Contemporary furniture fits consumers' ever-changing moods.

By its very nature the definition of "contemporary" furniture is elusive. The "furniture of the times" reflects the moods and tastes of the buyers. Currently the theme is eclectic -- allowing for a combination of materials in a piece or a collection of styles within a room.

THE FIRST ANNUAL Chicago Design Show drew 120 exhibitors from one dozen countries including Herman Miller for the Home, the Zeeland, MI, manufacturer's home office division; the Morson Collection, a representative of Alivar, Giorgetti and other lines; and Altura Studios Inc., a Manhattan-based contemporary furniture design company. The reason for such widespread appeal? The opportunity to interface with both interior designers and consumers.

The show, which took place at Chicago's Merchandise Mart last October, was open to both interior designers and end users. As a reflection of the moods and tastes of the times, "contemporary furniture" demands interaction between the designers who build it, the interior designers who specify it and the consumers who choose it, said David Drury, director of marketing, Chicago Design Show, Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. The first annual event drew more than 10,000 attendees including interior designers, retail buyers, specifiers and consumers from 46 states and 26 countries.

A Healthy Mix

Overall, the design style was eclectic, reflecting a combination of materials within a piece as well as a collection of different styles within a room. As individuals express themselves in their furniture selections, they may be wild one minute and reserved the next, providing a healthy mix of furniture pieces. Period pieces and modern interpretations of the classics hold equal footing as buyers choose what works for them vs. what the "style police" dictate. Such is the freedom of contemporary furniture.

Lighter woods and metal are still a popular combination. Stainless steel inserts, reminiscent of manhole covers, add an urban feel to Splinter Furniture Design's City Block coffee table, said designer Tony Cooper. The inspiration for the table came during a period when the city of San Francisco replaced hundreds of miles of gas lines under the city streets for earthquake retrograding. One day while stuck in construction traffic, Cooper noticed how a large slab of concrete had been removed from the road. "I remember thinking, `with the right legs, that slab would make a great coffee table,'" Cooper said, The table is available in cherry, maple, mahogany or white oak. Splinter also displayed a re-worked Joker Series, featuring wood bases rather than metal ones.

Shiani Furniture's Ovale collection of bedroom furniture, comprised of hardwoods, select veneers and metals, is designed to enrich its environment, rather than overpower it. "I build traditional furniture with a contemporary feel," said designer Pradeep Shimpi. By keeping the lines clean and the focus on the beauty of the wood, the pieces are "modern classics" rather than trendy, Shimpi added.

Classic Designs

Chicago-based Interior Crafts Inc. presented a new collection of furniture using classic forms with an added "twist." The graceful twisting of the legs and the blending of exotic veneers with metal leaf finish express a fresh attitude toward simple yet elegant design, said Emily Ursini. The Avodire veneered checkerboard-top dining table is available in two sizes -- 90 inches by 45 inches extending to 120 inches with two leaves, and 60 inches by 45 inches, extending to 90 inches.

Reproduction furniture, built to the original specifications and standards, was among the pieces diplayed by the Morson Collection, an exclusive distributor of 11 European furniture lines including Alivar. In addition to producing the most extensive selection of Bauhaus furniture, Alivar offers reproduction furniture from Early Modem and Arts and Crafts movements. A museum reproduction item, the Charles Rennie MackIntosh Willow Chair, was on display at the show. The chair, originally designed for Miss Cranston's Willow Tearooms in Glasgow, is built of ash and stained black and features a storage compartment under the seat panel.

Frank Lloyd Wright Revisited

Dennis Miller Associates presented a collection of 11 historic designs originally created by Frank Lloyd Wright for Fallingwater and a new collection by interior designer Clodagh. The series consists of 11 walnut veneer pieces -- tables, seating, a bed, lighting and the famous living room desk. Proceeds from the sale of the Fallingwater reproductions benefit the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation organization that owns and maintains the house and land surrounding it. Fallingwater, built over a waterfall near Mill Run Pennsylvania, was designed in 1935 and contains the original furniture, including the pieces on which the new collection of reproductions and adaptations is based.

Reproduction lighting from the American architect and designer was also on display as Yamagiwa U.S.A. Corporation's Frank Lloyd Wright Lighting Collection is now marketed by Herman Miller for the Home. The collection consists of 15 lamps in a range of styles from fluid and organic forms to more abstract, geometric renderings. Herman Miller for the Home also showed the Eames molded plywood lounge chair and screen, the Eames soft pad sofa, the Noguchi coffee table and the Aeron chair.

"These pieces represent timeless designs, synonymous with the advent of modem furniture and the designers who created it. We feel that the designs will continue to be appreciated and cherished into the 21st century," said Ray Kennedy, business development manager for Herman Miller for the Home, Also shown was the Beirise Collection, "serious home office furniture for serious home work."

Curves Ahead

For Altura Studios Inc., curves provide a graceful alternative to the mass that a rectilinear cabinet imposes. Exhibited at the show, Altura's Hide and Seek Cabinet is a good example of a design capitalizing on the inspirational curve. Its curved doors slide sideways following the gentle curve of the cabinet. The curved drawer fronts below pull out, following the axis of the cabinet shape. The bow front cabinets start shallow at the sides gaining the depth needed for the TV in the center.

Designer Jeff Behnke says he has been fascinated by the appeal of curved forms to one's emotions. "The curved form has an immediate sensuality that is visually graceful, functionally practical and technically interesting -- it's a very attractive shape."

Eclectic Avenue

As contemporary furniture allows designers great freedom of expression, the Chicago Design Show featured some truly unique pieces. Cement plays an integral part in the tables and cabinets of Haba Design's 420 furniture collection. Giorgetti's Temenos bed, represented by the Morson Collection, featured bedposts carved from solid tree trunks. Horst Inc.'s Veg/Tables include work tables, conference tables, fixtures and furnishings composed of materials made from soybean resin, recycled newsprint, wheat strawboard and other sustainable agricultural resins. And, Corian solid surface material is the base for Kipp Stewart's indoor/outdoor chairs and tables. That these pieces were displayed alongside more traditional furniture shows the unique approach of contemporary designers.

"Until the Chicago Design Show, there had been no forum for contemporary furniture designers," Drury said. "Chicago is the logical location for the show since the city is centrally located and has always been progressive in terms of design," he added. The 1998 show is scheduled for October 9-11. The dates have been moved up one week to avoid a conflict with the High Point Show. For more information contact Laurette Lutiger, director of sales, at [phone].