Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Tree Chair @ ABC Carpet

ABC Carpet is a home furnishing store that specializes in imported furniture, antiques, one-of-a-kind pieces, as well as other home goods like carpets and rugs, electronic appliances, luxurious fabrics, and chinaware. The flagship store, located in two buildings on Broadway between 19th and 20th Street (Flatiron District), also has a couple of restaurants on its premises.

ABC Carpet was started by then newly arrived Austrian immigrant, Sam Weinrib, in 1879 on a pushcart selling used carpets and unusual fabrics at the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A century later, the family owned company has grown into one of the biggest and most diverse home furnishing retail outlets in New York City. Currently, there are numerous ABC Carpet outlets in New York, New Jersey and Florida, as well as in Harrods' in London.

The chair in the photo was carved out of a piece of tree truck and is an example of one-of-a-kind pieces available at ABC Carpet. The two doors to the left and right of the chair are the elevators. And no, the store was not undergoing renovation; this is how it was decorated. Notice the unadorned light fixture above the chair. Despite the organic look and simplicity, these pieces come with hefty price tags.

5 comments:

Annie said...

Those who live in a big, modern city with lots of metal and glass must really long for touches of the land. If those elevator doors were inside buildings here in the heartland, everyone would be saying, "Why don't those owners invest any of their profits into fixing up their store!"

isa said...

Yes, we have them here, in Florida!

I like the presentation/merchandising in this store...

Ming the Merciless said...

annie - I think you hit it right on the nail. A lot of us here live among concrete, glass and steel so we crave things that are natural and organic. That is why when I see daily photos of life near farms, lakes, rivers, etc., I can't help oohhing and ahhing over them.

isabella - is the store in Florida as "unique" as the one in NYC?

Olivier said...

surprenant ce magasin, tres original, je ne connaissais pas, et cela n'existe pas en France (enfin je pense)



surprising this store, very original, I did not know, and that does not exist in France (finally I think)

alice said...

Ah ah, i'm rather proud to say i know ABC Carpet!