Architectural Digest Home Design Show “Sneak Peek”: The New Traditionalists

Born and bred in New York City, The New Traditionalists pride themselves on using history, classic silhouettes, objects and exceptional clothing for design inspiration. Connecting traditional and today is what The New Traditionalists stand for. All furniture pieces are handmade, environmentally smart and produced either in the company’s New York studios or New England facility, in an effort to create jobs and have a lesser impact in the environment. The New Traditionalists use old world furniture-making techniques, like hand-rubbed finishes, grain matching, hardwood construction, kiln-dried frames, and hand-tied springs.

The piece featured in this blog post is uniquely named Chair No. 180. It’s named for the address of Raoul’s on Prince Street in Manhattan. The restaurant Raoul’s was founded in SoHo, New York, by two brothers emigrating from Alsace, France. They were fortunate enough to purchase a little restaurant to start living the American Dream. But, they had so little money; the brothers didn’t throw anything out, including salt! The booths and chairs were used until they fell apart, or were destroyed in brawls among customers. The restaurant went from serving traditional Alsatian cuisine to steaks and fish at an extraordinary low price just to stay afloat. One day they decided to encourage passersby to stop in by standing out in the street and convincing people to dine at the restaurant. Eventually, the business took off and is today a local favorite.

Thus, Chair No. 180 is showing respect to Raoul’s and spreading the word once more. It’s handmade in New England from a kiln-dried hardwood maple frame with eight-way hand-tied springs and an exposed natural walnut base. Shown in tomato leather with limestone piping, this chair can be passed down from generation to generation, creating its own history!

For more information on The New Traditionalists exceptional handmade furniture, visit the company’s website at http://www.thenewtraditionalists.com/. – To our editor contacts, the story behind this chair along with its incredible design might very well have your readers thanking you for sharing the information. Contact us with your questions and comments.

Posted in

Don Eberly

Comments

  1. Living Stylish Magazine says

    You guys always hit the nail on the head with your picks. If this one makes it into your Best of Products and Design series after the show, let me know.

    Hector Bridgeton
    Living Stylish Magazine

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *