This month at High Point, furniture veterans John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon will be officially launching the Madcap Cottage Design Laboratory. The main concept for the project is to develop a furniture design hub in the former McLarty Drug Store which will serve design-savvy individuals year round. According to the duo, this will be ideal in revitalizing the old “meeting point” at High Point Market.
Nixon said, “It’s going back to the idea that, when this was McLarty’s, people would come in here to get their prescriptions and come here after school for an orangeade.” He added, “It was an active part of the community. We want to have that kind of visible presence, and be a creative destination.”
Both interior designers have been very active in the furniture market for two decades as they sourced home furniture and furnishings as magazine editors and as professionals in the field of design.
Loecke cited that High Point has continued to be a unique destination for the furniture industry, regardless of whether its been made locally or internationally. He also observed that it has always been a hub for designers, artists, refinishers and furniture manufacturers and it has remained untapped. Both Loecke and Nixon moved to the city from New York partly because they were inspired by the initiative to revitalize and ignite High Point as a year round destination for the furniture industry.
For the Madcap Cottage Design Laboratory, the idea is to create a hybrid place which combines an office, a showroom and a design lab into one. And they are planning to open their products to the public and not exclusively to the home furnishings trade.
Nixon explained. “It used to be that people would hire someone to design their whole home.” He added, “Now, people want to be a part of that process. They want to experience what it is they are spending money on.”
Aside from furniture pieces, Madcap Cottage will also carry a line of bedding, window treatments, and pillows which have been featured on the Home Shopping Network. The duo will also be offering their interior design services.
Apart from their initial plans, Nixon and Loecke also see Madcap Cottage as a venue for hosting design lectures which is also open to the public.
“People have taken us under their wing. We’ve really been embraced by the community.” Nixon said.
Currently, the designers are busy designing their storefront display and integrating the design lab into the High Point community.
“We want to use our site as a way to tell the High Point Story. The resources here are just unbelievable.”
