Stellar selection

As an artist, Jane Seymour understands the importance of a single brush stroke. Each line and each color combine to form just the right look.

As an actress, she knows how the proper delivery of each word is essential to conveying the right emotion.

Eliciting an emotional response to color and shape also is what furniture designers seek when they create a new chair, sofa, table or bed.

Painting, acting and designing furniture may seem like unusual counterparts, but their common elements make them ideal partners. And it's those elements that brought Seymour together with Michael Amini, founder, CEO and creative force behind Amini Innovation Corp., to launch a new furniture collection.

"It's a collaborative effort by individuals who are stunning in what they do," said Larry Rinaldi, president of AICO.

He said Seymour's connection with the American public and eye as an artist is perfectly matched with Amini's experience in the furniture industry and business acumen.

Through his company, AICO, Amini has established a reputation for designing quality furnishings with a special flair.

Their new collection, Michael Amini and Jane Seymour: A Design Collaboration, follows suit.

As musicians played the theme song from Seymour's classic film "Somewhere in Time," industry professionals were given a preview of the collection during a special event the eve before the winter market opened at World Market Center earlier this month.

"This really is a dream come true for me," said the actress who came to the United States from England in 1976. "I have traveled the world and appreciate beautiful furniture and beautiful design."

The line has three collections: Cobblestone Road, Hollywood Swank and Palace Gates. All three were heavily influenced by Seymour's heritage and Amini's travels around the world and are filled with romantic details. With styles ranging from traditional to contemporary, Amini and Seymour say the collections are extremely livable. They feature both upholstery and pieces for the living room, dining room and bedroom.

Seymour describes Cobblestone Road as casual, Palace Gates as traditional and Hollywood Swank as fanciful. "I think it's a showstopper," she said of the Hollywood Swank collection.

Influences of the European countryside can be seen throughout Cobblestone Road. The pieces have a distressed finish, which is available in Antiqua white, British brown, chez rouge, Gatwick gray, Turqueza teal and Barcelona black. The fabrics bring to mind flowers and fields and feature treatments such as matelassé texturing and rustic stripes.

A repetitive theme throughout the collection is the olive branch, which Seymour said was inspired by carvings she saw on pillars outside a bank in Barcelona, Spain. It's painted on hutches and carved into the sides of chairs.

She said she also likes the message of peace the olive branch has.

Palace Gates, offered in a royal sable finish, features intricate spindlework, carving and moldings and conveys a sense of opulence despite being scaled for today's smaller homes. Upholstery fabrics are offered in jewel tones and shades of gold.

"I love the flashes of color. It's almost like a peacock feather," she said.

Art deco elements highlight the modern, glamorous and glitzy Hollywood Swank collection. Highly polished lacquer finishes are accented with crystals and luxurious fabrics. It is offered in creamy pearl and amazing gator.

"The purple metallic alligator (finish) blew me away," Seymour said. "When I met the purple metallic alligator I fell in love."

Among the pieces in the collection is a mirrored jewelry chest with a butterfly clasp closure. She said she felt it was important for women to have a pretty place to put their favorite pieces of jewelry.

Amini said the collections fit in every home and are scaled appropriately. Many of his company's previous collections were oversized and extremely ornate.

When asked if he had a favorite collection or piece, he said that's like asking a parent which one of their children they like the most. "This is just as difficult. If I didn't like them all, I couldn't produce them with the passion that I do."

The collaborative collection marks AICO's first venture into a licensed or celebrity-affiliated line.

"I was looking for a real person with real talent and creativity, not just celebrity," Amini said. "I wanted someone who could understand the design process."

He said he was touched by Seymour's humbleness and openness during their first meeting at his office, but truly impressed with her during their second meeting at her home. "I saw her talent and her flair for fashion. I knew then we had the right person."

He said she provided valuable insight and feedback during the design process. "Without her at the design table, none of this would have happened," Amini said.

Seymour said she is known to doodle on whatever is nearby, be it a napkin or back of a script. "When an idea strikes, it strikes," she said. "When talking about things, sometimes it's easier to draw it."

Additionally, the collaborative effort includes top of bed collections that complement the furnishings. They are available as a 13-piece king set or a 12-piece queen set, which include six feather-filled decorative pillows, Euro shams, two king-sized shams, a comforter and a bed skirt.

Showcased along with the furniture collection were pieces from Seymour's other home furnishings lines, including mattresses, pillows and bedding, decorative accessories, rugs, fine crystal and glass pieces, botanicals, lighting and, naturally, framed art.

"To put the whole thing together was my dream," she said, noting how repetitive themes and colors can give a room a cohesive look.

To find area retailers that carry AICO furniture, visit www.amini.com.