Mediterranean revisited.

Mediterranean deluge inundates the April International Home Furnishings Market.

Mediterranean waters have been rising for the past few markets, and this promises to be the year of the flood. Numerous furniture collections exhibiting old, familiar Italian, Spanish or Moorish influences arrived at the April furniture market, and were promptly dubbed Nouveau or Retro Mediterranean.

Manufacturers say there is a world of difference between these 1997 introductions and the last wave of Mediterranean in the late 1970s (when the term became synonymous with some pretty scary furniture). The bad Mediterranean was showy and overdone, saddled with ornate carvings, heavy plastic mouldings and overlays, metal grills and scrollwork and glossy finishes. Current designs tend toward large-scale architectural forms, highly detailed with deep carvings and fancy metalwork, and low-sheen finishes.

Hickory Chair premiered San Marino, its largest introduction to date. One hundred "historically-inspired" pieces are typical of the late Italian Renaissance, a period noted for its highly decorative, architectural forms. A signature credenza, for example, features columns, intricately hand-carved pilasters, detailed mouldings and fancy walnut and cherry veneers.

Jay Reardon, president, said the company does not intend to fall into the trap of late Mediterranean which became synonymous with "borax" (shoddy, cheap and plastic-looking). "San Marino is rich furniture with carvings, inlays and a combination of woods. It is not molded."

A NEW TAKE ON EUROPEAN ANTIQUES

Lane's Hearst Castle Collection draws inspiration from a magnificent Mediterranean Revival mansion in California, visited by 800,000 to 900,000 persons annually and known throughout the western world as the Hearst Castle. Its owner, the late millionaire publisher William Randolph Hearst, spared no expense in furnishing his mansion, and Lane spent an intensive two years bringing to market 80-plus adaptations and reproductions for living room, dining room, bedroom and accent. Maple solids with select walnut or mahogany veneers are used for about 60 pieces.

The Hearst Castle's prevailing Spanish theme is reflected in furnishings as well as architecture. In addition, English, Italian, Greek and Chinese artifacts that grace the estate add an eclectic note to the collection.

A bar cabinet based on a 16th century Italian antique features square and circle motifs, flat hinges and ornate backplates. Doors drop open to reveal a compartmentalized desk. A night stand was adapted from an 18th century Venetian table; a trestle table was derived from an early 17th century English refectory table.

Spanish ironwork throughout the estate prompted a number of mixed media designs, including a baker's rack, a dining table with 60-inch octagonal top and a hall table. Lane even reworked the castle's iron entry gates as curio doors.

SPANISH INFLUENCE

Thomasville's 17-piece Madeira bedroom collection is Mediterranean flavored, Spanish influenced. Following on the heels of Renaissance, last year's ambitious introduction, Madeira is offered at about half the price. Finishes are Antique Corona or white-washed Adobe.

Massive octagonal posts, deep mouldings and intricate carvings define an impressive bed crafted of pecan solids and veneers. Case pieces have similar sculptural outlines. Styling details include raised panel detailing on doors and drawer fronts and burnished metal hardware.

ON OTHER STYLE FRONTS

Classic 19th century American design is recreated in Thomasville's new 60-piece River Roads Collection, recalling the extraordinary furnishings in Southern antebellum mansions along the Mississippi River. It was a time when river commerce and its culture kindled a society that treasured the finest furnishings and art, said Thomasville president Fred Starr.

Henredon added 36 clean-lined Arts and Crafts style forms to Henredon Registry, a solid wood presentation in a variety of traditional styles, species and finishes. Henredon chose native cherry and walnut and added Asian characteristics to reinforce the Arts and Crafts theme of this market's selections. The furniture has little ornamentation, except for typical construction details such as through tenons and exposed pegs.

Century re-tooled and re-introduced Claridge, its best-selling 18th century grouping, in exaggerated size and styling. Tom Tilley, senior vice president of home furnishings, explained, "We see traditional moving toward a new casually elegant look with lots of spirited accent items filled with detail and movement." In October, Century plans to unveil Caspian, a 50-piece case goods collection, with a European personality.

Treasures from the China Trade and South Pacific set the design direction for Milling Road's Colonial Legends Collection. The new line, featuring unmatched styles from 18th and 19th century tropical colonies, displays contrasting wood combinations, fanciful painted finishes, unexpected details and unusual forms. Examples are an 18th century Filipino chest, a Hepplewhite-style China Trade chair with a painted finish, a mid-19th century Indian settee with Regency details, and a Hawaiian server with pineapple accents.

One-year-old Bexley Heath Ltd., Grand Rapids, MI, brought 16 Frank Lloyd Wright reproductions as interpreted by Thomas A. Heinz to market, as a result of acquiring the assets of Heinz & Co. The company had owned a library of Wright's furniture designs. Included are: slant back chair, spindle recliner, barrel and tall back chairs; octagonal leg extension table from Wright's Oak Park, IL, home and hexagonal table designed for the Hanna House. In addition, Bexley Heath introduced Liberte, a collection of 12 pieces inspired by the Arts and Crafts styling of Edward William Godwin, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, A.H. Mackmurdo and M.H. Baillie Scott.

RELATED ARTICLE: Great Expectations for Kimball's New Home Furniture

Oak Meadow and Cherry Falls, two new solid wood case goods collections designed by Ron Stilwell, came to market under the banner of Kimball Home Furniture, a division of Kimball Int'l. This is a major venture for the corporation that has spent the last 20 years becoming a dominant force in office, hotel/motel and health care furniture.

Kimball Home Furniture was established in 1992 to produce home office furniture and for home furniture sales. Kimball Furniture Reproductions is well-known for Victorian and French reproductions. However, a rejuvenation is underway in the residential situation, according to John Thyen, Kimball senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Thyen said, "We have dabbled in residential furniture, but haven't made a serious statement to the industry that we were going to roll forward. Now we have decided that this is a primary area of concentration.

"We think the residential market will be particularly strong for the next 15 years, because of the high discretionary dollars available," Thyen continued. "And we will continue to expand the program. Two plants in Southern Indiana and Kentucky are manufacturing the new lines now, and 16 more have the capability to manufacture solid wood case goods," Thyen said, adding that two more solid wood lines are planned.

Stilwell said expectations for Oak Meadow and Cherry Falls are running high. "This is furniture in the medium to medium-high range, designed for comfort, versatility and function - with more perceived and actual value than the competition's. We are creating the antiques of the future in furniture that the average American can own."

- Barbara Garet