by Industry veteran Paul Maitland-Smith, the founder of luxury furniture resources Maitland-Smith and Theodore Alexander, died Thursday at age 90.
He founded Maitland-Smith in 1979 and later founded Theodore Alexander in 1996.
Below is a transcript of his biography provided by the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2019.
London antiques dealer and designer Paul Maitland-Smith founded Maitland-Smith in Hong Kong in 1979 as a resource for 18th century reproduction furniture and decorative accessories.
The business started with the reproduction of Chippendale mahogany dining chairs. The first chair was a hand-carved “ball and claw foot” dining chair, which Mr. Smith called “C-1” because it was the fist chair the company produced. Alvin Cain, founder of Chelsea House, credited Maitland-Smith with reintroducing the ball and claw style to the 20th century.
Other finely carved and hand-crafted reproductions followed. Sourcing efforts were conducted throughout Southeast Asia to find and blend unique materials popularized in 18th century designs. These materials included bronze, brass, porcelain, coromandel, wrought iron, leather, shagreen, lacquer and eggshell.
Paul Maitland-Smith’s passion is furniture. Throughout his career he has been consistently committed to making the best possible product by using the finest materials and engaging the most skilled craftsmen. He followed the natural resources and skilled labor throughout the world, moving his family and himself so he could oversee the production and secure the finest materials available. From the wood carvings and inlays to the bronze hardware, his company made it all.
In 1981, Maitland-Smith shifted its base from Hong Kong to the Philippines and built the company’s own manufacturing operation. This allowed Maitland-Smith to create a broader product offering and exercise greater control over manufacturing quality, while giving added freedom to the company’s classically trained designers.
New materials and finishes flourished such as rattan, stone mosaic, coconut shell inlay, faux tortoise shell, penshell inlay, mother of pearl, faux malachite, petrified wood, fossil stone and others. As each new process and resource was established, the family moved in order for Mr. Smith to be hands on in the production process.
Some of the many processes used by Maitland-Smith artisans include intricate marquetry and shell inlay, reverse painted glass, hand-carving of wood, hand-painting and gilding, metal work and lost-wax brass casting.
At a time when reproduction furniture was being “stamped” rather than carved, “stapled” together rather than screwed, or quickly spray finished on a conveyor belt, he was trying to build the kind of furniture he admired from history. His roots were in antiques. He wanted to create something of lasting quality and beauty.
Whether he was attempting to reproduce an exquisite antique, or designing a sleek new creation, the excitement he felt had nothing to do with the bottom line of a spread sheet, it was always about the “process” and the final integrity of the item itself! … Yes, he was delighted to make a profit, but never at the expense of the piece, never by compromising quality or design. He refused to cut corners.
In the early 1980s, Maitland -Smith had a small showroom in the IHFC Building in High Point, North Carolina, where he showed porcelains, coromandel screens and reproduction furniture pieces.
He was soon approached by Bill Smith, president of Henredon, about incorporating some of the products into the Henredon line. Henredon bought into the business and moved the Maitland-Smith showroom from the IHFC to their campus in the early 1990s.
Paul Maitland-Smith loves good food and wine and thought it was a travesty that clients were not encouraged to linger and relax in the showrooms. He recognized how far many traveled to attend the show and how little time there was to work together. He set out to change things, creating a relaxing dining room and evening dinner parties in the showroom all served on beautiful china, with “real cutlery” and glasses. He created a showroom environment that was as unique and charming as a British gentleman could make it. It was the Maitland-Smith showroom that was the talk of the High Point Market.
When Masco bought Henredon in 1986, they became part owners of Maitland-Smith. Smith continued to design for Henredon and the Masco companies for several years. Masco bought the remainder of Maitland-Smith in the 1995.
After several years working on the design side of Masco/Henredon, Paul Maitland-Smith decided it was time to begin a new journey.
Paul Maitland-Smith founded Theodore Alexander in 1996. The name came from Mr. Smith’s grandfather Theodore and his great-uncle Theodore. Both were antiques dealers and had a huge influence on his love of fine furniture.
The company began shipping products in 1998. Over the next four years, the company followed much the same path as Maitland-Smith had with his previous company, the very best in design, materials, craftmanship and quality in everything they produced. Growing to become the largest furniture manufacturer in Southeast Asia.
Maitland-Smith and his team, many who worked with him throughout his years in the furniture industry, built a company that employed 5,000 people and manufactured from factories totaling over 1 million square feet in Linh Trung Zone. The company had offices in England, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands in 2002.
In March of 2002, Paul Maitland-Smith stepped down as chief executive officer of Furniture and Home Accents of Paul Maitland-Smith International, parent company of Theodore Alexander.
