Lisa Frantz Interiors Recently, I installed a chair for a dear client. It was a chair that had sentimental value to him and he wanted it recovered in a fabric that had some meaning as well. This client is a huge fan of Art Deco and has a lot of art deco patterns and furniture pieces in his home.
The fabric that fit the bill was Schumacher’s gorgeous reproduction of Less Gazelles au Bois in black. Originally designed by Pierre Pozier in 1927, this iconic print of the leaping gazelles ended up decorating the ballroom of the new Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1931, when it moved to Park Avenue. Quite an honor for a brave new design! Very surprisingly, I could not find a great image of the fabric in the ballroom – so here is a picture of Marlene Dietrich at the April in Paris Ball at the Waldorf!
After we installed the chair into my client’s home, I started thinking more about this time in NYC, this fabric and the exquisite pattern/metallic colors. The hotel itself was heralded by President Hoover “The opening of the new Waldorf Astoria is an event in the advancement of hotels, even in New York City. It carries great tradition in national hospitality…marks the measure of nation’s growth in power, in comfort and in artistry…an exhibition of courage and confidence to the whole nation…” The suites were named after their most interesting guests: The Cole Porter Suite, The Royal Suite named for the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor, The MacArthur Suite and the Churchill Suite.
There is so much amazing history there – probably deserves it’s own blog post at some point. But, for now, we can feast our eyes on some of the great new ways this pattern is being used in 2015! Lisa Perry’s gown at Barney’s…
Dempsey and Carroll’s stationary is so beautiful. I would love this for my birthday… hint hint hint….
