An Elevation of Design and Luxury
Handsome, gracious, conservative, and bold. Karges has created a collection of furniture to reflect your own personality and tastes. Good design and timeless lines which blend into whatever décor you choose have been created by us. Many Karges designs are inspired by fine museum pieces and the finest antiquities. Some are taken from furniture found in Europe during Edwin Karges Sr.’s travels and some from research of fine pieces through the centuries. Each of the Karges pieces are original designs created by the Karges family and by in house designers, subduing some details of historic pieces, while still holding the classic beauty of the piece.
The insistence that each piece of furniture be part of a matched group was a misfortune in the long tradition of fine interiors. Returning to the original idea that a desk, chair, or cabinet has its own intrinsic beauty we have learned that our homes should express our own tastes rather than follow set rules. Today there is flexibility with combining wood tones and subdued antiqued painted finishes for contrast. The experienced guidance of the trained designer provides the refined logic of harmony, tone and balance in selecting our furniture. Our artisans are able to perfectly execute each of the complex, elaborate design details of the Karges brand in our Grand Rapids facility. Explore more of the designs that are signature to Karges by Hand.
Complex designs with an influence from Louis XIV & XV and Venetian Periods
Our customers feel these pieces are quintessential Karges, with the display of the intricacies of hand carving, bold design elements, and sometimes flamboyant details. This style was a love of Edwin Karges Sr. as the shapes and forms were complicated and defied reason in some cases. He felt these were like sculptures to be appreciated for their rare beauty. Often crafted of solid Walnut with a showy display of exotic burls the wood and details are hero. These pieces are timeless and are of some of the most complex designs we make as most have extreme curves and shapes with cabriole legs, and carvings.
Refined luxury of Louis XVI and Neoclassical Designs
These designs have an almost understated classic elegance. Wood species range from fine Mahogany to Walnut. The carving is pristine and very refined with much straighter lines than the Louis XV and XIV influence, yet these pieces still hold graceful curves and opulence. These timeless designs are of the most popular in the Karges collection as they marry so well with other, more contemporary forms, while still giving a nod to traditional. The ability to add accents or to use a contemporary finish on these, allow the pieces to transform into an almost modern approach to traditional. Fine design knows how to keep the classics yet transform them to become fresh and on trend.
Magnificent Designs with English Influence
The Georgian, 18th Century, Chippendale, and Regency periods, just to name a few are all well represented in the Karges range of design. These pieces use pristine inlay, crotch Mahogany and Walnut burl to accentuate the fine, complicated designs. The design aesthetic of these periods borrow greatness from each other and flow into beautiful shapes and lines. At Karges we combine the best of each period to form master works of our own making. The complex shapes and refined luxury of the combination of wood species and fine brasses create pieces that are masterful and beautiful and able to stretch from very traditional homes to a much more transitional appeal.
Unique Original Design
While most of the Karges collection of designs do fall into the categories mentioned above, great design often ventures from the norm. Fine pieces such as the Rothschild Console and Entry table are distinct pieces that are almost like jewelry for the home. The Cocktail tables with a Chinese influence marry superbly with the English or French designs and also work splendidly in a contemporary home of today. Karges is forever adapting and adding finishes and fabrics and unique touches to inspire and perform for the designer of today. While we know our DNA is traditional design, we also know how to stretch to create distinct and unique finishes to allow these classic forms to work for the most discerning design client.