Wow! The May 9, 2012 issue of industry trade publication Furniture Today just hit the newsstands, and the Stephanie Dining Table was named to the publication’s bi-annual “Best of Market” section.
Introduced two weeks ago at the High Point Market—the world’s largest home furnishings trade show—the Stephanie Dining Table is among the newest additions to my luxury furniture collection at E.J. Victor. Offered in two different sizes (84 and 96 inches), I designed it without a leaf to simplify people’s lives. The oak table surface features an interesting checkerboard pattern, surrounded by a textural apron. The table’s legs are situated in horseshoe patterns above a pair of dramatic C-shaped stretchers (does it remind you of a certain fashion house logo?) and have been carefully positioned to ensure everyone around the table enjoys plenty of leg room.
The news this Market was a new, lighter finish called sand. While lighter finishes and oak are typically associated with more casual looks, the story here is about sophistication—perfect for South Florida luxury interior design projects. Until now, I’ve focused on beautifully rich, dark woods like crotch walnut, rosewood, and zebrawood in all of my designs for E.J. Victor. This season, I was inspired in part by the needs of my Palm Beach interior designer clients, many of whom are gravitating toward lighter finishes, and in part by the juxtaposition of light and dark.
In the background of the picture, you see my new Lorelei Cabinet, a terrific companion piece to Stephanie, with its creamy limestone top and alternating wave pattern door and drawer fronts. Lorelei is also decidedly smaller in scale and lower in height to leave enough room above it to accommodate a great mirror, wonderful painting, or TV in spaces with lower ceilings. This is a multi-purpose piece that could be used as a dresser, buffet, media cabinet, or bar. I love its undulating curves, which remind me of a wave—a detail many clients look for in Palm Beach Gardens interior design projects.
Both of these pieces, along with the accompanying Parker Dining Chairs, could only be produced by a company like E.J. Victor, which is steeped in the art and craft of high-end home furnishings. Achieving the wonderfully warm sand finish requires a complicated bleaching process that few other companies would even attempt today, and certainly none domestically. I am tremendously gratified that furniture like this can still be produced in the U.S., and to be working with the incredible craftspeople required to bring it to fruition at E.J. Victor, delighting clients of South Florida luxury interior design.