Interior designer Thomas Hayes is set to unveil his first high-end, mid-century modern inspired furniture line next month at his namesake showroom, Thomas Hayes Gallery.
"Furniture is just sexy,” said Hayes. “Through a great appreciation of the California design craft furniture movement and the work of such greats as JB Blunk, Art Espenet and Sam Malouf, that started when I was just a kid, I developed an early sensibility and love beautiful woods and their highly figural, naturally occurring grains.”
The line, Thomas Hayes Studio, will feature Brazilian-influenced Walnut slab dining tables, leather accented side tables and credenzas, tufted linen sofas, rosewood cabinets.
Kitchen display: rosewood cabinetry, absolute black granite countertop with leather finish
Hayes draws his inspiration from Brazilian design and aesthetics using salvaged or FSC certified woods like Rosewood, Imbuia and Ipe, as well as solid Walnut and Oak from North America. His exposure to materials and architectural details used around the world from more than 10 years of sourcing and restoring mid-century modern furnishings gives him insight into picking the right materials to utilize.
“It is also the curvaceous Mid-Century Italian influence that pervades my most beloved vintage examples of American and Brazilian design, and that has largely influenced my design aesthetic,” Hayes added. “It was through the process of restoring some of the most damaged vintage pieces that I first interacted in a very tactile way with construction techniques and methods used in the period, which inspired me to begin designing pieces of my own.
Large winged cabinet by Giuseppe Scapinelli inspired the new collection
Over the course of many trips to Brazil for this purpose, Hayes has sourced rich production materials, which he then imports directly to his gallery in Hollywood, CA. With an in-house production team and with a nod to some of the masters of the mid-century era, Hayes creates signature and custom furniture.
The collection will be available on its own website and also at the Thomas Hayes flagship showroom in Hollywood, CA. There will be a special launch party on Thursday, April 18 at the showroom.