Date: December 30, 2015 | Photography: Rett Peek and Courtesy of Featured Guests |
These Arkansas-based creatives, manufacturers, branding experts, and entrepreneurs are shaping the future of the home décor and gardening industries with their products and making homes and gardens more beautiful throughout the U.S. and beyond
Left to right: Paul Michael, Chris H. Olsen, Allison West, Ashley Childers, Reggie Marshall, Jim Clements, Johnna Dobbs, Todd Smith, P. Allen Smith, Tobi Fairley, Charlie Groppetti, Marcus Boyce, Jay Howard, Will Means, Gail Miller, Tim Freeman, Scott Morris, Debi Davis (Not pictured: Jan Feldman and Christine Howard) Special thanks to Loft 1023 (www.loft1023.com) for use of their space for the photo shoot and to Howse (thehowse.com) for use of furniture pieces from their store for this shoot.
THE BRAND: Emporium Home by Ashley Childers
THE CREATOR: Ashley Childers
Emporium Home is a luxury home furnishings brand comprised of case goods, upholstery, lighting, fine art, mirrors, wall décor, decorative accessories, wallpaper, fabrics, and rugs. Emporium Home was awarded the 2013 ARTS Rising Star Award for the home furnishings industry and Childers has been nominated as 2015 ARTS Product Designer of the Year. Emporium Home products are distributed to the trade from their Little Rock headquarters, and all pieces are available locally through the brand’s capital-city store, Emporium Home Heights. emporiumhome.com
THE BRANDS: Couture Lamps and Mastercraft Distribution
THE CREATOR: Johnna Strickland Dobbs
Johnna Strickland Dobbs is a third-generation lamp industry professional. Her grandfather was a pioneer of lamp and lampshade manufacturing in Arkansas. Her father followed in his father’s footsteps, starting two other successful lamp companies in Arkansas, including Mastercraft Distribution. Dobbs grew up working in the factory portion of the business, and after college she joined the family business full-time. Today, Mastercraft is a price-point company that brings fashionable and sustainable products to the market and is available in retailers such as Walmart, Target, Dollar General, Hobby Lobby, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Steinmart, Bass Pro Shops, and Furniture Row/Sofa Mart. Couture Lamps is a wholesale, to-the-trade company that produces artisan-crafted lamps and home furnishings; Couture Lamps products are available through blu d’or Interiors, Cobblestone & Vine, Neiman Marcus, and One Kings Lane, among others. couturelamps.com
THE BRAND: Harp & Finial
THE CREATORS: Christine Howard and Jay Howard
Created in January of 2014, Harp & Finial is a wholesale brand of furniture, art, and accessories that has been curated with a fashionable, modern customer in mind. With over 300 unique items being sold to over 500 retailers and designers nationwide—including the Howards’ Little Rock and Bentonville Howse store locations—the collection has gained a remarkable foothold in the design world, in just under two years. The line’s products are showcased for sale to design professionals and retail buyers in three trade-only showroom locations: Dallas, Texas; High Point, North Carolina; and Las Vegas, Nevada. harpandfinial.com
THE BRAND: Jhemajang Plants and Furniture
THE CREATOR: Chris H. Olsen
Jhemajang (pronounced “hema-jang”) is “the art of mixing it up,” a driving vision for Olsen. As owner of Botanica Gardens and Plantopia Home and Garden Center, Olsen identified a need in the retail plant market for combinations of hearty plants that are selected for both their beauty and their resilience. Jhemajang plant products—all of which are Arkansas grown—fill that need, by inviting shoppers to mix a variety of textures and colors into their plantings. Operating on the same philosophy, Olsen has also created a line of indoor/outdoor furnishings that are brightly colored and durable, all of which are readily mixed and matched. chrisholsen.com, botanicagardens.com
THE BRAND: Marshall Clements Furnishings
THE CREATORS: Jim Clements and Reggie Marshall
For 36 years, Clements and Marshall have worked together as a residential interior design team and as importers of art and antiques. With such extensive experience using unique period pieces and one-of-a-kind original artworks to help clients create their ideal home environments, the two men decided to pool their expertise and manufacture a wholesale line of new furnishings made to look like their favorite antique pieces by recreating the silhouettes, textures, and colors found in examples from centuries past. marshallclements.com
THE BRANDS: P. Allen Smith’s Platinum Collection from Proven Winners® (annuals, perennials and shrubs), P. Allen Smith’s Water Colors Collection (garden hoses in trademark colors made in partnership with Flexzilla), P. Allen Smith’s Home Grown Seed Collection (vegetable seeds), P. Allen Smith’s Candle Collection (partnership with Aromatique launching in 2016), P. Allen Smith’s Gardening with Style Collection (spring and summer bulbs)
THE CREATOR: P. Allen Smith
As an author, television host, entrepreneur and conservationist, Smith has a passion for American style. He uses his Arkansas home, Moss Mountain Farm, as an epicenter for promoting the local food movement, organic gardening, and the preservation of heritage poultry breeds—as well as the numerous brands listed here. Smith created his farm to serve as a place of inspiration, education, and conservation and provides visitors from around the country with tours and locally sourced meals to introduce them to an expression of the regional cuisine and his work as a home and garden expert. pallensmith.com
THE BRAND: Illuminare Lighting by The Shade Above
THE CREATOR: Scott Morris
What began as a specialty store offering custom lampshade fabrication has now expanded to include a line of highly desirable table and floor lamps that can be fully customized, from the finials to custom paint and ceramic finishes. Though the Little Rock-made line launched just months ago, it has been introduced at two markets, is currently shipped to U.S. designers from coast to coast, and there are already plans underway for expansion in 2016, including a complete collection of finials. theshadeabove.com
THE BRAND: Miller’s Mud Mill Pottery
THE CREATOR: Gail Miller
Opened in Dumas in the late 1980s, the story of Miller’s Mud Mill’s evolution parallels the development of the creator’s unique vision for her hand-thrown, hand-glazed pottery. Treasured for their fluidity of form and their vibrant finishes in Miller’s signature glaze colors—including Arkansas River Sand, Delta Cotton, and Arkansas Delta Mud—Miller’s pieces are available to customers across the state at numerous places, including the Clinton Museum Store, Paul Michael Company, Mack’s Prairie Wings, and more. Now considered an essential Arkansas-made gift, keepsake, or souvenir, Miller’s Mud Mill pottery draws attention from tourists from near and far; indeed, former Governor Mike Beebe gave pieces of Miller’s pottery as diplomacy gifts to leaders he met in Asia. Not only are her designs prized for their beauty and functionality—they are now held as symbols of the very concept of Arkansas-made goods. millersmudmill.com
THE BRANDS: Paul Michael Company, Paul Michael Manufacturing, Market Hill Antique and Design Center (coming spring 2016 to Roundtop, Texas)
THE CREATOR: Paul Michael
Paul Michael Company is a family-owned and -operated retail venue that specializes in creating an exceptional experience for shoppers through grand displays and unique item offerings. In order to expand his customers’ selection of top-of-the-line products, Michael started Paul Michael Company Manufacturing. The Paul Michael Company exclusive furniture and home accessory line is 100% made in America at a Dermott, Arkansas wood shop. These pieces are handcrafted from locally harvested woods, reclaimed architectural elements, and upcycled materials. paulmichaelcompany.com
THE BRAND: Park Hill Collection
THE CREATORS: Todd Smith and Charlie Groppetti
The Park Hill Collection is a gathering of objects selected because, for Groppetti and Smith, they bring back happy memories of childhood or simply provide aesthetic and/or functional delight. Many of the furniture and decorative pieces are exclusive antique reproductions that help satisfy the owners’ nostalgic desire for the look and lifestyle of the past, yet are timeless in their simplicity and useful for contemporary living. The Park Hill Collection includes everything from these larger pieces and accessories to candles and seasonal décor. By combining elements from the Park Hill Collection, according to their own tastes, customers can create a unique personal statement in their own homes. parkhillcollection.com
THE BRAND: Reborn Relics Home
THE CREATOR: Debi Davis
Reborn Relics Home is a furniture, mirrors, and accessories design house that specializes in antique reproductions from the 18th and 19th centuries. Created by Debi Davis of Debi Davis Interiors to fill a void in the availability of quality artisanal pieces in Old World style that she has discovered in the course of her 27 years of design work, all of the pieces in the collection are manufactured in-house by trained artisans, who take an individualized approach to each project. rebornrelicsdesign.com
THE BRAND: Polis Design
THE CREATORS: Tim Freeman, Will Means, and Marcus Boyce
In partnership with select manufacturers, Polis Design creates original, modern furniture, lighting, and accessories for both home and hospitality settings. The brand originated in 2012, from a shared interest in architecture and industrial design among three friends. Working exclusively with American makers who share the creators’ commitment to producing high-quality products that are sourced and built sustainably, Polis Design launched its first products through American Leather in the spring of 2014. Off to a strong start, in 2015 their “Knox” daybed was a finalist for the prestigious Pinnacle Award, presented annually by the American Society of Furniture Designers. In 2016, the company will introduce products manufactured, marketed, and distributed entirely under its own brand name. polis-design.com
THE BRANDS: Tobi Fairley Home (private label products and e-commerce), Tobi Fairley for CR Laine (upholstery), Tobi Fairley for Soicher Marin (artwork), Tobi Fairley for Woodbridge Furniture Company, Tobi Fairley for Duralee (fabric)
THE CREATOR: Tobi Fairley
Fairley’s brand is “bright, bold and tailored.” This applies to the designer’s interior designs as well as the product designs she creates, which incorporate bright colors, bold patterns and scale, and tailored, clean-lined elements inspired by classic furniture and design styles. Tobi Fairley Home is a collection of the designer’s private label products, including fabrics, throw pillows, and lighting. Fairley has now also developed lines of upholstery, artwork, furniture, and fabrics, all of which have been introduced by major national brands. tobifairley.com
THE BRAND: Thumprints Lamps
THE CREATOR: Allison Davis West
A division of American Lighting Brands, Thumprints is a specialty lighting company that offers innovative, creative, and stylish lighting. With high design, detail, and artistic style at the forefront, Thumprints products are functional pieces of art, each as distinctive as your “thumprint.” The creative vision of the line originated with West, who began by creating one-of-a-kind lamps from objects she found in antique stores and unique components procured from Arkansas potters and carpenters. Initially assembling and wiring each lamp by hand, she sold her creations to local designers and at Junior League holiday gift shows across the South. In 2002, she established Thumprints as a wholesale company and began working with domestic and overseas manufacturers to produce her designs. American Lighting Brands acquired the line in April of 2015, and West continues to create designs from her office in Little Rock. Since the acquisition, Thumprints has expanded its product line and custom capabilities, and further developed its Made in the USA collection, while continuing to provide customers high quality, innovative designs of exceptional value. thumprints.com
THE BRAND: Reclaimed Helena
THE CREATOR: Jan Feldman
Reclaimed Helena is a furniture company that salvages wood from abandoned, historic structures and fashions it into beautiful modern furniture in the style popularized by brands like Restoration Hardware. Based in the heart of the Arkansas Delta, Reclaimed Helena is committed to producing furniture pieces exclusively made in—and from materials native to—the Delta. As a result, Reclaimed Helena not only produces high-quality, American-made furniture, but also plays a major role in revitalizing one of the poorest regions of the country through job creation and the remediation of dilapidated properties. Reclaimed Helena has now developed an exclusive retail line that will be available nationwide for wholesale at the end of 2015. Currently, Reclaimed Helena furniture is sold at Howse (Little Rock and Bentonville). reclaimedhelena.com
