Thomasville Beds

What is Thomasville Furniture?

Thomasville furniture got its start as a chair company in Thomasville, North Carolina in 1904. North Carolina has long been heralded as the United State’s furniture capital, and in the early 20th century, the region was home to multiple chair companies, including the Hickory Chair Company. After WWI, Thomasville began setting itself apart from the pack, however, when it began diversifying its product offerings beyond chairs. In 1925, the company hired its first in-house designers, and two years later they unveiled a comprehensive line of dining room furniture that included tables, chairs, buffets, and more. The following year, Thomasville introduced bedroom suites, making 1928 the first time Thomasville beds hit the market.

Like most of their contemporaries, Thomasville stuck to primarily making traditional-inspired furniture until the mid 1950s. But as the company continued to increase in size, and modernism began to take hold, they gradually began moving into more contemporary styles. That said, Thomasville isn’t as well known for minimalist Danish and Mid-Century Modern-inspired designs as some other brands. In the 1960s and 1970s, Thomasville heavily relied on Chinoiserie-inspired designs as well as modern adaptations of classical Mediterannean and Italian designs and Neoclassical remixes. Their beds often featured shapely headboards with strategic cut-outs. Many Thomasville headboards have a lattice-like effect. Still, many others feature contrasting accents like rattan or cane panels or brass corner caps.

These relief-like details make Thomasville headboards ideal candidates for lacquered paint treatments. Try outfitting one in a bold hue like navy, kelly green, or lavender and pairing it with a complementary wallpaper featuring a riotous pattern. Hold out for a Thomasville headboard with cut-outs to allow the wallpaper pattern to peek through and lend the entire look a knit-together feel. If wallpaper feels a bit daunting pull off, try cloaking your wall in one saturated hue, such as red, and your Thomasville bed in another, think: forest green.