Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Find your seat at Philly furniture show
Browse handcrafted furnishings for your home at Philly’s 23rd Street Armory
Fittingly, it all begins with a ceremonial splitting of a log with a two-person gang saw the evening of April 10.
Before the 21st annual Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show gets underway at the 23rd Street Armory, a “Whiskey + Wood + Wrens: A Celebration of Nature Inspiring the Finer Things in Life” preview party will be held at the armory. In addition to getting a sneak peek at the furniture show, there will be a selection of white oak-barreled whiskeys and a special exhibition of artwork by John James Audubon. A portion of the proceeds benefits Audubon Pennsylvania and the Audubon Center at Mill Grove, and the gala will feature the announcement of the winner of the John James Audu- bon Center Award for Art Inspiring Conservation.
And in case you were wondering, the “Invitational” just means that the artisans are juried. The show itself is open to the public. Between the preview and the show dates of April 11-12, an estimated 2,000 people are expected to show up.
“It’s kind of a well-kept secret,” said Stefa Normantas, managing partner of the PIFS’ new show producer, Maine-based Green Tree Events.
The PIFS will feature modern and traditional handmade furniture and furnishings, including the designs of woodworkers, photographers, weavers, potters and others. Some pieces that people are likely going to be talking about at the show include leather-and-wood Max Chairs from Union, N.J. that look like they came off the set of “Mad Men,” and a priestess chair by Michigan’s Woodland Studios that screams “Game of Thrones.”
At first, East Norriton quilt artisan Carol Heisler is not someone you’d expect to see at a furniture show. But, she explained, “if you buy a handmade bed (that’s) costing thousands of dollars, you’re not going to Walmart to put a blanket on it.” This will be Heisler’s 10th year at the show displaying and selling
quilts and other assorted bed pieces, as well as table runners. She described her style as “traditional technique with contemporary style.”
“It’s all cotton, washable and people- and petfriendly,” she added. “It’s like a painting for your bed.”
Heisler’s bed quilts cover the entire mattress, she said, so there’s no need for a dust ruffle. She frequently hears from her customers: “We never thought we’d buy a quilt, but this does not look like a quilt.”
Bradford Woodworking artisan Brad Smith has exhibited at the PIFS every year, going back to the days it was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. “My bread-and-butter items are stools and chairs. I kind of have the farm theme going because I grew up on a farm in Worcester Township,” he said of incorporating discarded ax handles, pitchfork prongs, disc blades and other farm salvage into his wood furniture.
Smith said he’s also planning to bring a high post bed and a small “armoire-type piece.” “I do a variety of dining room tables. I’ll probably have a small, breakfast-type table at the show,” he added.
Something else to look for is a special booth announcing the winner of the PIFS Emerging Artist Contest.
On Saturday April 11, professionals from local chapters of the American Society of Interior Designers, and the International Furnishings and Design Association, will be available to provide tips and advice on how to select the right furniture for home or office.
Normantas stated in a press release: “Showing at the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show is a great opportunity for in- stant feedback about your work from the buying public, to network with established artisans, get commissions for future work and sell your pieces.”
“It’s a great experience for someone looking for a piece of furniture. It’s not vinyl-covered chipboard — it’ll last a lifetime and you can hand it down to your children,” Smith commented.