. I wanted to capture the newly plowed fields (fresh with manure the smell was daunting) the barn with hand tools scattered around computerized equipment, the small but adequate showroom, the farmhouse with clothesline out front. No one is going to believe this is real. Coming to work everyday in this setting must keep the owners focused on their mission: to hand make fine 18th century American furniture reproductions; to make it affordable and to make it true to the same commitment to quality they've stressed for more than 25 years. The day my wife and I visited, the man setting up a bed in the corner of the showroom was the same man who made it. My wife told him her brother and sister-in-law purchased a bed and a couple other pieces from them the year before. He asked for details of what they purchased then nodded in remembrance. After all, he noted, each order is customer produced for each new owner's needs. The showroom isn't very large, but you can can see a great sampling of their colonial reproduction furniture, fine quality country cupboards and Windsor chairs, all created in carefully hand-rubbed paint and stain finishes. From their website: "Our colonial accessories include lighting, redware, woven textiles, trade signs, pewter and more -- all carefully selected by us. All accessories are hand made by high quality American craftsmen we know, most are made locally to our Oley workshop. Never any imports!!! Never!!" OREGON RUSTICS Oregon Rustics Furniture P.O. Box 850 Umatilla, OR 97882 Tel: 877-567-3870 Fax: 541-567-7682 Oregon Rustics has been hand-crafting lodgepole pine furniture since 1998. Lodgepole pine is about 6" thick and perfect for incredibly sturdy and durable furniture. If you live in a log home, or have a cabin by the lake, a chalet in the mountains, a casual comfy rec room where everyone gathers for TV, or even a mix of casual designs, lodgepole furniture is ideal. The company recently added the Northwest Craftsman Collection which is made from solid alder and solid pine. Their mission is to "create classic furniture with character that will stand the test of time." With that in mind they offer pieces for the bedroom, children's bedroom, dining room and living room. ORIENTAL LACQUER FURNITURE 635 Regal Row, Dallas, TX 75247. (214)631-6611 OVATION FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES 1207A John Reed CT. City of Industry, CA 91745 tel: (626) 336-0088 fax: (626) 336-7810 |
