Furniture for all time.

The April International Home Furnishings Market premiered plenty of diverse, dynamic furniture in a timeless mood.

American furniture manufacturers had it together at the recent International Home Furnishings Market in High Point. For too long, it seems they have been forced to walk a tightrope, trying to maintain a balance between timeless and timely. But this was the Good Sense Market. April introductions included plenty of diverse, comfortable, long-term furniture that consumers can purchase without fretting, "Is this the right style and will it be okay next year?"

Diversity was the operative word. Manufacturers pulled out all the stops, mating classical elements with contemporary, country casual with city chic, then tossing in a theme or two from the Caribbean, India and points east.

Henredon's Prestigio Collection is an example of the unusual, dynamic blends to be found at this market. Sleek, high-tech case goods boast warm honey-colored cherry veneers with a gleaming polyester finish. Prestigio is refreshingly contemporary, yet cherry wood adds a comforting sense of the familiar, said George Koehler, vice president of wood product development.

Raymond Waites described his Gear Collection as "a bridge between the past and the future, created by using classic, comfortable elements with a since of history in a thoroughly modern manner." He spoke for the Gear Collection -- but his remarks could apply to any number of other spring 1993 introductions.

Classical contemporary

"It is interesting to note that at the turn of the century there is a fascination with classical design," said Waites, whose Gear Collection for Lane combines architectural elements from ancient Greece and Rome in case goods with ash veneers in a blond "sisal" finish. A six-drawer dresser with antique bronze hardware has classical features such as reeded attic and apron and paterae on the base corners, yet conveys a contemporary mood. Waites said when people think contemporary, they are usually reflecting on shock value. "Contemporary can be innovative and still be soothing," he added.

By all appearances, that soothing state of cocooning (or nesting) is still a strong force in the '90s marketplace. Home theaters cater to the habit with new offerings every season. Lexington Furniture premiered home theaters, in conjunction with Mitsubishi Electronics, in American Country West, The World of Bob Timberlake and Lexington Cherry Collections. Thomasville one-upped everyone in the creature-comfort department with a canopy bed that includes a rack and built-in wiring within the canopy for a small overhead TV. From the Kallista collection, the bed also has an optional leather backrest.

It's a small world 

Designers continue to draw inspirations from around the world. Mark Hampton looked to the West Indies for his richly carved mahogany planter's bed and pineapple chairs premiering at Hickory Chair. Victoria Morland added a mahogany dining room group from India's British colonization period to Pearson Co.'s Viceroy Collection.

The Colonial West Indies sparked Milling Road's new 22-piece collection, which is said to combine "the best of the American Federal period with the restrained whimsy of the Neo-Classical European and Colonial Anglo-Indian periods." Windstar, an occasional collection from Henredon, focused on traditional Far East design with a new slant: light finishes and faux granite tabletops.

For consumers favoring easy-to-live with Americana, Lane offers 38 new reproductions in its America Collection, including an acorn bed, cannonball bed, four-poster canopy bed, washstand and linen press. Authentic 18th-century details of the linen press are a moulded cornice and fluted chamfered corners; curious have seeded glass doors and chests have serpentine fronts and bun feet. Honey pine and new colors -- federal red, patriot white and library green -- join justice black and Confederate blue finishes.

Moosehead Mfg. Co. offers the Maine Street dining collection in select solid northern hard rock maple with mortise-and-tenon construction, wood drawer glides and fully-framed dust panels. For 45 years, American colonial furniture with a traditional maple finish earned the company its solid reputation. Last spring, Moosehead ventured into the country Shaker category with phenomenal success, according to Russ Page, sales manager. Maine Street, designed by Steve Hodges, comes in four finishes: maple, gold, cherry or black lacquer with gold.

Original Mission

Copies and interpretations of those American classics, Mission and Shaker, can be found at every price point. But when L. & J.G. Stickley introduces a new piece or reissues an original design, collectors are standing in line before it hits the stores. Stickley repeats the distinct and time-honored hallmarks of Mission Oak originals, such as butterfly inlays and an arched-bottom rail, in a new cedar-lined blanket chest available in quarter-sawn white oak or solid wild black cherry. The company also reissued the Harvey Ellis c. 1905 oak bookcase with double leaded-glass doors, adjustable shelves and ship-lap planking. Solid mahogany Chippendale chairs and a double pedestal dining table, a four poster bed and a broken pediment bed are "new" 18th century pieces from Stickley.

Last fall's darling, the Western/lodge look also appears in children's furniture. ETC, Child Craft Industries, and Nick Ungaro can put the little buckaroos into a covered wagon bed. The company also introduced a loft bed with a desk and bookshelf footboard and a fenced-in corral instead of a lower bunk. The New Frontiers Collection has a maple finish on radiata pine, a premium New Zealand wood which is clean-grained and said to be very strong.

TELL CITY TELLS SECRET OF TRAILS SUCCESS

Speaking candidly, as usual, Tell City president Doug Fenn said, "We were soundly thrashed by our dealers for not including bedroom furniture in the Trails collection introduced last October. We've listened to our retailers, we interviewed several, we did our homework, and in four months, we had our 26 new bedroom pieces to introduce at this market."

Designer Chris Bergelin added, "I've been around in the industry long enough to know that functional furniture as opposed to more showy products can be boring. The challenge in creating bedroom furniture for the Trails collection was to create excitement." Functional features beyond the usual were engineered in: disappearing clothes rod extensions on the side of a chest, hidden jewelry compartments and multi-functional cabinets that can be personalized to the customer's needs.

At the same time, Bergelin said he tried to create a relaxed mood by using woods as they naturally are. "Knots and imperfections add character and built-in charm," he said. This makes for comfortable American country that will be around a long time, he added. "It is tied to our roots."

The bedroom collection includes the Raquette Lake bed of hickory saplings kiln-dried to retain their bark; the evergreen bed, which features the cutout tree detail of October's popular cottage chair; and a 77-inch wardrobe named for Michigan's Pere Marquette River. "The Trails collection is about recapturing memories and pulling heartstrings," Bergelin said.