Inspire Me!: The vanCollier Debut Collection

Saturday, November 12, 2011

The vanCollier Debut Collection

Katie Koon, myself, and Beth Collier of Van Collier.

It was two years ago that my dear friend Katie Koon introduced me to her childhood friend, Beth Collier. The three of us sat in my conference room discussing the direction of my family business and vanCollier's development as a wholesale furniture design business. I had been itching to move Eatman's into a more designer-centric showroom, where designers would showcase their work. My vision was that Eatman's would be a destination where designers and homeowners alike would come to be inspired. About this time, Beth, a seasoned interior designer and art major, and Chris, her husband, himself an antique and furniture aficionado, had decided to start designing furniture to the trade. She needed a platform - a store to display her new designs and ideas. I needed something unique, exclusive and exciting to display in my store. It was a perfect fit.

We sanctioned off an area for vanCollier to display all their beauties in my family's store. With the help of this blog and your loyal following, we began to get the word out of the new furniture/accessory designer. While Beth and Chris painstakingly went through the process of finding manufacturers for their designs, I welcomed any and all prototypes to our store.

After two years, vanCollier made its official debut last week at the High Point Furniture Market as a wholesale design business. I am so proud of them and excited for their future that I can hardly contain myself. What a testimony to hard work, perseverance, friendship and being inspired!

Feast your eyes on these creations and enjoy. All pieces are available in Raleigh exclusively through Eatman's Carpets & Interiors.

All of Van Collier's designs are made in the U.S.A.

One of the original designs from the Ginkgo Collection.

My all-time favorite vanCollier item, the Ginkie Martini Table. This collection was inspired by a magnificent Ginkgo Tree on the lawn of the Collier's home. I have ordered one for my new sitting room, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. The prototype still sits in our store, but the finished product is on its way.

Jeannie Ottoman from the Kontouris Collection

The Malcolm Collection is made up of tobacco sticks from North Carolina tobacco fields. I love the coffee table, chandeliers, and chair & ottoman. I am ordering a coffee table in gilded gold finish for my showroom. Any finish and any size available.

Candy Colored "Silver" Tray

I love the above candy colored "silver" tray. Available in red, blue, black and clear. An original and exclusive design from vanCollier. I predict it is destined to become one of the next "IT" items, following the over dyed rugs and piece tables.

Longchampe from the Cy Collection.

For the equestrian lover, a leather side table/stool complete with horse stirrups. This can open up for storage too.

Ginkgo Lisabet console and Hawes sconces, Evan mirror and the Mary French Chair with triangle pillows. Tres chic!

Original Paintings by Marcus Reichert.

Ginkgo Bren wall brackets flank original work by famed artist Marcus Reichert. Beth met the artist when she was working at a North Carolina museum where his art was on display. They became great friends, and she has a collection of his amazing artwork.

Chris Collier chats with new buyers at the market.

A sampling of the vanCollier's upholstered Cy Collection. Shown here, the Mere Sofa and Beck Arm Chair.

About vanCollier

Established in 1995, vanCollier began as an antique and interior design firm. With backgrounds in art history, fine arts and decorative arts, vanCollier marries old world elegance with contemporary design. The married couple behind this firm-on-the-rise is Beth and Chris Collier, who work together on their wide range of projects domestically and abroad. Their philosophy: Use traditional influences to create sophisticated and approachable environments. Says Beth, "Rooms should be masculine and feminine while conveying both traditional and eccentric details."

To contact Beth, email her at vancollier@suddenlink.net

About Eatman's Carpets and Interiors

Eatman's Carpets and Interiors is my family's business. My grandfather, Bill Eatman, opened its doors in 1957 in Downtown Raleigh as a design studio/upholstery workroom selling high end fabrics, wool carpeting, and wallpaper. My father, Woody Eatman, the current president, followed in his father's footsteps joining the family business after school. Years later, with her Design degree in hand, my mother was hired as a designer by Eatman's. My Dad and my Mom fell in love and married. Over time, Eatman's became a innovator in the world of flooring creating computer systems specifically for the industry as well as adding to the business a supply and installation divisions. Fast-forwarding through my arrival and my sister's, the business is now a hybrid of the past and the present. We continue to be a leading supplier of carpets residentially and commercially, and we continue to expand into the world of interior design with new fabric, furniture and lighting lines. But more than all that, it is where our family hangs its hat. It is, in every sense of the word, a labor of great love.