In Excelsis Brownstone

Cooper Lace was selected to provide the lace curtains for Mableton in Santa Rosa, California; possibly the finest restoration of a Victorian mansion in recent memory.  Overseen by Steve Rynerson and Paul Duchscherer, the window treatments have been executed by the extremely talented Victoria Lenox of Lenox Interior Motifs.  She recently shared these photos of our Brownstone lace, designed by Bradbury & Bradbury wallpapers, and hung in a Turkish Revival room.  We'll be displaying more of our lace shortly, but wanted to show you this right away!

How It's Done

I'm sure you're all familiar with Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers; they're the leading name in Victorian and Arts & Crafts wall and ceiling papers (along with Art Deco and Modernist ones as well). They're part of Artistic License a guild of "professional artisans in the San Francisco Bay Area, whose work encompasses architectural restoration, renovation, and newly-interpreted period design."

Recently, Artist License posted a time-lapse video of an installation of an entire room's worth of ornate Bradbury papers (augmented with stenciling). It's fascinating to watch how all the borders and corners are cut and applied, and then see the stenciling performed and ceiling medallion affixed. For anyone who has ever wondered how it's done, this is a great way to observe the process.

The room was designed by my friend and colleague Paul Duchscherer; the noted interior designer and author, you've undoubtedly seen his bungalow books on many a shelf.

Morris & Us.

The obvious question is: why hasn’t someone made a lace curtain inspired by the works of William Morris until now? I’m supremely proud to announce the introduction of Cherwell, an 1887 design from the archives of William Morris’ Morris & Company to Cooper’s Cottage Lace’s collection. For the first time, a true, English Arts and Crafts Lace Curtain designed for Aesthetic Movement interiors is available! And for the first time, we are offering a matching Arts and Crafts lace tablecloth as well! Cherwell gives you the opportunity to bring the timeless genius of William Morris into your home in an exquisite manner, whether it’s furnished in the Late Victorian, Craftsman or a Contemporary style. This stunning all-over pattern features chrysanthemums, thistles and other flora along with the graceful leaves that make the work of Morris and Company so distinctive.

Cherwell doesn’t hint vaguely at English Arts and Crafts like some other company’s patterns; it boldly proclaims its origins! Our Scottish designer, Sherry, spent hours converting the colors of the original wallpaper pattern into different shades by varying the stitches on the loom. In fact, this is our most intricate pattern yet. Cherwell will be available on the first of the year as lace curtain panels in three widths: 20”, 33” and 47” and lengths from 54” to 90”. There will also be tablecloths that are 68” wide by 84” and 108” long. Like all of our other lace panels, Cherwell is 100% cotton and finished in Natural White, also known as Ivory. Please email me or call 413-549-1063 with any questions, and watch our website for a special introductory offer!

Eastlake at The Osborne

We were extremely flattered when recently, a client and dear friend selected our Eastlake Panel, designed by Steve Bauer of Bradbury & Bradbury Wallpapers, to be installed in his Aesthetic Movement apartment at The Osborne in Manhattan. After an intense search, he felt that this pattern was the only one robust enough to accompany his stellar collection of 19th century furnishings.

For those of you unfamiliar with the structure, The Osborne is a fantastic brownstone apartment building situated on the northwest corner of 7th Avenue and West 57th street in Manhattan. Built between 1883 and 1885, in the American Renaissance style, its lobby is renowned as one of New York City's architectural gems. Located diagonally across from Carnegie Hall, it is a favorite of those enchanted with the city's Victorian past.