Want your home to be a work of art? Check out what's in store at RI Fine Furnishings Show

Susan McDonald
·5 min read

PROVIDENCE – Among the sleek mid-century curves and the industrial utilitarian edges of the pieces rounding out the 28th annual Fine Furnishings Show, Karla Little noticed an intriguing theme.

“I call it ‘bringing the outside in,’” says the promoter of the annual event, which takes place Nov. 3-5 at the WaterFire Arts Center. “People are making more things with organic components, whether it’s live-edge furniture, accessories with botanical prints, or oil paintings.”

With about 90 fine crafters curated from across the country – including many products of the Rhode Island School of Design and Boston’s North Bennet Street School – the show offers a range of styles, sizes and materials for anyone looking for unique, well-made pieces that cost roughly the same as mass-produced pieces, Little says.

A live-edge wood table by Hazem Bakir Woodworks, based in Lincoln.
A live-edge wood table by Hazem Bakir Woodworks, based in Lincoln.

“This is the place where people can be inspired by all the furniture and also find what they’re looking for,” she says. “Here, you can touch it, you can open the drawers, you can check the joints and you can see the finishes.”

Walking among the rows of vendors this year, you’ll also see nature’s inspiration, she promises. You’ll find:

  • Stunning canoe paddles transformed into works of art by Tobias Olsen.

  • Live-edge turned bowls crafted by Reid Gilmore.

  • Spirit boxes featuring foraged nests and twigs by Channing Gray.

  • Lush textile pillows bearing floral prints and filled with aromatic lavender by Julie Scaramella.

  • Torches turned into unique lamps by Jesse Shaw.

  • Trays and tables with bright floral images by Samir Dhamija.

  • Richly veined blue and orange glass shaped into seashells by Shane Dorey.

A spirit box, designed by Channing Gray.
A spirit box, designed by Channing Gray.

“People gravitate toward natural items," Little says. "You can bring that into the house with something our artists made.”

Items are cash and carry, and special orders can be placed if you find something you like but need a different size or another type of wood, she says.

This year’s show again includes the 70-foot Parade of Chairs with chairs, benches and stools from the furniture makers in a wide variety of styles and materials assembled on lush carpets from Rustigian Rugs and stretching across the events center skybridge.

“Visitors can stroll on the skybridge and get a bird’s-eye view of the show while seeing these different seats from avant-garde to mid-century up close. It’s a fun element,” Little says.

An expanded marketplace features a wide variety of items for sale – jewelry, home decor, fine art, foods, puzzles, textiles and books – along with space for smaller furniture displays by area artisans.

“One of the upsides of COVID is that many furniture makers got creative and came up with more smalls to sell – tea boxes, cribbage boards, charcuterie boards,” Little says.

Glass shells by artist Shane Dorey, of Little Compton.
Glass shells by artist Shane Dorey, of Little Compton.

A resource guide to home furnishings

FURNITURE

You supply the drinks: These 20 RI BYOB restaurants are serving up great food

ACCESSORIES

What to know about RI Comic Con: Molly Ringwald and Christina Ricci are coming to RI Comic Con. Your guide to the show

FINE ART

FOOD

If You Go ...

What: Fine Furnishings Show

When: Nov. 3-5 (Friday, 4-8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Where: WaterFire Arts Center, 475 Valley St., Providence

Tickets: $10; free parking

Info: finefurnishingsshows.com

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island furniture makers and home decor artisans 2023 guide