You know Schumacher, Gentle Readers. I use their wallpaper or fabric (or both) in nearly every house I design, so if you read this blog, you’ve seen their stuff. I’m a huge fan.
Schumacher moved its corporate headquarters into Soho a little over a year ago. I didn’t know why my lovely DC showroom rep, Michael, kept telling me I had to go to NY for a tour. “An office?” I thought. “Why do I need a tour of their office?”
THIS IS WHY:
Can you hear the angels singing? I can!
Schumacher chose a gigantic, light-filled, 1861 building as its new home. It was a department store in the olden days — can you imagine? Lord knows what condition the building was in when they bought it. Place is DESIGNED. (I mean, obviously.)
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What you can’t see (I blame the photographer for not having her wits about her; that would be me) is that along the right side of the pictures above is a row of private little workspaces-slash-conference rooms, glass, with doors. Each wallpapered, of course.
Note, please, that because many of those rooms can be seen at the same time, the designers stuck to a neutral palette for the wallpapers. There’s lots of pattern, but no fighting hues.
What I love is that the main space and exposed workrooms on each floor are light, bright, and relatively color-free, but the smaller, self-contained spaces are another story.
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Much of the creative magic happens on the second floor, so (thrillingly!) I was not allowed to take many pictures up there. Imagine fabrics rolled out on huge tables and layers and layers of wallpaper tacked to boards. Suffice it to say that Schumacher has a LOT of amazing products coming down the pike. It’s hard to keep up, tbh.
There are so many places to BE, either alone or with colleagues. Very conducive to creative work.
One of the most exciting things for me was seeing items from Schumacher’s archives. (My museum days came rushing back!) They have a big storage facility elsewhere, but they had brought in some items for show and tell. Again: some materials could not be photographed, WHICH, AGAIN, was rather exciting.
The archives are filled not only with every fabric (and wallpaper, I presume) that Schumacher has ever made, but also pieces acquired for inspiration. Isn’t that so interesting? It’s smart to collect things just because you find them beautiful or interesting. Or both. You never know what will spark an idea.
*I* certainly was inspired!
Sigh. It was an amazing day, Gentle Readers. I left that dramatic space excited to get back to my own projects and continue spreading the gospel of color and pattern…and good taste, of course.
Annie Elliott Design is now considering projects for January/February! If a joyful home is on your must-have list for 2025, please contact us.
