Are you in the market for a mid century style sofa, chair or ottoman? The new Avenue 62 line from Younger Furniture might have just what you’re looking for — and here on Retro Renovation we have an exclusive sneak preview of all 16 new designs. This stunning new line of vintage inspired furniture line will be introduced to retailers at High Point next month (October 2012), and will arrive in stores by December.
Younger Furniture first appeared on Pam’s radar when she wrote the story about the mid century wall panels that Dave made for his living room, and a reader commented to ask where Dave got his sofa and chairs. Pam dove into research and wrote a number of stories about this great looking furniture, including in the super popular 28 places to shop for an affordable mid century modern style sofa. She connected with Meredith Younger Spell, President of Younger Furniture. And when Meredith contacted us to ask if we would like to feature an exclusive sneak peek at the new Avenue 62 sneak preview on Retro Renovation, we jumped on the opportunity. You know how Pam lives for her Breaking News.
For this story, Meredith provided wonderful background about Younger Furniture and about the development of their new Avenue 62 line:
If you would have told me when I was 15 years old and started working in the factory in the summer that I would be president of Younger Furniture one day, I would not have believed you. When I decided to give working for my Dad a try when I was 25 years old, I never would have thought I would fall in love with the business and with this industry the way I have. Life is full of surprises!
Sometime last year I was brainstorming ideas and thinking and planning as I do constantly, and I had a moment: We need something different, we need something original! Something that defines Younger, gives us a voice and sets us apart. Who are we? What do we want people to think of when they think of Younger? To answer this question, I began doing a ton of research. Online and in books I started looking at furniture of every type and category, from every era, and from every country. As I looked, I saved everything I “loved” or everything that really “spoke to me.” I labeled the photos with my thoughts, they were things like… “LOVE” “Retro in a good way” “retro gone wrong” “if this is wrong, I don’t want to be right” “GENIUS” “OBSESSED.”
When I had a whole stack, everything I had pulled was from the late 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s. Prime mid century. I loved the lines, the finishes, the fabrics, the wood, the angles, the ingenuity, the originality, the genius and the courage these styles had. They all said something! They made a statement that I heard. They spoke to me, big time!
Avenue 62 is not retro collection per say. It is a collection that uses mid-century and everything it stood for as an inspiration, but reinterprets it, revives it and renews it for today’s modern customer. To people of my generation (30 something and 40 something), this IS NEW! I had never seen lines and design like that until I started doing research on generations past. To people that were lucky enough to experience life in mid century America, this collection will remind them of “the good ole days.” We want to introduce this definition of style to a new generation. These ideas and this collection have been very inspirational to both my father and me. It was so funny that something I thought I was discovering on my own was such a huge part of my father’s past — and I didn’t even know it! It really bonded us and solidified us as a team in this business. Avenue 62 is really a father and a daughter, one generation and the next generation, fusing mid century design with today. We can’t wait to share our vision!
We wondered — how did Meredith come up with the name for this new collection and when will it be available?
Avenue 62 is inspired by iconic mid century style, but reinterpreted, revived and renewed for today. I have named it “Avenue 62.” This is a new and fresh direction for us, and it’s a new and fresh interpretation of mid century style… so its an “Avenue” for us. Then 2012-1950 = 62.
This collection will be introduced to retailers across the country at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, NC in October 2012 and will be arriving in stores by December.
Wow — what a great collection with an equally great back story — plus how fun are the names of the pieces in this collection. I always love to hear about a family business that prides itself on quality and good design — right here in the good old USA to boot! A gigantic thanks goes out to Meredith for sharing her story and allowing us to show you the sneak preview of the Avenue 62 line.
Those are quite the legs on the “Draper” ottoman above!
Armless sofas like the “Harper” sofa above, are great for impromptu naps — plenty of room to stretch out.
I’m really digging the lines of the legs on the “Lewis” sofa above. This curvy and sleek silhouette would fit perfectly into a mid century modern living room.
The “Velvet” sectional above would feel at home in either a retro or a modern household.
I love the boomerang style legs on the “Trudy” chair — it would look lovely with a vintage Heywood-Wakefield coffee table and end tables, don’t you think?
The great thing about this collection is its versatility: If you decorate in retro, mid century, modern or even a more traditional style — one of these pieces would surely fit right in in your living room or den. I can’t wait to see the range of upholstery colors and finishes available for these new styles will be available in. Harper sectional in orange??? Please!
Which design is your favorite readers?
Maryann Roy says
Fabulous! Can’t wait to see this debut !
peggy herrick says
Meredith I LOVE it even though I lived with it This is great and I wish I were going to be at High point to see it but cannot… I am excited to start selling this Do you have new fabrics as well Congratulation well done You should be very proud of the Avenue 62 collection YEAH
Jayne Clowater says
The Dylan looks like an Adrian Pearsall number 2000 knockoff to me. I have one sitting across the room from me right now. Check his website. I hope his estate got paid for the design.
Zoe says
Well, that’s a stretch. The Pearsall 2000 sofa has 4 back cushions instead of 3, the proportions (length:width ratio of each cushion) are different, and the legs are *completely* different. If designers (be they clothing or furniture or home accessories designers) had to pay every time they borrowed an idea (especially from a design which essentially has been in the public domain for over 50 years), the design industry would grind to a halt. It’s pretty hard to patent a “vibe” — in this case, the idea would be, “any sofa whose arms are bent at greater than a 90-degre angle from the body.” I think that would be a bit too broad.
Karen says
These are great and it’s fun to learn more about the company. I have two chairs from Younger and I LOVE them. I bought a Mitchell Gold couch (via Crate and Barrel) at the same time as the chairs, and the couch now looks HORRIBLE but the chairs are holding up beautifully, I get compliments on them all the time.
Meredith Younger Spell1 says
Hi Everyone! Meredith from Younger here. Thank you all so much for the nice comments! Really warms my heart!! I just wanted to let everyone know that with this collection we are also introducing a large number of new fabrics…. lots of bold and retro inspired colors along with some great patterns. I will have the real pics to Pam asap along with scans of the fabrics. Thank you all so much for your support!
Zoe says
Meredith, how I wish you would have had these a year ago! I bought two loveseats from Ethan Allen that are vaguely 1940s, early MCM in styling, and while they’re both comfortable and beautiful, they were *expensive*. Would have rather purchased one of the new pieces from Younger, especially as my cousin is one of your distributors in Michigan, so maybe I’ll find something for the family room in your new line. Wish I could sit on them in the store though — the problem is that no one around here has a big enough showroom to showcase enough of the Younger pieces, and not being able to sit on the sofa prior to ordering was a dealbreaker for me.
Jamie D says
You could always sell your set and buy these instead…enabler? Moi?
Cynthia says
All of these pieces are beautiful. Bravo, Younger. Let’s hope some of the even more moderate and affordable lines of furniture bring out retro designs.
hannah says
I’m partial to the Harper sectional, and if I can’t have that, then the Lewis sofa. Love the lines of both. Will anxiously await the ‘real’ photos. AND there’s a dealership in So. Portland, which is a hop, skip and a jump from here. That’s a relief if I feel I need to go more in debt at this point. 😉
Diane says
Its about time–and leave it to a women–way to go–!!!! I hope they have bright colors included in the line as well as the tweedy look/
Lydia says
We recently bought a Younger sofa and 2 chairs. We couldn’t be happier with this furniture! The style is Michael. It’s the exact one on the home page of their website only ours is a light brown. We LOVE it! I need to scotch guard it asap!
I even recently contacted them about an additional sofa cushion cover since the furniture store we purchased the items from is now closed. I received a prompt response and found out that I could order a cushion cover at a very reasonable price. They don’t normally sell direct, but had mercy on us since our furniture store is closed.
Rebecca@MidcenturyModernRemodel says
The Lewis sofa for sure. They will do a great with this line. Honestly, they are clean and simple. They don’t scream mid-century. Pieces would fit in anywhere.