For nearly 100 years, the Scalamandré name has been synonymous with fine textiles and silks. In 2017, the brand partnered with Stark Fabric & Wallcovering, thus forming The House of Scalamandre - a parent company with an impressive portfolio of brands offering quality fabrics, wallcoverings, trimmings, furniture, and lighting. 

We at Brown Harris Stevens are proud to partner with creators of some of the finest products and services in real estate and home design. In light of our new partnership with The House of Scalamandré, our Content Team spoke with Senior VP of Business Operations Christopher Renzo regarding the brand's history, product offerings, the intersection between real estate and interior design, and more. 

What is Scalamandré known for? 

Developing custom textiles has been a cornerstone since Franco & Flora Scalamandré started the company in 1929, but Scalamandré is originally known for its unparalleled signature silks. When Franco moved to the States from Italy and began working at the Sealy School of Interior Design in New Jersey, he quickly discovered the demand for fine silk fabrics, and saw the opportunity to create these fabrics domestically. With one weaver and a single loom, Franco produced his first silk yardage in Paterson, New Jersey. A few years later, Franco and Flora purchased an old brick mill in Long Island City in hopes of turning their dreams into reality. Thus, Scalamandré Silks was established.

To this day, the building still stands with our name on it. The founding of Scalamandré Silks coincided with a growing movement in the US surrounding the restoration of historic houses and furnishings. Following this movement, Scalamandré was contracted to weave seven yards of fabric to match a blue brocatelle acquired by media mogul William Randolph Hearst for his home. Hearst was very pleased with the final product and called it “the best reproduction that anyone had ever seen.” The San Simeon Brocatelle became the first fabric woven by Mr. Scalamandré at the Long Island City mill.

With such a passion for reproducing historic textiles, Franco began to collect rare historic textiles that formed an extensive collection over time. Franco recognized these special fabrics needed to be shared, and he established the Scalamandré Museum of Textiles in the company’s New York Showroom. From 1936 to the late 1960’s Franco traveled to museums and schools across the country presenting these historical treasures. Today we continue to honor Franco and Flora's passion of creating unique fabrics for some of the most extraordinary properties around the world.

What products are you most proud of? 

This is too hard to answer.  We are proud of everything we design and produce.  We are both a historically traditional and contemporary design house.  We are proud to sell textiles and designs that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, but also proud of the products we design and produce for today’s homes.

Can you provide an overview The House of Scalamandré and the brands under the Scalamandré name? 

The core brands of The House of Scalamandré include Scalamandré, Old World Weavers, Hinson, and Grey Watkins. There are also thirteen diverse fabric and wallcovering brands, several fine furniture lines, and a luxury lighting company add to our extensive offering. In current total, we have more than 150 collections spanning across 15,000 products, encompassing the very best in fabric, wallcovering, passementerie, furniture, lighting, and beyond. Exceptional contract & hospitality, custom, and restoration services make us more than a destination for residential projects.

What are some of your most well-known and loved pieces, wall coverings, fabrics, prints?

There are so many to choose from, but today we are most famous for some of our prints and luxurious velvets.  The leaping Zebra (above) comes to mind.  A pattern originally designed in 1945 for a notable NYC restaurant that still sells as a best-selling wallpaper today.  Also our Tigre silk velvet is one of the most sumptuous and exotic velvets in the world. Woven on retrofitted 18th century Italian velvet looms it is rich as it gets. But the list goes on as we are known by the interior design trade for having dozens and dozens of iconic designs.

Do you have interior designers that you can recommend to potential clients? Tell us about this process.

Yes, we do. We work with thousands of Interior Designers, some of them the best in the industry, from all over the world. If we understand the clients’ needs based on a variety of factors, we recommend them to several interior designers. It would be best to know the location of the agent and the project, the architectural style of the property, and the style of the new homeowner. We understand our clients and could refer your clients to them. There are also design services through the design centers that can help facilitate this process for the client.  But maybe most importantly, the BHS Agent can work with our experienced salespeople to help them shop and place orders directly through Scalamandré. This is a more hands-on approach, as the agent would need to work with the sales reps and work together on various orders for fabrics, wallpapers, furniture, and lighting. However, this is where the greatest opportunity exists to make money together. For greater clarity, once a BHS Agent or client is working with a designer, the design firm then takes over the process and the interior designer would purchase from Scalamandré on their own. That is a white glove, full-service model, but if a BHS agent wants to get more involved with their clients and help them design, the BHS Agent and Scalamandré salesperson work together to meet this goal. It may be better if the scope of work is smaller in this case (just doing a few rooms with new furniture, pillows, wallpaper, and lighting). However, if a large-scale interior project is needed, it is best for the client of the BHS Agent to work fully with an interior designer that Scalamandré can refer them too. We can then pass on our discount to the interior designer, if that 20% gets passed onto the BHS agent from the Interior Designer. It is an team process, but there is a great opportunity for both BHS and Scalamandré to broker sales and generate revenue.

Real estate and interior design go hand-in-hand. Oftentimes, real estate agents and interior designers collaborate or pass the baton of to one another. Can you talk to us about the synergy that exists between these two industries, especially in the luxury space? 

Besides for the obvious home staging opportunities, there exist relationship-driven opportunities for collaboration, especially in the luxury space. A top real estate agent has a variety of connections at their disposal to help themselves appeal to the luxury buyer. Relationships with interior designers can help a top agent “break through the noise” and become even more valuable to their clients. If the real estate agent can promise that their newly purchased home will also be a couture custom space they instantly enjoy, the agent is more valuable to their client. Enabling the client to move in to a sophisticatedly designed home shortly after closing of the property is more than just a turnkey experience for the client, it is an unparalleled experience of luxury living.

The Scalamandre brand is over 90 years old, yet you have remained more current than ever. What changes have you made and how have you evolved to stay fresh in the ever-changing landscape?

Following the most momentous overhaul since its inception nearly 100 years ago, Scalamandré’s future looks fresher than ever. The Renzo family (who took over the iconic brand in 2008) represents a new generation and mindset for the design world, and they’re working behind the scenes to create big change where it’s needed. After significant capital investments in machinery, technology, and skilled personnel, Scalamandré is now turning the corner and becoming more than just a product collection editor. Scalamandré has become more vertical as it can create printed wallcoverings in-house, allowing for faster collection turnaround times, ease of creating new colorways or custom orders, and utmost quality control. The company also now operates a significant fabrication business fabricating it’s own pillows. 

Collaborations continue with various designers, companies, and institutions, but the recent collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art was a major milestone for Scalamandré. With several more exciting collaborations in the works, a flagship showroom revamp on the horizon, and continued website advancements, Scalamandré is redefining itself while staying true to its roots where it matters most: creating luxurious fabric, wallcovering, and passementerie that celebrate its rich heritage for the modern consumer. Talk about standing the test of time.

Tell us about your partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Each day, thousands of people ascend the column-flanked marble stairs to wander the labyrinth of galleries filled with iconic artifacts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But only a select few have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny of the two million square-foot space--or its hidden treasures not on display. And last year, The House of Scalamandré was given the opportunity to join those few.

For the heritage brand’s much-anticipated intro collection, their design team strived to recreate that insider experience, culling through countless departments and thousands of archival heirlooms to create a rich mosaic of historical narratives. Drawing inspiration from the likes of a 14th Century German suit of armor to the ruffle detailing on an 18th Century British gown, the 100+ sku-collection reimagines a range of esteemed period pieces as wallcovering, fabric and trim. Each motif is a celebration of artisanship, inspired by exquisite forms and cultural traditions.

Informed by Scalamandré’s legacy of textile design, the partnership feels both excavated from the past and distinctly contemporary, translated through a modern lens. Following their first collaboration with The MET in the 1970s, Scalamandré brings that museum magic into the home once again through this artful interpretation that pays homage to history and the beauty of grandeur.

Learn more about the House of Scalamandré and connect with a Brown Harris Stevens Agent for your real estate needs in NY, NJ, CT, and FL.