Idlewild Furnishing is a fine furniture store that offers custom-made furniture, antique pieces and plantation-style décor for an upscale clientele.
Located on South Shore Blvd. in Wellington, Idlewild provides furnishings for many of the area’s country clubs, hotels, equestrian estates and homes.
As an equestrian with years of experience in industrial design, owner John Grimes decided to combine his two worlds, opening Idlewild in 1999. “I knew where all the finest teak came from in the Far East,” Grimes said. “I saw that there was a big need for fine furniture in this area because there wasn’t really much to choose from.”
For Grimes, it was only fitting he should open up a furniture store in Wellington. “With my expertise, it was a natural progression,” Grimes said. “We are able to offer custom-made furniture designed and crafted by us, and antiques that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.”
With assistance from interior designer Ali Solimine, Idlewild provides customizable furniture based on what the client wants. Clients are able to view the showroom with custom furniture on display or create something totally different and unique to their style.
“We have clientele who come in here just looking for one or two specific pieces,” Solimine said. “Then we have clients who come in and want their whole house decorated.”
What sets Idlewild’s furniture apart is its many distinctive qualities. A large percentage of Idlewild’s rustically designed pieces are made from reused teak wood from Southeast Asia. “It’s really one-of-a-kind stuff that’s beautifully handcrafted,” Solimine said. “It’s all tropical hardwood, which is conducive to the South Florida environment.”
Every piece of furniture that isn’t antique, is customizable. “If you like a table in the showroom, but you want it a little shorter or thinner, we are able to design it to your liking,” Solimine said. “We can even recreate pieces that are antique.”
The reused teak wood comes from old structures, which Grimes salvages and repurposes. “The furniture is made from recycled old wood from typical old beams that come from old structures,” he explained.
Many of the structures are from as far back as colonial times, and Grimes knows much of the history behind each piece of wood he obtains. “This piece here,” Grimes said as he pointed to a long wooden dining table, “comes from the original cut of teak tree, which would have been mammoth trees that were growing in the ground before Columbus’ ships were built. That’s how old this 500-year-old lumber is.”
When Grimes cuts and makes the old wood into new furniture, it still retains its original character and charm. “This is what many people like about our furniture,” he said. “When they come here, they know what they are getting, and that it’s something special and not something they would buy in a typical furniture store.”
Idlewild wants to continue to provide sustainable wood in the community and remain a staple for fine furnishings that last forever. “Since our furniture is so durable,” Grimes said, “our clients are able to pass it on from generation to generation and it becomes a family heirloom.”
Idlewild Furnishing is located at 13501 South Shore Blvd., Suite 102, Wellington. For more info., visit www.idlewildstables.com or call (561) 793-1970.
ABOVE: Idlewild Furnishing designer Ali Solimine and owner John Grimes in the showroom.
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