Scalamandre

Haute Decor

Steven Stolman

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781423634942
• eBook ISBN: 9781423634959
• Subtopic: Architecture General

A formidable textiles house and decorative tastemaker for more than 80 years in the world of high-end interior design. Scalamandré is revered for its comprehensive offerings of fabrics, wallcoverings and trims available to-the-trade through design centers across the United States, Europe, and Asia. The Scalamandré touch has also been applied to compelling collections of china, crystal, flatware and gifts along with ultra-luxury bedding and related decorative accessories showcased in fine stores worldwide.

Scalamandré: Haute Décor celebrates the world of Scalamandré as seen through the eyes of the international design elite while paying homage to the people, places and events that contributed to the nearly cinematic Scalamandré story. All those who appreciate and cultivate beauty in their lives will enjoy this insider’s look at this interior design treasure.

Distinctive & Distinguished

Ultimately, the House of Scalamandré became defined by the projects it became associated with. As the leading specialist in the reproduction of historically accurate textiles, wallcoverings and trims, many produced in its own Long Island City mill, Scalamandré became a standard-bearer for conservation and connoisseurship. Franco took tremendous pride in this position and made grand gestures, generously donating the company’s services and products to restoration efforts that he deemed worthy. The archives contain hundreds of letters of outreach to museums, historic homes, historical societies and academic institutions. Not only was this a magnanimous expression of citizenship, it was smart business. Many of the individuals associated with these highbrow efforts ultimately were of means and themselves became, through their decorators, Scalamandré customers. Franco was adamant that this was his way of thanking America for the freedom and success it had given him, and it paid off in innumerable ways.

	“That dreary Maison Blanche!”
	—Jacqueline Kennedy

The Green Room during the Truman administration.

The White House

Probably no other restoration project is as precious to Scalamandré as the fabrics, wallcoverings, trims and rugs the firm created for the White House. In many ways, the creations that once did and now continue to adorn what is arguably America’s best address truly define Scalamandré—and moreover—Franco Scalamandré’s intense ambitions to not only become an American, but an important American.

Of equal ambition was Jacqueline Kennedy, who with the counsel of a veritable coven of tastemakers such as Jane Englehard, Bunny Mellon and Jayne Wrightman, entitled the Fine Arts Committee, single-handedly took on the restoration and redecoration of the White House, Franco again found a perfect fit for Scalamandré’s abilities.

Scalamandré had already created fabrics for the White House during the Truman administration, specifically, a green silk damask applied to the walls of the Green Room. Now, the opportunity for an even larger role had presented itself. However, like so many interior design projects, there were a lot of cooks in the kitchen.

The legendary American decorator Sister Parish, an intime of Jacqueline Kennedy and a product of the oh, so social set in which she traveled, was engaged to design the private quarters and “consult” on the public rooms as a member of the Fine Arts Committee. To complicate matters, Stephane Boudin, of the renowned French firm Janssen, was also brought in to create the public spaces—no doubt due to the first lady’s decided Francophile bent and Boudin’s close relationship with Jayne Wrightsman. Added to this mix were the scrutiny of the press and the strong suggestion from a Greek chorus of politicos that American products and manufacturers should be employed whenever possible.

Scalamandré was the natural choice for textiles and trim. Franco had already proven his expertise in creating faithful reproductions...

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Beginnings
• Courtly & Committed
• Distinctive & Distinguished
• Grand & Glorious
• Seeing Spots . . . & Stripes
• À la Chinois
• Encyclopedia Botanica
• Ah, the Theater!
• The New of Now
• Postscript
• Photographic Credits
• Acknowledgments