Distinctive Furnishings & Exclusive Designs for One-of-a-Kind Spaces

Posted by Stephanie Riwitis on

by Christy Heitger-Ewing | photos by Adam Gibson

Last year Amer Karim and his wife Muniza, traveled from Bangladesh to visit their college aged son, who was studying in Indiana. The couple, who started Legacy Furniture 26 years ago, fell in love with the Carmel community, the lush green spaces that the Hoosier state offered and the myriad shopping opportunities in the area. After stumbling upon an empty 2,500 sq. ft. showroom in the Indiana Design Center, they decided to lease the space and open a flagship furniture store, which they named PAIR’D Furnishings. In May 2019, the couple hired Stephanie Riwitis to create the collection and open up the showroom.

Over the past year, Riwitis and her lead designer Evan Courter have stayed busy as they prepared for the grand opening, which was scheduled for May, complete with a fancy dinner, live music and dynamite guest speakers who are national designers. However, the pandemic caused them to press pause on the party and now they plan to host their grand opening in conjunction with the Haven summer cover party.

“The collection has been designed specifically for us so there’s a lot of variation in styling,” says Riwitis, noting that customers can expect to see a lot of classic designs but with a modern twist as they take inspiration from classic pieces & modern trends, then merge together. “You’ll see Mid-Century pieces but with modern fabrics and finishes and different lines – all customizable.”

They delight in the fact that their furniture truly doesn’t look like anybody else’s. Because PAIR’D Furnishings is the manufacturer, there is no middleman.

“Amer can send me whatever we ask him to,” says Riwitis.

“[Our design collections] create spaces with functional identity, balancing comfort level with visual impact, new innovations and old charm,” adds Muniza.

Currently, the owners have a furniture designer in Bangladesh who is working on the fall collection.

PAIR’D Furnishings’ showroom features local artists such as Angie Brooks, a contemporary abstract expressionistic painter, as well as international artists like Marco Querin, a visual, abstract contemporary artist from Milano, Italy.

Querin specializes in creating unique string art according to Riwitis. “He gets fibers from all over the world and nails tons of miniature nails on boards and pulls string across all these different designs,” she says.

In their showroom, they also sell vintage rugs, a soy candle line created by a local candle company and have several one-of-a-kind artifacts from Bangladesh, including brass bowls that are hundreds of years old.

“We have our own textile company in Bangladesh, and we have a lot of those textiles cut and put into frames. Those are here also,” says Ritwitis, reiterating again that customers won’t come across anything in the store that they’ve seen elsewhere. Though they have some vendors that sell accessories, the first thing Courter does is check to make sure the items are not sold anywhere else in the state.

Courter works with Riwitis on all design projects. He also sets up the showroom design, chooses the pieces & accessories and handles marketing. Though they work with retail clients, their main focus is trade clients.

“We will sell retail at retail prices but won’t do sales or promos,” explains Ritwitis. “Trade clients, when registered with us, will get a nice trade discount, and they will have the ability to do customization if they like."

The PAIR’D showroom features a truly distinctive collection that inspires rave reviews.

“PAIR’D has a stunning upscale showroom with unique furnishings that anyone would fall head over heels for,” says PAIR’D client Kali DeWitt. “Their experienced designers are always a pleasure to work with!”

Diane Dinges, Showroom Consultant at Ferguson Enterprises, is always impressed by what she finds every time she tours PAIR’D Furnishings’ showroom. “PAIR’D has a fabulous staff with amazing, unique selection from art, portables to furniture,” says Dinges. “It’s a must see in Carmel.”

Alex Cain, Trade Representative at Tisdel Distributing, Inc., is equally smitten with all that PAIR’D offers to trade designers and retail clients. “[They have] unique offerings, the ability to customize, and an emphasis on art…what’s not to love?” says Cain.

In the future, they plan to make their collections available in brick and mortar stores like Kittles, Macys and Ethan Allen. For now, they are delighted for some of their furnishings to be featured in one of the 2020 Fall Home-A-Rama homes.

If you want exceptional furnishings and exclusive designs to create one-of-a-kind spaces in your home or for your clients, the collection at PAIR’D Furnishings may be just what you are looking for.

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