by BASSETT, Va. — Bassett Furniture has partnered with decorator, textile designer and photo stylist Heather Chadduck Hillegas for a major new furniture collection set to debut next month at the fall High Point Market. The collection will feature 30 furniture pieces, encompassing five finishes and 70 in-line fabrics, chosen by Chadduck, for hundreds of possible mix-and-match combinations. Chadduck said the collection is designed to become “the new staples of American decorating.”
According to Rob Spilman Jr., chairman and CEO, Bassett Furniture, “This whole-home collection speaks to the new expression of our brand and our commitment to helping retailers make doors swing, as we also lean further into serving the interior design community. Heather’s reputation in the design world speaks for itself, and her aesthetic is a perfect fit for Bassett.”
For years, Chadduck inspired millions of readers through her editorial work for multiple shelter magazines, including Cottage Living, Coastal Living and Southern Living. Her love of fine arts, antiques and textiles led her to start her own design business and the launch of a botanical-inspired fabric collection, now sold in trade showrooms across the globe.
Known for interiors rooted in tradition, arranged for comfort and styled for relaxed elegance, she took on the role of Williamsburg’s second Designer in Residence three years ago, reimagining the interior of the historic Nelson-Galt House, the oldest residential dwelling in Colonial Williamsburg.
Based in Birmingham, Alabama, the designer was raised in Martinsville, Virginia, not far from members of the Bassett family. Four years ago, she was contacted by her longtime friend Anne Spilman Souter, Bassett’s creative director and vice president of product development, about the possibility of a future collaboration.
“Anne and I have such a mutual respect for one another, and we both saw a need in the industry for attainable, high-quality pieces that you can make your own,” Chadduck said.
“In imagining this collection for Bassett, we created something that feels timeless. Years from now, I want people to see these pieces as the new classics, the antiques of future generations.”
All of the pieces in the collection were inspired by traditional silhouettes that Chadduck consistently searches out for her own clients, from a classic English roll arm sofa with a waterfall skirt, to antique bamboo beds.
“We spent a lot of time perfecting the five finishes for the collection as it was important to highlight the reeding of the knuckles for dimension,” she noted. “The blue, green and white paint finishes are spot on, and are the most common colors used in our practice for painted furniture. We also did a honey and dark walnut stain found in old English pieces. The entire collection is traditional, but it feels very organic and fresh.”
Additionally, Chadduck said working with Bassett “is a designer’s dream in terms of speed and quality and the fact that their upholstered furniture is still being made in North Carolina, goes a long way.”
To view the Heather Chadduck for Bassett collection, visit Bassett’s new showroom at the High Point Market in IHFC Space M-101.
