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PAGE A12, WHITBY F EE P lES, The HeI Edion, SEPTEMBEl 13, 1989 TH E HERITAGE EDITION Traditional trends combine heritage and comfort By Trudie Zavadovices Along with the purchase of a heritage home or any building built in old style tradition comes the responsibility of how to furn- ish it, how to maintain the flavor and authenticity of its period while balancing with the con- venience, comfort and individua- lity offered by what we call progress. There are several stores in Durham Region that offer the best.of both worlds, a step back in time and the modern way. Pioneer Interiors has been in Whitby for 16 years. "We are more design-oriented," says store owner Mike Dorfman. "Most of what we carry (of the heritage era) is reproduction of antiques. We go with quality reproduction. Most of our furm- ture has a country flavor. "The majority of our customers don't have older homes but they seem to want to make homes cozier, more natural. "Basically, the consumer is saying I want to make my nest contrary to. what life is saying. "Most of our customers are looking for comfort, not authenti- city. Design and look are impor- tant, but blend in with what the room will do for you." He notes that some consumers in Whitby really want to main- tain history. They're bringing back heritage with reproductions while still maintaining a few select antique pieces. Brenda's Country Elegance of Whitby is owned and operated by Brenda Cox, a registered interior designer with 20 years in the business. The store has a large show- room with 22'different room set- tings. Much of the furniture is by Pennsylvania House, with repli- cas from the 1800s. People are graspirig to main- tain heritage," says Cox, describ- ing it as "nostalgia of time gone Cox who lives in a home built in the latter 18th century, says that people prefer to decorate with new reproductions without coritending with the kinds of problems authentic pieces of the era would bring. They want it to stand the test of time. "More and more people are looking for high-quality furniture and are coming back to solid wood," says Frank Howe of Woodcraft Furniture of Whitby. "People are more educated' (about furniture) now and are asking about the quality of wood the method of construction and are concerned whether we are retail or manufacturers. "They seem to be leaning more to the old-fashioned look in the way they decorate. We take design concepts from early Ontario designs. "Most of the furniture in early Ontario was designed by Ger- mans. They built it to do the job it was designed to do. "Quite a few designs fit into the manufacturing of pine and oak. Maple furniture was not built in the early 1900s. They wouldn't cut down the trees because the maple (sap) was a source of food." Woodcraft, with four locations, has been in business 17 years, five in Whitby. Wallpaper Country of Whitby handles exclusively early Ameri- can or early Canadianprints. "That era lent itself well to richness and natural resources," says Lynn Réiss. She and hus- band Dan Mandrell own and operate the store that is now five years old. "Mostly what we carry are papers that go with heritage colors. A lot of Canadians tend to be conservative. "We try to show how to create certain effects. Borders can create a whole mood on their own. "The whole gambit of society seems to be appreciating quality once again," says Reiss. "The Victorian look is really becoming popular. There is no limit to color or design." Next month Wallpaper Coun- try will undergo expansion. Peacock Lumber in Oshawa has an extensive line of custom mouldings for new homes,- and can custom make mouldings on old homes. Any moulding from a home can be reproduced at the store. "I believe there is a resurgence in doing things with a more detailed moulding," says Terry Vail of Peacock. "Today's wood- working equipment is a great advantage in doing things. "We use a great amount of teak, oak, maple and birch -and have a heavy inventory of eas- tern white pine." The store also has an on-site mill for manufac- turing.