Designers Todd Davis (left) and Rob Brown.
A collection designed by Brown Davis Interiors and crafted by Indiana-based artisan Keith Fritz is bucking convention in the world of bespoke wood furniture. Tables, consoles, and nightstands are customized from exotic species that have been infused with color in a proprietary process that preserves the wood’s natural grain. “It’s not painted or stained,” explains Fritz. “It’s much like the way fabrics are dyed.”
The furniture designs fill a void Rob Brown and Todd Davis saw in the marketplace. “It has to do with the juxtaposition of clean lines and attention to detail,” explains Brown. From elegant emerald to sexy aubergine, he says, the palette “adds new energy to a room, whether it’s traditional or contemporary.”
The DC- and Miami-based designers have often collaborated with Fritz since meeting him in 1999. “I showed them pictures of furniture I had made in high school,” recalls Fritz. “Todd said, ‘If you could build a Bombay Chippendale secretary at 16, we’re sure you can build things for our clients.’” Before he knew it, Fritz had landed commissions to create two tables and a console for the Clintons’ DC and New York residences—both of which were designed by Brown Davis. Says Fritz, “Rob and Todd are amazing to work with and bring out the best in me.”
Their collection is available at New York’s John Rosselli & Associates (samples are on view), as well as at Michael-Cleary in DC. browndavis.com; keithfritz.com