The Antiques Diva Collection by Aidan Gray to Make Its Debut at October High Point Market
Furniture World News Desk on
9/11/2018
Luxury furniture company Aidan Gray Home recently announced that it is launching The Antiques Diva Collection by Aidan Gray at the fall High Point Market, Oct. 13-17. With over 15 designs in multiple color combinations in the initial debut, the collection moves beyond antique reproductions, mixing medias to create unique looks for furniture, using concepts and materials not available in the 18th century – such as authentic hand-carved woods combined with Lucite and faux leather.
The launch of The Antiques Diva Collection by Aidan Gray will be celebrated with a “Bubbles and Bites” champagne brunch and open house starting at 9am on Sunday, Oct. 14, at the Aidan Gray showroom, 201 N. Main Street in High Point.
“At Aidan Gray, we are focused on streamlining the look and feel of traditional furniture. The Antiques Diva collection was a discussion and collaboration about what would happen if we married French traditionalist and iconic urban modernist,” says Randal Weeks, CEO of Aidan Gray. “When we started working on this collection with Toma Clark Haines, we didn’t want to create reproductions – but rather pay homage to the past while looking to the future.”
“The Antiques Diva’s motto is to make antiques modern, sexy, fun, and accessible,” says Clark Haines, founder and CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co which offers customized one-to-one antique buying tours in 15 countries and on 3 continents. “Aidan Gray’s goal is to offer this same accessibility for European decor and home furnishings, so this is a perfect partnership!"
Designing this collection is a natural progression for The Antiques Diva brand. Just as Louis XVI was inspired by his Grand Tour and the discoveries of Pompeii when creating his Neoclassical furniture, I’ve traveled the world and have seen the best-quality antiques and gained global design inspiration. Antiques help us learn from past to create for the future.”
Clark Haines and Weeks met six years ago when The Antiques Diva & Co. helped source antiques in France and England for Aidan Gray. For this collaboration, they traveled together to France, Belgium, and The Netherlands for inspiration and ideas, buying 18th century antiques to use as the design basis for the collection. A trademark of the new collection is its authentic patina. Purchasing original antiques to be used as inspiration was as important for understanding the patina as it was understanding and adapting scale and mixing medias.
The new collection includes chairs, stools, tables, and more, all created with aged and distressed looks, but updated with modern details like Lucite and quilted leather. Every upholstered piece has a leopard dust cover and the collection’s logo on the bottom. “We wanted there to be a signature touch on each piece. Just like the Louboutin sole is red, our designs have The Antiques Diva signature leopard print,” says Clark Haines.
More about Aidan Gray: Founded in 2003, Aidan Gray has become a leader in the home furnishings industry, especially the segment of European inspired interiors. Aidan Gray set out to design "one of a kind" looking, high quality products there were more attainable than 17th and 18th century antiques. Aidan Gray represents a love for interiors, design and authentic products that exude "European Grandeur." This embodies our company’s desire for products made by hand and with authentic materials such as solid wood, rustic metals, antique mirror, old painted finishes and silk appointments which drives our product assortment. The European elegance that is the foundation of Aidan Gray requires sophisticated proportions while trying to maintain that "perfect balance" of usefulness and adaptation for today’s home. Our Details, Your Style.
More about the Antiques Diva: The Antiques Diva is the world’s largest antiques buying and touring services company, offering custom, private one-on-one antiques buying tours in 15 countries in Europe, Asia, and America. The Antiques Diva works with both private individuals (tourists) and to-the-trade (antique dealers, interior designers, hoteliers, furniture manufacturers and developers), with a team of 31 locally-based guides that are well-versed in the local culture, language, and best local sources for antiques. The company offers a turnkey antiques buying services, will custom plan tours, translate, negotiate and also has its own in house art and antiques shipping service.