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!).
While in NY this past weekend, I had to run an errand with friends at a Toys R Us and had a pleasant surprise; famous NY buildings in minature built of my favorite childhood toy, legos!
The beloved Chrysler Building was also included.
Even King Kong wasn't forgotten on the top of the Empire State Building!
If you're in NY and find yourself near Times Square (AKA tourist h*ll), stop in Toys R Us at 1514 Broadway to see the sites (or at least stop by candyland for some treats!)
Playing with architecture has a fruitful history. Across the street from this very house is an example: Egyptian Revival, probably from the early 1920s. Don't tell me they weren't being playful! If you can't be playful with your own house, where can you?
You know what I mean by that? Well -the pictures probably make it pretty clear -but ceilings and backs of business cards are 2 things he mentioned in the article. He sees these areas in our modern world as yet another great place to express yourself. 
In one of these miniature rooms for instance, he has placed a tiny guitar and Jimi Hendrix posters to express the inner rockstar of the client. What a charming idea, don't you think? The idea of anything in miniature generally will gain my support: so cute!
I remember years ago seeing an article about an older woman who collected miniatures (or doll house furniture, whichever you prefer to call it) and arranged rooms on her bookshelves in her living room: LOVE that idea. I think we all like to play god on some level and be the master of a smaller universe. Why not take after Ji Lee and place them on your ceiling?
I decided last minute to stay in town and because of the hot weather have been nesting. Lilies from the Dupont farmers market.
