Our first big in-house release of the year is almost ready. It's called Deco Velours and as the name suggests it's a collection of luxury figured velvets, inspired by the restrained opulence of the Art Deco era.

It features classic Deco motifs like chevrons, geometric grids and a herringbone. The scale of these patterns are small to medium, perfect for 'foundation' pieces in a room such as a main sofa, drapery, dining room chairs and bedheads.

The colour palette is pared back to five essentials: off-white, two sophisticated neutrals, a deep aubergine and black. For added glamour some of the designs have a textured, crushed finish.

The thing I like the most about this collection is the gorgeous lustre and depth of the pile, it feels and looks beautiful, particularly the designs that have a composition of 100% bamboo viscose.

As an aside I'd like to add my 2 cents worth about bamboo viscose as it's a fibre that's received a lot of press in the last few years. Recently much of the hype surrounding so-called bamboo fabric has been debunked however I still think it's a move in the right direction for the textile industry, particularly if the raw product is from a certified source, as is the case for Deco Velours. The bamboo used in this collection is harvested from a sustainable source which has naturally regenerated and grown without the use of pesticides/herbicides, irrigation and fertilizers. A clear improvement when compared to conventionally grown cotton and manufactured synthetics like polyester.

Also of environmental-impact note; Deco Velours is a sea-freighted collection.

In addition these fabrics have been manufactured to an Oeko-Tex 100 Class 1 standard which insures that the use of chemicals has been kept to a minimum with no harmful residues left on the cloth. It also certifies the use of low allergenic dyes.

So stay tuned for Deco Velours' imminent release. It's not only a beautiful collection of fabrics but also one mindful of the environment and the end-user. I hope you like it.

I know, I know, we have yet another Florence sofa on the floor in our Auckland showroom. But dammit - it looks so good! We just love its mix of clean lines and deco styling with its curved back. And the slip cover component suits our linen fabrics to a tee. Our clients seem to love Florence too as they are never in the showroom for long.

This latest incarnation uses our high-quality linen Logan in the 'Cork' colourway. Logan is woven in Belgium by a mill which is a member of the Masters of Linen group, synonymous with superb yarn and weave quality.

Contact us if you'd like to know more about this sofa. Better still, call in and have a seat.

Many thanks to the wonderful people at Profile Furniture.

Another thing I didn't get around to doing at the end of last year; posting this image from Montreux Furniture. It shows their Jasper Chair covered in two luxury velvets from the Members Only collection by Carlucci: Curiosity 020 and Curves 020. We love working with furniture manufacturers who have a passion for what they do and focus on quality craftsmanship, and Montreux certainly meet this criteria.

Since its release Members Only has become a go-to collection for those designers wanting luxury fabrics with a contemporary twist. The design Curiosity is a particular favourite of mine, where the classic paisley design is given an up-dated spikey feel. Below are some Curiosity and Curves cushions we have in stock. Please contact us if you'd like to know more about them.

I've been meaning to post this for some time now: The Unique Fabrics images included in the McKenzie and Willis Summer Collection publication. It features a number of our linen and linen blend designs...

The sofa is upholstered in the aptly named (and perennial favourite) Raw Linen. The drop behind the sofa is the abstract print called Sosho. The cushions are Glitterati, Ando and Sejima. The latter two designs are from the Shinto Collection and feature a beautiful metallic yarn. 

The club chair is covered in Daishi, colour Brick; a very smart linen stripe. It's a fantastic orange and worth a close-up!...

All of these designs are included in our extremely successful Linen Archive Collection.

For more information please contact one of our showrooms or better still call in and see us.

Have a great weekend.

It was exciting to see the Andrew Martin design Celeste pop up in the Jan/Feb issue of Vogue Living. The article is called "Soho Style – New York’s Crosby Street Hotel a truly hip haven of flamboyant decoration" and as you can see the cushions on the sofa are Celeste. The design, which is an opulent combination of hand-painted silk and embroidery, is included in the superlative collection Night and Day. Don't they look beautiful?...

I also see that the Hotel uses Flamant wallcoverings to great effect, another brand we represent in Australasia.