Groovy.
The word might arouse an image of a long-haired, tie-dye-adorning hippie waving a peace sign or Mike Myers' outlandish character in the 'Austin Powers' trilogy.
But to Jonathan Adler, 39, a famed interior designer and potter, 'groovy' means upbeat, modern-yet-retro designs that aren't too serious. To Adler, it is the perfect word.
And groovy perfectly describes Adler's new line of furniture, which debuted at the State Street Marshall Field's recently. The collection of upholstered furniture with tables and pieces for both the living and dining room complies with Adler's theme: 'Groovy. Gracious. Grown up.'
'It's happy chic without the unfriendliness that comes with chic,' Adler says of the collection. 'Gracious and grown up counterbalance groovy.'
Adler created six groups of upholstered furniture, and each centers around a distinct sofa. The different groups are named after classic movie characters whose style inspired Adler's designs.
The Lampert Sofa ( Adler's favorite ) and Lounger are a tribute to Audrey Hepburn's character, Regina Lampert, in 'Charade.'
'It's the perfect blend of traditional and modern,' Adler says of the Lampert Sofa. 'It has all the details I look for in a classic sofa—button tufting, gracious proportion, subtle lines—but with a top note of mod moxie via the simplicity and white-painted base.' And Hepburn can easily be imagined perching on the delicate sofa.
Also in the furniture line are collections of accent pieces including a desk, a buffet and assorted tables, as well as four iconic chairs, a folding screen, an X-bench—a creative ottoman—and the Robinson table, a spider-like coffeetable. Like the furniture groups, they are all named after characters from 'campy old movies' Adler adores.
Adler, a self-described idiot savant, is known for utilizing modern shapes, lavish fabrics, vivacious colors, intense and organic patterns and clean-but-comfy lines.
Maggie Killackey, 29, who works in the public relations field in Chicago, attended Adler's debut launch party at Marshall Field's in search of accent pieces to pull everything in her house together. ( The Dude would suggest a nice rug. ) But she couldn't resist being drawn to the furniture, namely the sofas.
'They're formal enough that you can entertain on, but not too dressy that you feel you can't put your feet on them,' Killackey says. 'His designs are elegant but understated with very clean lines.'
When designing sofas, Adler doesn't go for the extreme. 'When you buy a big piece, like a sofa, it should be simple and gracious,' he says. 'When I design a pot, or a pillow or something small in my accessory collection, I feel more free to be quirky and wild.'
Adler, who divides his time between homes in New York state and Florida with his partner Simon Doonan, a writer and designer, opened his first store in New York City's SoHo in 1998. Other stores now reside in East Hampton, N.Y., Los Angeles, Miami, New York City's Madison Avenue and San Francisco. One opens in Chicago Nov. 8. Retailers in 18 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada now offer his designs.
Adler's own book, The Jonathan Adler Book, will be released in November. The book will entail his inspiration for creation and display 10 of his signature designs. 'My mission in life is to infuse chic with happiness and create happy homes,' Adler says.
See www.JonathanAdlerFurniture.com . Local retailers with his works include Marshall Field's, 111 N. State.
