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Michael manages day-to-day factory operations and administration. “I enjoy the family furniture business. Working together to take a piece from the conceptual stage to shaping the raw materials and then finishing the piece is very rewarding,” explains Michael.

This inviting,curvaceous daybed in a rubbed-through, whitewashed finish reflects the sophisticated elegance of traditional French design. The frame is made of hand-carved oak with a stylized floral theme and is upholstered in white raw silk

This luxurious lounge chair in a silver metal leaf finish with stylized, carved floral design recalls the luxury and elegance of the Art Deco era.

The Interior Crafts catalog offers 275 upholstered pieces and 170 case goods (cabinets, tables and chests) representing classic designs from many periods of Western European Furniture history. The Manor Lines include authentic reproductions and updated versions of French, Italian, and Russian furniture. Emily’s award winning Fluted Collection, featuring corrugated wood finishes, metallic leafs, and richly textured wood, is a contemporary interpretation of classic Art Deco styles. Additional Interior Crafts collections are Art Deco, Oriental, and Contemporary.

“We have more then 1,000 frames in stock at all times, of which approximately 50 percent are exclusively Interior Crafts’ frames,” observes Michael. Ninety percent of the frames are made of maple, oak and mahogany. Besides its own line, Interior Crafts produces furniture under the brand names of designers Holly Hunt, Angelo Donghia, and Christian Liaigre.

“Many Interior Crafts frames are considered classics. Frames over fifty years old that my father designed are still in great demand,” notes Emily. “Although we are not trendy whatsoever, we are constantly updating our collections so they feel more today. My dad and I play off each other to develop new pieces and revitalize existing ones.”

Vito point out that, “Right now, Emily and I are working together to revive out frames from the late 1940s to 1960s because we foresee a resurgence in those designs.”

This intuitive design approach blends stylistic elements from various furniture periods, applies unconventional finishes, and mixes traditional and contemporary upholstery features. Emily explains, “While the base designs remain historically grounded, different twists on traditional pieces completely change their appearance and feel.”

A prime example is the company’s pearlized gravage leather upholstery on a country French, carved armchair. Another is the silk-screened scrollwork in pewter and silver metallic leaf on an English country chest that unites centuries of fine design. Leather upholsters the edges of a simple frames coffee table and handsomely transforms the piece-inviting guests to put up their feet and children to play around it safely. Two-toned finishes, metallic leafing, and inlays of stone and exotic woods add interest, texture, and color to traditional dining, side, and buffet tables.

Chicago designer Richard Menna of Richard Menna Interior Design has worked with Interior Crafts for 36 years.” The reason I work with them is because the line is so diverse. The company always seams to be one step ahead when it comes to foreseeing what the market trends are and what people want. They nail it every year,” he explains.

A client of Interior Crafts for 23 years, Chicago designer John Robert Wiltgen Design, Inc. says, “I always look to Interior Crafts for the newest, greatest and latest furniture design.”

To maintain its leadership position in the ever-changing design world and expand its collection, Interior Crafts has forged strategic relationships with some of the world’s most popular designers. Vito relates, “Over the years, our designer relationships helped us cover the complete market from century to century, country to country and coast to coast.”

The company first partnered with Richard Himmel in the 1960s. Himmel scouted Europe for Art Deco and French original furniture and shipped it back to the factory for painstaking reproduction. The market’s response to the company’s product spurred Interior Crafts to open its first showroom in the Merchandise Mart in 1961. Since then, the Ursinis have worked with designers Angelo Donghia, Burt Englander, Ronnie Brahms and Jerry Jerome.

As a result, they offer an expansive line that represents the best of all worlds in furniture. “I love the stability and depth of the line. It transcends time from furniture style period to style period,” remarks Richard. “Their service-on the factory floor and on the showroom floor-is excellent.”