THE toughest part about visiting Paul Fuhrman's showroom is figuring out where to sit. A customer has nearly 300 overstuffed choices. From an old brick warehouse just across the Delaware River from New Jersey, Mr. Fuhrman runs a business restoring and selling American Art Deco furniture, primarily oversized, overstuffed sofas, armchairs and chaise longues. Their bulging, extravagantly rounded shapes, often adorned with carved wooden armrests, backs and legs, characterize a furniture style popular in American living rooms during the mid-1930's to late 1940's. The renaissance of interest in the Art Deco period, furniture dealers say, has led many like Mr. Fuhrman to snap up classic pieces that just a few years ago were left on street corners as junk. Mr. Fuhrman's customers range from those living in rambling suburban homes to owners of spacious apartments in Manhattan. ''The bigger the house the better this gigantic furniture looks,'' said Mr. Fuhrman, a balding, 39-year-old transplanted Manhattanite.
''My customers are mainly 25 to 40 years old and nostalgic for that high style of the 30's and 40's,'' he said. His company, the Warehouse, also sells lobby furniture to hotels and office buildings and has provided pieces for scenes in films such as ''The Purple Rose of Cairo'' and ''The Cotton Club.'' Mr. Fuhrman is part archeologist, part entrepreneur. ''I'm a wheeler-dealer in commodities people want,'' he said, racing around the showroom in a white shirt, khaki pants and black high-top tennis shoes. A former lacquerer who learned his craft working for Art Deco furniture dealers in Manhattan, Mr. Fuhrman decided two years ago to start his own business. His original stock was an eclectic mix of Art Deco furniture and home furnishings plucked from auctions, garage sales and antique shops over the years. As with many dealers, some of his best treasures have been found in private homes. Mr. Fuhrman travels through the tiny coal towns in this region, striking up conversations with elderly residents, browsing through their parlors and offering cash for their furniture.
''I'm a rescuer of pieces from obscurity,'' he said. Now the furniture stands in neat rows in the warehouse, old beauties waiting for the facelifts that will rejuvenate them. Most of the pieces Mr. Fuhrman buys are in good condition but worn with age. Customers pick the piece they like and a new fabric for reupholstering. Upholsterers at Mr. Fuhrman's shop in nearby Allentown then strip the original to its wooden skeleton, install new back and seat springs, reupholster the frame and restuff the pillows and cushions. Restored period chairs sell for $1,000 apiece, while sofas cost between $2,000 and $3,500. A three-piece living room set costs $4,000 plus the cost of the new fabric. Mr. Fuhrman also sells classic chrome-frame furniture from the early 1930's, as well as smaller, sleeker chairs and sofas from the 1920's and a line of new furniture modeled after some of his 1930's Art Deco pieces. The new chairs start at $1,400, the sofas are $2,000 to $3,500. ''Anything we've gotten from him is definitely a collector's item,'' said Wendy Federman, president of the Ribbon Narrow Fabric Company and an Art Deco collector.
She and her husband filled much of their condominium in West New York, N.J., with antique pieces from the Warehouse. ''I found a companion piece to one I'd bought in a fancy Manhattan store for half the price,'' she added. Manuel Castedo, a Manhattan architect, bought two old chairs and a sofa from Mr. Fuhrman for a loft office in lower Manhattan. ''You can't get things like that,'' said Mr. Castedo. ''They're just not made anymore.'' The Warehouse is at 223 North Third Street, Easton, Pa. 18042, 215-252-2211. photo of Paul Fuhrman (NYT/Chuck Zoeller)The term Art Deco originated from an exposition held in Paris in 1925, the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. The clean, functional and streamlined look of Art Deco furniture, accessories and artwork was influenced by the desire for clean, functional design in a post World War I industrial era. Art Deco furniture designers moved away from the ornate motifs of Art Nouveau, and created pieces with unfussy geometric design and utilized fixtures and finishes that enhanced the natural beauty of rare and exotic woods.
The French developed and refined Art Deco style and much of the Art Deco furniture and accessories at Judy Frankel Antiques comes from France. Judy personally selects each item and looks for distinctive design and excellent craftsmanship. We always have a large inventory of high quality Art Deco furniture, lighting, accessories and mirrors at very attractive prices. Whether you need assistance in pulling together a few Art Deco accessories or furnishing an entire home, our experienced and friendly staff can help.Art Deco Sofa in walnut with curved back rails as seen in PoirotVictorian Jewelry1840s – c. 1900 We carry a diverse collection of Victorian Jewelry. Named after Queen Victoria, who reigned in England during 19th century’s romantic period, the style was heavily influenced by gothic and renaissance themes while incorporating the technological innovations of the Industrial Revolution. Victorian Jewelry1840s – c. 1900 Art Nouveau Jewelry1890s – early 1900s
The Art Nouveau period embraced the free-flowing, natural line. Artists interpreted it as the lines found in plants and in women’s hair or curves. The jewelry of the period dived deep into abstraction, creating an unparalleled avant-garde beauty that pervaded in the 20th century. Heavily grounded in the styles of 18th century jewelry, the Edwardian period reassigned the importance of artisan craft. It also took the fluid shapes of Art Nouveau and applied them to create the elegant, minimalist beauty of Edwardian jewelry. Art Deco Jewelry1910s – 1930s In opposition to Art Nouveau, the Art Deco period was inspired by industrialism and cubism. Simplifying objects to their basic, angular geometries, Art Deco jewelry pioneered the beauty of the unadulterated, modern look. 20th Century Vintage Sunburst Mirror Pair of Vintage Regency-style Table Lamps Vintage Campaign-style Dressing Table or Vanity Vintage Pair of Mid-Century Modern-style Milo Baughman Lounge Chairs