Laneventure presents Leeds Castle Collection

Staff -- Casual Living, 8/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Laneventure has been appointed by Britain's Leeds Castle to bring the feeling of the Kent countryside to life with its Leeds Castle Collection for indoor and outdoor living. Leeds Castle is set on two islands on the River Len in the heart of Kent and has been home to royalty, lords and ladies for more than 1,000 years.

Elements of design from the castle have been integrated into a cast aluminum and a teak collection for outdoors introduced last month at the Casual Show premarket. The indoor Excursions by Laneventure will debut at the fall High Point Market in High Point, N.C.

Designers Mimi McMakin and Brooke Huttig, who brought their Palm Beach collections to Laneventure, are advising Leeds Castle on designs for the Maiden Tower, built on the property in Tudor times as the castle's bakery and brew house.

Mimi and Brooke, through familial connections, are acquainted with descendents of the last private owner of the Castle, an Anglo-American heiress, Lady Baillie. As Hon. Olive Filmer-Wilson, she made Leeds Castle her family home for almost half a century. "The decor of the castle under Lady Baillie's direction is so timely that I would be proud to have these very designs called my own," McMakin said.

In September 2006, the Laneventure design team began conceptualizing the collection by traveling to England and embarking on a personal tour with the Leeds Castle curator. The team experienced the culture and witnessed first-hand the beauty of the Castle's grounds with black swans gliding on the moat and waterways and peacocks wondering through the grounds.

"From the first moment I stepped onto the grounds I was enthralled with both the beauty and history of this spectacular setting," said Arthur Thompson, president of Laneventure. "This collection will be far more than just furniture ... it will be the continuation of a lifestyle."

Victoria Wallace, managing director of the castle said the Culpeper and Fairfax families lived in the castle before embarking to Virginia. "This collection will reflect the spirit of both countries."