THE HAMPTON CLASSICS(2)

Anchored by a strong respect for the past-influences range from the Neoclassical to 18th-century French to Russian-the collection is unified by a set of principles that Alexa repeats like a mantra: scale, proportion, geometry, and composition. "No single piece is representative of the line as a whole," she says. "I embraced classical, traditional design. My goal was to enhance the sense of crispness and geometry that classical design is so well-known for."

She is, however, resolute (and this is where the collaboration with Hickory proves so fruitful) that the piece be made correctly. "The design is not diluted," she says, "when the size is enlarged to accommodate today's lifestyles and also to make the form consistent with the original, and of course it's more comfortable."