Style & Decor Blog

Iris Collection 48 x 14 x 18″ Console, from $599, Rowe Furniture

When I first saw Rowe Furniture’s new Iris collection – a series of fully upholstered accent tables – I adored them. Partly, it’s because the sofa table (above) made me think of my dearly departed Lack consoles from IKEA; and partly because I thought it was a deliciously decadent way of dressing up the Parsons shape – the most pared-down of all furniture forms.

 

But after a few days of scanning the shots from Rowe’s booth at the High Point Furniture Market, doubt started creeping in. I mean, they are a bit unusual, aren’t they? But am I suddenly being too hard on Iris because I can’t see past the startling blue suede prototypes? Very probably. (In all fairness, the Iris collection is customizable in any of 500 Rowe and 200 Robin Bruce fabrics, but it’s just so hard to look past the suede and imagine what could be). And Iris could be just what the decorating doctor ordered, if you’re looking for an innovative way to introduce pattern and colour via a piece of furniture that might otherwise be another drab wood tone… 

Here are the two other forms in the collection…

What do you think of Iris? Hit or miss?

 

Iris 42 x 36 x 18″ cocktail table, from $656, Rowe Furniture

 

 

Iris 24 x 20 x 24″ end table, from $559, Rowe Furniture

 

 

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Sometimes seeing how something’s made can alter your enjoyment of the finished product. As much as I love hot dogs grilled on the barbeque every summer, for instance, I never, ever want to see how wieners are made. Ever.

On the other hand, when it comes to fine furniture craftsmanship, seeing the artful process of how it’s manufactured can enhance your appreciation of it, elevating something as taken-for-franted as a simple slipper chair to a true work of art.

Last week, I had the chance to go behind-the-scenes at Toronto’s Barrymore Furniture to see how their soft furnishings are made, and it just reinforced the beauty of their custom collection of sofas and armchairs.

It all starts, of course, with fabric. Barrymore offers a huge selection of upholstery options in their own fabric line, as well as high-end threads from the likes of Robert Allen and Kravet. Just take a look at their sample room… So pretty!

 

…And behind-the-scenes lies Barrymore’s fabric storeroom. Bolt after bolt of trendy textiles. Before it’s cut, each length of fabric is completely unrolled and inspected for quality control on a giant roller.

 

The selected fabric is then cut (by hand!) according to draft forms. These racks contain all the templates for each sofa and chair model Barrymore carries.

 

Springs are hand-tied into position into the (heavy – but so durable!) hardwood frame in preparation for upholstery. Barrymore uses a special string that resists that annoying “squeak” after you’ve been plunking down in the same spot for a number of years.

 

Exposed wood elements of the furniture frame are taken to the spraying room for stain treatment. Doesn’t this look like a Star Wars set?

 

Now we’re ready for that upholstery…

 

This is what tufting looks like – from the side of the chair we never see!

 

…Et voila! A completed sofa, upholstered in a lovely Larry Laslo fabric.

 

These particular sofas are on their way to various Canadian embassies all around the world! (Nice to see Canadian diplomats abroad still remember to buy Canadian!) Kind of cool, as well, to think that dignitaries across the globe are able to enjoy Canadian craftsmanship each time they visit the embassies!

If it looks like they’ve got the process down to a science, there’s a reason: Barrymore’s been at this for over 90 years now. What a great “Made in Canada” success story!

Barrymore Furniture, Toronto, 416-532-2891