The Forbes Collection Of Home Furnishings Debuts At The International Home Furnishings Market In High Point, N.C.

Furniture World Magazine

The Forbes Collection of home furnishings, traditional furniture and accessories inspired by the Forbes family's acclaimed European residences, makes its debut at the International Home Furnishings Market, October 14 to the 21 in High Point, North Carolina. The Forbes Collection of home furnishings includes both fine wood and upholstered furniture, outdoor metal furniture, in addition to rugs, luxury bedding, lighting, framed prints and decorative accessories. Their designs are based on the furnishings of Forbes' two 17th century houses, Château de Balleroy in Normandy, France and Old Battersea House in London. Both homes are known for their historic significance, as well as for being distinguished backdrops of many of the Forbes family's style-setting social and business events. Ballooning and Fabergé motifs, hallmarks of Forbes style, are frequent decorative themes. "Forbes and our partners wanted to create elegant, accessible pieces capturing the traditional spirit of Balleroy and Battersea, as well as the fun and fantasy of those wonderful places," said Christopher Forbes, Vice Chairman of Forbes. "We think buyers will be delighted by the Collection." Media are invited to join Christopher Forbes who will inaugurate The Forbes Collection on Thursday, October 14, the opening day of market, with a press briefing and tethered flight of the company's "Rosebud Egg" hot air balloon at 3:30 p.m. at 700 - 710 West Grimes Avenue (near Zaki Carpet Showroom), High Point. Mr. Forbes will subsequently tour showrooms of collection partners. A cocktail party will follow, hosted by licensee partners in honor of Mr. Forbes and buyers in the Hamilton Wrenn Courtyard, 200 North Hamilton, at 6:30 p.m. Reporters interested in attending should call 212-517-6484. The Forbes Collection of home furnishings program encompasses seven manufacturers: Harden (fine wood and upholstered furniture), Chelsea House (decorative accessories, lighting, needlepoint pillows), Couristan Inc. (rugs and carpets), Austin Horn Collection (luxury bedding), O'Brien Ironworks, Inc. (metal garden furniture and ornaments), Paragon Picture Gallery (framed prints) and Interior Indulgences, Inc. (candles and related accessories). A list of manufacturer showrooms follows. Harden's furniture collection for Forbes reflects the napoleonic theme of the Balleroy estate. Highlights include a bold Empire bed with acanthus leaf design, a companion armoire with carved pilasters, in addition to a nightstand with intricate wood inlay, and other pieces. To grace the Harden beds, Austin Horn Collection has created bedding and decorative pillows using an exclusive mesh-metal embroidery on vintage velvet combined with an Italian scroll tapestry. The Collection's fine furniture also features marquetry inlay scenes of ballooning. In addition, Fabergé eggs are seen on the needlepoint pillows and toleware that are part of the Chelsea House collection of decorative accessories. "Ballooning and Fabergé have long been family passions,' said Christopher Forbes. Nearly 25 years ago, his father, the late publisher Malcolm Forbes, launched the famed International Invitational Balloon Meet, one of the preeminent events in ballooning, in addition to founding the Musée des Ballons, the world's first balloon museum, on the château grounds. Forbes' New York City headquarters, meanwhile, is home to Forbes' famed Fabergé collection with over 400 objets d'art and 12 Imperial Eggs. Other highlights include six area rugs by Couristan with elegant vine and leaf designs also inspired by Balleroy, in addition to Chippendale style wrought iron garden furniture by O'Brien Ironworks, and framed prints from Paragon Picture Gallery based on the Forbes collection of Victorian art and American art, much of which may be seen at Old Battersea House and the Forbes Magazine Galleries. Old Battersea House is located in the Old Battersea section of South London. Built in the late 17th century and attributed to the noted architect Sir Christopher Wren, it was restored by Malcolm Forbes in the early 1970s. Forbes' Château de Balleroy is located in Normandy, France and was built in the early 1600s by the famed French architect François Mansart. It is continuing to be restored by Christopher Forbes. Both houses have been featured in Architectural Digest and other publications. They have also been backdrops for countless Forbes events attended by business leaders, heads of state, and noted figures from a variety of fields. Just over two years ago, Forbes began a licensing program for the Forbes Collection to create products conveying Forbes' singular spirit of luxury, personality and adventure. The company has nearly thirty licensees in the categories of publishing, gifts, jewelry, reproductions/collectibles, apparel/accessories and home furnishings and accessories. The program has proceeded under the direction of Margaret Kelly Trombly, Director, Forbes Magazine Galleries, with Joan Stanley of J.G. Stanley & Company the licensing agency. Forbes encompasses Forbes, the nation's leading business magazine for executive decision-makers, which is published biweekly and has a total worldwide readership of more than five million. The company's New York City Headquarters contains the Forbes Magazine Galleries, which is open free to the public and houses the Forbes Collection of art, toy boats, collectibles, objets and historical memorabilia. In addition to the Château de Balleroy and Old Battersea House, other distinguished Forbes properties include the 250-square mile Trinchera Ranch in Colorado and its 151-foot yacht, "The Highlander."