Adrian Pearsall
Founder, President and
Designer
Craft Associates Inc.
Thank you for
showing your interest in the life and designs of Adrian Pearsall, a leader in
early modern furniture design. Over the past few years, there has been renewed
interest in Adrian Pearsall's designs and on an almost daily basis we are
contacted about the origin of a piece of furniture that a consumer may own or
want to purchase. Adrian Pearsall was prolific with his designs and even at the
height of production, allowed for custom work, making it very difficult to
archive all of the interesting designs that were distributed throughout the
world. We have worked hard to catalog and identify as much as possible, all of
Adrian Pearsall's designs throughout his career. Just imagine taking fifty
years of work and trying to catalog it. This work is being done by the children
of Adrian Pearsall.
In order to protect you, the discriminating collector, we now certify the
authenticity of Adrian Pearsall and Craft Associates & Comfort Designs
furniture as a paid service. The fee we are charging for this service is used
for the legal protection of Adrian Pearsall’s designs and intellectual
property. This process will also protect the consumer and current owners
assuring you that you own authentic Adrian Pearsall designs. We encourage all
lovers of Adrian Pearsall designs to express your discontent to any and all
sellers who misrepresent their products as authentic or authorized in any way
as Adrian Pearsall / Craft Associates/Comfort Designs furniture designs.
The certification process is fairly simple. The Pearsall family has a full
catalog of Adrian Pearsall’s designs to reference. For a fee of $150.00, your
submission will be researched. If the item you submitted is in the catalog, we
will make a copy of the catalog sheet and email it to you along with a
signed and dated Certificate of Authenticity. If the item is not in the
catalog, we will not attribute it to another manufacturer or designer. We will
however, try to furnish copies of catalog sheets of similarly designed pieces
that may have led a person to think they have an Adrian Pearsall piece. In
addition, links will be provided to online videos, web casts and interviews
about Adrian Pearsall. Submissions that
are not authentic are charged $75.00. At least four photographs should be
submitted for each piece from underneath, above, front and back. We may need to
ask for additional photos. If you are considering purchasing a piece of
furniture, ask your dealer to provide certification. If they are honest and
legitimate, they should have no problem honoring your request. We will invoice
through PayPal after we have provided you with our report. Requests for certification
should be emailed to jpearsall1482@gmail.com
Inquires regarding this website may be
addressed to: jpearsall1482@gmail.com
Adrian
Pearsall Certification
Certification
is performed by Adrian “James” Pearsall, son of Adrian M. Pearsall (deceased)
and Doris K. Pearsall (deceased). Jim Pearsall was employed by Craft Associates
(founded and owned by Adrian Pearsall) beginning at age twelve, during his
summer vacation from school. Mr. Pearsall travelled extensively with his
parents to furniture markets throughout the United States, including New York
City, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, High Point, NC and Los Angeles. After
graduation from Cornell University and a career in the hospitality business,
Jim joined Comfort Designs Furniture (founded by John Graham and in partnership
with Adrian Pearsall) as their manufacturer’s representative for South Florida
and Bermuda. Mr. Pearsall has full access to complete sets of catalogs dating from
the first designs and manufactured in 1950 in the basement of his parent’s home
through the last pieces manufactured at Comfort Designs. Mr. Pearsall can be
relied upon to give an honest and accurate account of your furniture
submissions thought to be original Adrian Pearsall designs and confirm
authentication with photocopies taken from the existing catalogs. Valuation is
NOT part of this service. The ultimate goal of this service is to assist and
protect the collector from fraudulent representation of furniture, artwork and
intellectual property for sale by individuals, manufacturers, designers as well
as dealers who claim to sell furniture designed or inspired by Adrian Pearsall
or manufactured by his companies.
Fees
Submissions
that are found not to be authentic Adrian Pearsall designs will be charged a
fee of $75.00. When a submitted request for certification cannot be certified,
supporting evidence would include copies of photographs of an original Adrian
Pearsall design that most likely resembles the submitted photo(s).
Submissions
that can be successfully certified will be charged $150. This fee applies to
individual, unrelated items. For example, if you submit a photograph of a sofa
sectional and want to know if the cocktail table that you have is also
authentic, the fee is an additional $150.00 (or if it is determined that is not
authentic, $75.00).
Payment
Payment is
expected when service is rendered via delivery of the documents to a drop box
account provided by the service. Invoices are issued via PayPal and can be paid
with a variety of major credit cards via PayPal. Clients will be sent a link to
the drop box containing all of the related documents to your submission(s).
Clients are urged to download all documents to their own computers and print
copies for their own use. Drop box accounts will be deleted from our server
after six months have passed from initial delivery. Documents are not
retrievable and cannot be reprinted without recertification at current pricing.
Submission
Process
If you own
the furniture, please take photographs of the entire piece from the front,
back, sides and underneath. Close-up photographs are rarely useful, but if
needed, you will be contacted. If you are requesting a certification for you
have seen online, you may send us a link to that item, but understand that we
may require additional photographs. Please include your email address. Submit
your certification request to jpearsall1482@gmail.com.
Include the photographs and any other details that you think may be helpful in
determining the authenticity of the design. Feel free to divide your email into
several emails if your email server does not allow you email large files.
CertificationTestimonials
“Thank you for sharing all this with me and helping me
authenticate the piece. Your father made beautiful work.” – Erika Q.
This
is wonderful! Thank you so much for verifying the authenticity of this piece
and for the amazing documentation and backstory. I can't wait to get the
restoration underway. I specialize in wood refinishing but I have an extremely
talented upholsterer who will be assisting me with this project. I will
certainly share the final result with you. (And then it will be my mission to
find the 600-DS/Double Sleeper!) - Lindsay P. 01/04/2021
Hello
James,
I
wanted to thank you for your thorough review and the wealth of information
you provided in response to our submission. We are grateful to know more
than we ever imagined we could about our piece. Thank you once again for this
service and for your dedication to your father's craft, I am appreciative of
you!
All
the Best,
Amanda
J. 02/09/2020
Very helpful
- Thank you, sir. I am very proud to be able to place one of your
father's designs in my country home. I've wanted this very sofa for
nearly two decades when someone bought it up from underneath me at a little
vintage shop I frequented. How strange that I just happened upon it in a
vacant store window about an hour away from my home, and the person who bought
it those years ago was ready to let it go. I'll pay the invoice
whenever you send. Thank you and God Bless.
Thanks
Rachel.
12/30/2019
Wow!
Thank you so much! Do you need any other pictures or do you feel comfortable
with just what I sent? I grew up with the furniture in the home my family
brought in 1968...not sure if I had it in my old home before that. I was 4
going on 5 when we moved to the home in which the furniture now is. Again, let
me know if you need anything more from me. The $75 is well worth the time you
are spending. Thank you!
Best,
Alex I. 11/09/2018
Jim, Hi
James, Thank
you for the certificate and the information. Fascinating to see how the style
of the rocker developed, and to have an approximate date it was made. We feel
fortunate that an item of furniture that we just fell in love with from moment
we saw it one late evening in 1990’s is from the catalogue of such a
distinguished mid-century modern furniture designer. My partner grew up in
Michigan, is an artist and has a small collection of “licensed” Eames chairs.
We are both happy that what we have always referred to as our "Danish
Rocker" more than holds its own with the Eames pieces in our lounge.
And of course it is a lot more comfortable. Sarah
P. 08/18/2017 “Hey Jim, I just sent payment…thank you for taking the time to do
this. I have been on the search for a piece by your father for a while and feel
fortunate to find one. I’m going to have it reupholstered and I’m trying to
stay true to the original. If you’re ever in the D/FW area feel free to swing
by and see it. Thanks – Rick & Amber D. 05/16/2022
THANK YOU for your amazingly prompt response... it is so greatly appreciated.
So, until we acquired this sofa, I knew very little about your father's work; I
had heard of him, saw a few pieces come up in auction catalogs, but that was
it. I'm more in the fashion and law fields as opposed to other design media.
When a prospective interested buyer mentioned that it "looked like a
Pearsall" but was a little off, it prompted me to read about your father
and review his work. His work, as you know, is breathtaking - there are pieces
out there that just make your heart stop for an instant. I am thankful that
this sofa landed in our lap - possessing it, restoring it, opened my eyes to
his art and other mcm designers. I'm forever changed.
A little history about the sofa - like I said, it was purchased and resided
with the original owners since 1960/1961. Their son, Marty, is my husband's
long time childhood friend. My husband, Joe, saw this sofa in Marty's home as
he played and visited there. He always wanted the piece; in fact, he never
forgot about it. When Marty began disposing of his parents' belongings, he
offered Joe the sofa and we happily took it. We shopped around for a restorer,
undertook the significant expense to have it brought back to prime. It was
heartbreak when we realized that it was much too large for a small apt and a
narrow footprint townhome.
Regardless, it made Joe so happy to have it returned to him in a fully
restored, exceptionally gorgeous condition. He felt like he had done the piece
and designer (whoever it might have been) justice. It made him remember the
days when he saw it in Marty's parents' home.
Thank you and your family for the memories and the enduring beauty... that's
priceless to us. We'll make sure the piece goes to someone who appreciates it
as Joe always did as a child.
Yours,
Charmaine 09/17/2017