Furniture Buyers Have a Range of Choice
Interesting traditional designs in Italian furniture and accessories are generally rather pricey, but within the last year, a store has opened in Northridge that offers some quality pieces at very reasonable prices.
Euro-Style, a direct importer of European traditional furniture, buys directly from six factories in the vicinity of Milan, Verona or Padua. The showroom floor has samples of most of the inventory, and the catalogues offer other suggestions.
The unusual aspect of Euro-Style is that you have a considerable range of choices on each piece. If, for instance, you find the style sofa you want, you may then choose among 14 wood finishes, 12 of which will not up the price; only mahogany and antique white are extra. Most of the fabric choices are included in the base price. So the key word here is customize , and you may do that yourself.
The blending of Louis XV design lines with a bleached or pickled finish and a contemporary print cotton produces the effect of a much more costly piece than it actually is. For instance, a sofa and two armchairs in this motif would run $2,500. A five-piece living room ensemble consisting of sofa, two armchairs and two armless chairs is one of the best deals in the store, at $1,995. At this price, it’s available only in velvet, in red, pink, beige and taupe (other fabrics, figure $200 extra), and comes in dark or light wood, and with nailheads or rope trim. It’s your choice.
Some of the designs are quite unusual and work well as accent pieces. A bedroom or slipper chair, low and armless, is $295. A beautiful whitewashed armoire is well-priced at $1,200. If you like bombe curves in your wood pieces, you will have a field day. Hand-carved chests, curio cabinets and dressers in any finish you want start at $299.
A handsome double-pedestal dining table with an intricately inlaid top would seat 12 people with the leaf. With eight chairs, you would expect to pay much more than the tagged $3,600. A round dining table with leaf and six chairs, heavily carved, and your choice of fabric is $2,100.
Some lovely French armchairs were $149 the day of our visit. We have seen them elsewhere for $250 and up. We were particularly impressed with the mirrors: A large gold-framed one, three by four feet, was $449, and one measuring two by three feet $249. Also, check their Italian tapestries, ranging from $299 (three by four feet) to $1,500 (five by eight feet).
All in all, the furnishings here are very appealing to those who love the Italian Renaissance look.
And even the more rococo pieces are sure to find customers.
The owners’ presence on the premises always opens the possibility of negotiating, and delivery is arranged through outside companies.
Euro-Style is at 19511 1/2 Business Center Drive, Northridge, (818) 993-5772. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Visa and MasterCard accepted.