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A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of touring the Scalamandre townhouse in New York with Steven Stolman, the new president of the company. Meg from Pigtown Design also recently visited the townhouse so I thought I would add my experience as well!
As an architect, I was admittedly a bit out of my league with the technical discussions of the fabric they were showing, but I could of course appreciate their beauty and history. Scalamandre was kind enough to pull some items from their archives for me which appealed to my inner design history geek!
One of my favorites was the Boris Kroll designed scheme for Scalamandre from 1973 for the Continental Airlines premier 747 jet service to Honolulu. Imagine flying in such a chic and brightly colored plane on your way to paradise! The colors, seen in the photograph above, ranged from hot pink in first class to serene blue in coach. The fabric samples are attached to a floorplan of the plane itself.
With much of their work focusing on historical restoration and recreation, Scalamandre had worked on the Metropolitan opera house renovation and recreated the stage curtains which have this immense gold trim at the base and lush red velvet, seen in the archival box behind. The challenge here was to recreate the original curtain but to meet all of the required codes regarding fire safety. Steven mentioned the seats were all upholstered in costly mohair as wool is a fire retardant.
One of my favorite fabrics from the archives was this charming Auntie Mame'esque chinoiserie print designed by the founder's wife, Flora Scalamandre, in the 1950s - I hope they bring this back!
While known primarily for their prints and traditional fabrics, such as this great one on a sofa in the DC showroom, Steven vows to bring the company into the 21st century while leaving their whole legacy intact. His dream is that nothing will be 'out of print' and you can order any of the great fabrics from the companies history.
Recent advances in digital technology make this dream possible and the company has developed ways of using the technology that meet or surpass the techniques of the past.
So many new gorgeous prints!
I loved this fern print - very Martha Stewart, don't you think?
This cheerful preppy fabric is meant for outdoors but Steven said that a lot of designers have actually been using this inside. 
This new ikat pattern is actually complexly woven with a raised, textured design. 
Another fabric from their new line is "muse ornamentale" which is an updated look at a traditional design. It reminded me so much of the tropically inspired grand fabrics at Vizcaya, which had Scalamandre in on its' restoration!
Of course, what would Scalamandre be without their animal prints (we all know their iconic zebra!)
In their new collection is a metallic giraffe print that is beautiful on both sides!
Their classic leopard silk velvet is still available (and is one of their most popular despite the high price tag!)
A new addition and sure to be equally as popular is a tiger printed velvet in either a mottled green or hot pink! 
And of course, Scalamandre's iconic zebra print is available in many colorways and as fabric, wallpaper or even umbrellas! I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did! Many thanks to Scalamandre and new friend Steven Stolman (who is also a CMU alum I found out!).
Label:
blogging,
just for fun,
parties,
shopping
Do we bloggers always need a reason to post pretty pictures? I for one don't think so. Sometimes we (or at least I) go to a museum simply to see something pretty and not neccesarily to learn anything. Is that too honest? 
A bust of Louis XV at the age of 47 by Lemoyne and presented to his mistress, Madame de Pompadour (beat that portrait to your mistress, Congressman Weiner)
I'm back from my whirlwind adventure to 
The talk of market seemed to be the new line of 
I also fell in love with a few pieces of furniture for myself (oh to have a bigger apartment and larger bank account!). I am having an affair with a chair: the Louis XVI square back chair from 
I also loved nearly every piece in the Grand Tour line at 
We were able to meet with the adorable 
In practical applications, we were fascinated by the technology being incorporated into furniture at 
The folks at 
Not everyone was as friendly as the above mentioned companies however. We had a bit of a run-in at one of my favorite furniture companies (where I've encouraged friends and clients to spend a LOT of money in the past) which shall remain nameless but you can probably guess who they are from the photo below. Social media is here to stay and companies need to keep up. Oh and also don't piss off a tired group of design bloggers because you'll hear about it again!
Everything you hear about market is true: wear comfortable shoes as it's enormous, book your hotel room months in advance so you're not stuck miles away, the parties are so much fun you'll never want to leave and you'll be seeing 
My favorite part of the trip, other than the weather, was visiting the incredible 
Imagine a gorgeous, fantastical palace set amidst stunning gardens with views of Miami Bay and you have Vizcaya. I can't wait to share more of the mansion with you.
The interiors appear to be original which is rare in a high end resort. I'm not sure which would be a better location for a wedding: Vizcaya or the Biltmore! 
And I can't forget the fabulous inaugural cruise of 
The line prides itself on incredible food and service, including the inestimable Jacques Pepin who we met, ate dinner in his restaurant (in part prepared by him) and received a signed cookbook. We docked in Nassau for a day but the best part was relaxing on our private deck with a view of the town. 
Weather, food, friends and gorgeous locations; Who can ask for more from a vacation?
