The Rock House Farm Family of Brands, parent company of Century Furniture, Hancock & Moore, Maitland Smith and others, has entered into an agreement to acquire the Case Goods "Design Library" (IP) from Marge Carson.
"Over the years, Marge Carson and Jim LaBarge created an expansive and iconic library of wood product designs, many of which remain relevant today," says Alex Shuford, CEO of Rock House Farm Family of Brands. "We are excited by the prospect of re-introducing some of the these beautiful forms back into the marketplace under our Maitland Smith and Century brands. We believe that good design endures, and we are honored to be collaborating with Mr. LaBarge as we edit and curate the design library going forward."
The company expects that the first curated grouping of designs could be ready for shipment again through Maitland Smith by mid-Fall 2021 and that additional legacy designs will be re-introduced to the marketplace gradually over successive markets. RHF is acquiring only the designs themselves and no part of the Marge Carson business, backlog, brand or distribution.
"As the General Manager of Maitland Smith, I'm responsible for creating and discovering unique product "treasures" and bringing them to the marketplace," says Federico Contigiani, President of Maitland Smith. "The prospect of being able to 'mine' the Marge Carson library for iconic and elegant designs is very exciting. Any fan of product has to appreciate and respect the level of detail that went into the pieces that Marge Carson developed."