Archatrive was founded in the late 1980’s by Lewis Krevolin. It continues to operate as a family business with Deb and Rudy Krevolin at the helm, assisted by their daughter Jessica. Lewis (Rudy’s dad) continues to lend design direction to the company. It is located in the Hudson Valley of New York, an area rich with architectural detail and inspiration.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s Lewis and Rudy Krevolin were in a unique real-estate development business. They would locate historic houses in up-state New York facing demolition. Rather than let these houses be destroyed, they would de-build them board by board, carefully labeling and documenting each piece. The dismantled houses would then be trucked to the Hudson Valley, where the integrity of the historic structures would be married with new construction and re-born in the form of large upscale estates.
As with any project where you take something apart and put it back together, there were always a few “pieces” left over at the end. As time went on, this collection of parts grew into a barn full of architectural salvage. Lewis started playing with some of the old window sash, adding new pieces to create complete frames that were then fit with mirror. While sitting around the dinner table with the family one evening, the discussion turned to what to call this new business. Benjamin, Lewis’ youngest son, came up with the idea of ARCHATRIVE, a combination of “architecture” and “contrive”.
Lewis began selling his mirror frames at small antique shows, and then larger shows such as Brimfield in Massachusetts, and Scott’s in Atlanta, GA. He quickly realized that there was a market for furniture created from architectural salvage, and began creating a more diverse line. He would use corbels to make table bases with antique boards for the tops. Porch parts from Victorian Houses became decoration for beds. A few mirrors quickly turned into a complete line of furniture. Not really fitting into any of the traditional categories of furniture, Lewis decided to create his own category of “decontructionist” furniture, which simply means to take something originally used in one context and use it in another form.
Through the Brimfield Show, Lewis was able to make several important contacts including Peri Wolfman and Bloomingdales, that took Archatrive to the next level. As sales continued to grow, it soon became apparent that Lewis needed help. This is when Deb Krevolin (Lew’s daughter-in-law) came into the business. Having 10 years of retail management experience, Deb took over the business and production end of Archatrive, leaving Lewis free to do the creating.
Seeing that there was a real market for their line, Lew and Deb decided to jump into the national market with the High Point International Home Furnishings Show. This also meant that the line would have to go from being “one of a kind” pieces, to something that could be re-created for multiple sales. They began evolving the line into furniture and decoration reproduced from their own original designs, but constructed of all new materials. As sales grew Rudy came on board full-time to manage marketing. The line is now marketed through High Point and several major gift shows, as well as regional sales representatives.
Archatrive’s furniture continues to be crafted in the tradition of 19th Century American Vernacular architectural detail. Located in the picturesque Hudson Valley, inspiration for their work surrounds the studio. Each piece is bench made by a skilled craftsmen from start to finish. A team of painters brings each individual piece to completion, achieving the look and romance of weathered and worn surfaces by using layering, washing, and crackling techniques. Every piece emerges with subtle variations and its own individual character and identity.
Archatrive's Deconstructionist Furniture and Decoration has an appealing look for today’s home. This unique and evolving line is available through showrooms and fine specialty shops throughout the country. Custom work is always welcome and given personal attention