April Introductions for E.J. Victor

Furniture World Magazine

Julia Gray, whose New York-based company, Julia Gray Ltd., has been inspiring new and old interiors for twelve years with hand-painted European reproduction furniture, joins premier furniture crafter E.J. Victor with an exclusive collection of exquisite decorative wood and upholstered furniture. The 30-piece collection, which will be offered to E.J. Victor’s retail and designer-showroom customers, features Ms. Gray’s trademark application of eglomise (verre églomisé, glass engraved on the back that has been covered by unfired painting or, usually, gold or silver leaf). The method owes its name to Jean-Baptiste Glomy (d. 1786), a French picture framer who used the process in glass mounts. The sophisticated, hand-crafted collection is deliberately designed to bring to retailers a look and finish story that has heretofore been exclusively confined to to-the-trade designer business. "Our Julia Gray collection is different from anything we’ve ever done," said E.J. Victor President John Jokinen. "The extensive use of églomisé and mirrored panels takes us to a new level of merchandising. And being the second collection designed for us by a women, it brings more feminine sensibility and direction to our furniture." The effort will focus on bedroom, occasional and upholstered furniture. Included in the April 2002 launch is an intensely decorative multi-functional 84-inch tall Armoire that is offered in four finish options. Adorned with paneled doors trimmed in gold-leaf motif, the Armoire comes in two finishes, a natural maple or a black chinoiserie. The panels are offered either in an antiqued mirror or in Ms. Gray’s trademark églomisé. Two pairs of doors open to reveal adjustable shelves, storage drawers, electrical outlets, cable connections, ventilation cutouts and storage for today’s electronics and large televisions. One of two beds in the collection is a stunning, black chinoiserie hand-painted 105" tall four-poster bed that marries the simple grace of 18-Century shapes with the drama of Ms. Gray’s artistry. Available in King and Queen sizes, the bed features a sweeping canopy trimmed with gathered upholstery. Other items in the Julia Gray wood collection include a caned bed, three bedside cabinets (two painted, one mahogany w/ brass cage), two chests (one marquee painted, one mirrored commode), a breakfront dresser with decorative glass drawer fronts and crystal pulls, an 84" round dining table crafted in jewel ashe burl, crotch mahogany, tulipwood and kingwood, two Armoires (églomisé painted, French Restoration in fiery maple veneer) and two occasional coffee tables. Jokinen said the company would expand the collection with dining room items in an October 2002 launch. Three introductions of casually extravagant upholstery round out the Julia Gray collection for E.J. Victor. All capture the essence of eclectic European design, coupled with deep-overstuffed seating, plush, down-filled cushions and warm pallets of luxurious coverings. The Belle Époque sofa highlights the Julia Gray upholstery collection. Named for the "Beautiful Time" it represents, Bella Époque glamorizes turn-of-the-century opulence with sweeping, graceful lines, fluid movement and an extraordinary roll arm that sweeps forward from the curved back and terminates in a majestic scroll at the bench seat. Accented with hand-knotted brushed fringe pillows, expertly tailored in luxurious silk velvet and trimmed in a bullion skirt, Belle Époque reflects grand European designs. A hand-carved Louis XVI exposed-wood, oversized chair and ottoman with a pierced ribbon motif emphasizes the uniqueness of Julia Gray’s approach to creating historically influenced masterpieces that fit today’s demands for function. Scaled as a "chair and a half" the combination offers a unique ottoman with an exposed-wood carved foot rail. Pushed together, the chair and ottoman offer an exquisite daybed. Standing alone, the ottoman is a statement bench seat. Punctuating the upholstery portion of E.J. Victor’s Julia Gray collection is an inviting Charles of London-arm sofa with a graceful shaped back rail, plush scatter back cushions and detailed with a classic deep kick pleat flounce. Ms. Gray is originally from Kentucky and traveled to New York City as an interior designer where she landed her first job as a designer for the leading furniture retailer, W&J Slone. While there she continued her education at Parsons and the New York School of Interior Design. Subsequent jobs included buying for Bloomingdales and as director of interior design for Macys. Renowned for its vast selection and fine quality furniture, Julia Gray, Ltd. has experienced steady growth and now owns and operates its own manufacturing plant in New York. The firm has showrooms in every major design center across the country, all offering fine reproduction furniture, Italian imports and 18th- and 19th-Century painted antique furniture and decorative accessories. "The Julia Gray mystique will translate nicely to the retail consumer," Jokinen said. "That’s the fun part." While application of mirrored paneling has recently eased into the retail furniture marketplace, the use of sophisticated églomisé at that level is new. "We’re going to be a step ahead with this," Gray said. "This product will look like a designer product, but it will be at retail. Consumers can’t go out and see it in the designer showrooms, so unless you have a designer you can’t have it. We’re going to bring this designer product to the retail store and to the average consumer. It’s a lot of look for their money." Gray creates a lot of her furniture in a 30,000 square-foot factory located near her showroom. Her professional experience – retail, designer and manufacturer – makes her uniquely qualified for the design of designer-caliber product destined for the retail customer. "I am a merchant first and have been in the furniture stores throughout my career," she said. "I know where the merchants are coming from. That’s the element that most designers miss… Because if it doesn’t sell, then all the good design in the world isn’t worth anything." "I do my own advertising and I understand that point of view. There are a lot of things here that are at work. It makes for a unique combination. … I know what works and doesn’t work," she said. Gray’s vision of mirrored panels and églomisé artistry has at their source an affinity for European antiques. "For years I have had antique pieces and I buy and sell antiques," she said. "I’ve had these eglomise pieces and the majority of them were wall hangings. … There were times when the English took them and put them into furniture, in case goods. So it was a natural thing for us since we were already building the mirrored furniture." Of the partnering with E.J. Victor, Gray said that she was impressed with compatibility of both vision and personalities between the two firms. "I don’t think I’ve had a more pleasurable experience," she said of working with Jokinen and Joe Manderson and Edward Phifer, who founded the 12-year-old furniture company. "Not only are they great guys, they are focused; they know how to get there and nothing has been too much or too little for them." "We have this relationship because I come from the same background that they do," she added. "We speak the same language. It’s a combination made in heaven."