In the News: J. Robert Scott Patents Adelphi Lounge (Part 1 of 2)

AD100 designer Sally Sirkin Lewis has spent her entire design career working toward J. Robert Scott's Ombré Veneer collection. We were thrilled when we learned that a design patent had been issued for the Adelphi Lounge chair, a key piece in the collection.

The Adelphi Lounge features a strong angular profile and sweeping curvature of the wood frame. The lounge is shown in J. Robert Scott’s proprietary Ombré finishing technique, which produces a color transition of subtle gradients in intensity and shade from light to dark. The innovative Ombré finish concept results in one-of-a-kind examples of furniture as art.

"The collection, in its entirety, is without a doubt my life's work," said Sally, J. Robert Scott's president, founder, and Hall-of-Fame designer. "Seeing it patented recently is one of my proudest moments in design."

J. Robert Scott has established a rich brand heritage, where each item of furniture finished in the Ombré technique is signed and dated by designer Sally Sirkin Lewis, further enhancing the collectability of her work in the field. The U.S. Design Patent on the Adelphi Lounge joins a long list of  Sally's designs that have been granted patents over her nearly 40-year career.

Check back next week with GoDesignGo for more on Sally's success and the Adelphi Lounge chair.

Sally Sirkin Lewis debuts her life’s work

AD100 Designer Sally Sirkin Lewis has spent her entire design career working toward J. Robert Scott's Ombré Veneer Collection.
When we checked out the collection, we couldn't get over the smoothness of Ombré's texture or how sleek and fine it's look was. It wasn't until Sally found us relaxing on the Ombré chairs that we decided we should probably stop enjoying how comfortable they were and get to work—though she graciously encouraged us to take our time.
Sally got straight to the point; "Ombré is without a doubt my life's work. Seeing it patented recently is one of my proudest moments in design."
We can understand why. Sally and her team of craftsman selected each wood grain veneer to reveal its own character and over the years of its creation, the technique was patiently refined and treated as artistically delicate of watercolor painting. With veneer as the artistic canvas, accentuated by sheer, transparent color, the result is a completely original expression of decorative furniture finishing.



"We are all very aware that the complexities that went into Ombré's creation are difficult concepts to understand. Sally is extremely proud to have made this kind of a break-through in the field of furniture finishing," said June Lockhart-Triolo, Marketing Manager/Art Director of J. Robert Scott.

The name Ombré comes from a French word meaning “shade” or “shadow.” The hand-made nature of the finish exhibits a variation of subtle shades and gradients, ranging from light to dark, and the individual characteristics in the wood grain further enhance the singular nature of the finish. As no two fingerprints are identical, no two pieces finished with Ombré veneer will be identical.