Leslie Keno (left) and Leigh Keno
describe the details that make their
furniture line special. Photo by Tim Stepien
Find out about local antique shows
By Jan Norris
The Keno twins, Leigh and Leslie, have to be the most polite brothers anywhere.
While constantly finishing one another’s thoughts, they verbally stepped aside for one another — “You continue” “No, you, please!” — while talking furniture and antiques at a recent Robb & Stucky appearance.
Leslie and Leigh Keno, well known to Antiques Roadshow viewers as period furniture appraisers, were in Boca Raton to promote their own furniture collection designed with Theodore Alexander and sold at Robb & Stucky stores.
They have long envisioned their own line of furniture, Leslie said. “Part of what we do is make judgment calls on art and antiques; we have to evaluate the history of a piece and judging the quality of the design and workmanship.”
Leigh continued, “It was a natural lead-in to having our own ideas about what is classic, and will stand up as an heirloom.”
After meeting and evaluating the work of Alexander, they felt their line would fit well with his philosophy.
“We met Theodore at High Point, and saw his John Goddard tea table from his Rep-li-ca line. We couldn’t believe the quality of the workmanship. I was sure I’d either bought or sold one at Sotheby’s,” Leslie said.
The brothers were amazed, too, at the value of the pieces; the price was reasonable for the quality of the workmanship, they said.
“It was quality we knew we wanted to work with,” Leslie said. “A year later we agreed to do a line with the same attention to detail.”
They put their favorite designs from centuries ago into the updated pieces: S-curves, perfectly proportioned clean lines, and a decided lack of excess ornamentation.
What resulted was a sensuous array of pieces: tables with delicately curved legs, square nesting tables, bureaus with a serpentine curve front, and the best seller so far — the wooden Slope chair.
“We sat down to do at sketches,” Leslie said, “and we brought in elements from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. We took some from everything we love: a little Chippendale, some Queen Anne, Modernism, Saarinen, Danish modern. We had a lot of inspiration.”
It wasn’t just other furniture, Leigh said. “The sideboard has a checkerboard weave front. That was inspired by wooden woven baskets.”
The pieces are multifunctional to bring them into the 21st century lifestyles, they said. “In today’s world, multifunctional pieces are key — a bureau that can be used for a flat-screen TV stand, for instance, or a writing desk for eating. Our Slope chair is equally at home in the dining room or in the living room,” Leigh said. “We think our line meshes with modern lifestyles.”
Leslie added, “We wanted to design pieces that we would want to live with ourselves. I’ve got two dogs and two kids. I travel a lot. I know the hectic pace we all live at today.”
Their homes reflect the flurry of travel and TV appearances, as well as auction houses they are involved in. Leigh laughed and said his house is like a bachelor’s pad — shirts are everywhere. “It’s my son and I. I’m a single parent. Leslie’s got it good. His wife is a terrific housekeeper. No, don’t say that. Just say she’s wonderful!”
As for using antiques in Florida homes, the twins say they work well. “Classic pieces go with modern classics,” Leslie said. “Mix things up, but not in a cluttered way.
“And thanks to techniques and attention to detail like we discussed, climate and humidity aren’t a problem for new wood furniture. Varnishes are green [eco-friendly], and are hand rubbed numerous times. We saw them doing this ourselves. The brass ornaments have more copper in it to prevent tarnishing. All these details add up to the quality that we want to see in any piece.”
The 50-something-year-old men were raised around antiques: Their mother had a shop. They learned early how to evaluate and appreciate the history behind the pieces.
“It’s amazing to me that you can perform the same actions as someone did 200 or 300 years ago. I like the fact that we still have today musical clocks from the Revolutionary period. We can hear the exact same music as maybe a Patriot did 200 years ago.”
How do the guys keep themselves from collecting every piece they love, since they still get excited about certain pieces after all these years?
“Life wouldn’t be any fun if we didn’t still find things we like to live with or want,” Leigh said.
Leslie agreed. “Collecting is a primal part of being human. It starts when we’re children, picking up shells on the beach or rocks. As we get older, certainly we’re more selective. It’s when you collect too much you get in trouble. Those are the ones going for quantity over quality.
“Buy the best you can afford and reduce your collections. Continue to educate yourself, and upgrade. Buy for quality over quantity. That said,” he laughed, “I can appreciate those who
can’t help themselves.” Ú
Robb & Stucky is at 200 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, in Mizner Park.
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