ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers - (Page 62)

ADVERTISEMENT “Transition Modern” at Andre Originals A MANUFACTURER OF CUSTOM seating, dining, bedroom and occasional furniture, Andre Originals has been family owned and operated since 1953. The thing people notice ﬁrst about Andre Originals is their sheer amount of "hands-on" traditional furnishings. Even the most cursory glance at Andre Originals catalog impresses. Hand-crafted hardwood casegood inlays, hand-upholstered dining chairs and a large line of paint finishes and fabrics displays the diversity of their product line. For Andre Originals "customization" has long been the key to their success, allowing them to work with individual designers to create original ﬁne furnishings. Day in and day out at their corporate headquarters in New Jersey the family-owned company continues to hand-upholster and ﬁnish their goods to the speciﬁcity of their customers' needs. The construction of the majority of their products is done in America rather than overseas, and this gives the company an extra ability in meeting the specifications of their diverse client base. Practicing a corporate philosophy of "engaged design" has always been at the forefront of the family business. For three generations the company has always felt a responsibility to engage their clients, so in turn they can fully engage their jobs. "That's why we have always been such a handson business," says Helen Blitz, President of Andre Originals and daughter of founders Andre and Jeanette Blitz. "We have always kept this ideal close to our hearts, to allow the end user of our products to have as much enjoyment in designing an environment as we have in designing the furniture." In addition to their half century dedication to traditional European furnishings, Andre Originals continues to update their timeless line of furniture in order to meet their loyal customers' needs. "We feel a responsibility to our clientele to grow with them," says Nathaniel Ziering, Director of Product Development and a third-generation family member of the business. As their corporate motto states, "Our passion for design is what started Andre Originals, and it is what continues to drive us forward today." Throughout their long run as importers and manufacturers of ﬁne furnishings, Andre Originals has witnessed a dozen modern furnishing design movements that have come and gone. Now "modern as a fad" has passed, Blitz asserts. "It's here to stay, but the taste for the old world designs is anything but dead." "Today the interior world has a new challenge, and that is to juxtapose our décor to the modern world we live in. Our furnishings have to not only reﬂect the world we want to live in, but the world we do live in. We now live in a world with more gadgets and electronic paraphernalia that any of us probably ever dreamed we'd see in our homes, offices or any other interior setting." To meet this goal Blitz and her design team at Andre Originals have has taken on the unique task of combining traditional and contemporary furnishings without losing passion for the nobility and romance of the old world. "When my parents began Andre Originals, they wanted to offer the American interior a pallet of the old world," says Jeani Ziering, Vice President and eldest daughter of Andre and Jeanette Blitz. "This was their main goal." Today Andre Originals goal is to stay true to the traditional contours they've long employed, but to add a modern flair. What they have come up with is a style they have dubbed "Transition Modern." "Transitional furniture offers a lot of variation because it can be customized in so many ways. Neither entirely modern nor completely traditional, our transitional line seeks to blend elements of multiple styles," says Ms Ziering. These styles include French and English traditional furnishings, Art Deco and Danish Modern, amongst other concepts that can be found in their new products. "We've liberally taken a lot of inspiration from a variety of sources." Today's furniture world presents an exciting opportunity for anyone who truly has passion for furnishings and décor, and Andre Originals looks to be at the forefront of those exciting opportunities. In addition to their new designs available, and those in the design pipeline, Andre Originals is also now featuring a new line of gloss lacquer ﬁnishes including challenging colors such as fuchsia, lime green and fossil. The company has also proudly launched a new website, and hopes to offer e-commerce capabilities for their customers soon. They are also releasing a contract only catalog for 2008. "Our hands are full," says Ms Blitz. "Full of opportunities." You can view Andre Originals' line of products at their Web site, www. Andreoriginals.com, or at one of their year-round showrooms including the World Market Center in Las Vegas and AmericasMart in Atlanta. For a catalog or further information, contact their corporate headquarters at (732) 574-2600.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers

ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers Contents President’s Message Good to Know Innovations Breathing Life into a Building Designs for Senior Living On the Move Thinking Green Aging in Style Industry Inside ASID Grassroots ASID National Industry Partner Focus Showroom Advertisers Resource Guide Annual Articles Index

ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers

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