Friday, July 18, 2008

Duralee "Memo" Samples Now Available

In March we announced Landfair Furniture's showroom would feature an extensive display area for Duralee fabrics, Highland Court luxury fabrics, a library area with Highland Court and Duralee sample books, and a brand new "memo" room. We were a little behind schedule, but the memo sample room is now complete

Since March Landfair Furniture has featured a display vignette of Duralee Fine Furniture. One look at the Duralee furniture and you notice beauty and craftsmenship of this furniture manufacturer.

Laurel Sprigg wrote in Threads, the magazine for people who love to sew, "Even if you've shopped the finest fabric stores in the land and rummaged through dozens of "home-dec" outlets, if you've never peeked into the world of professional interior-design resources, well, you simply haven't been to Fabric Paradise!

Sprigg writes that there are some amazing designer fabrics that you must see and mentions "Great Plains, Henry Calvin Fabrics, and Rogers and Goffigen, which all specialize in natural fibers. Their linen collections in particular will amaze you, ranging from tissue weights to the heaviest upholstery fabrics, with soft textures you must feel. See Larson Fabrics, Bart Halpern Fabrics, and Donghia for fabulously inventive, contemporary fabrics; Bergamo for beautiful silks, sheers, and incredible upholstery fabrics; and Robert Allen Fabrics, F. Schumacher, Scalamandre, and Brunschwig and Fils for marvelous traditional fabrics."

Portland has a professional design center, really started by Wayne Martin, then Kravet and Goldsmiths, then Landfair Furniture and now Linde Ltd. The design center features many of these design fabrics. While Sprigg doesn't mention Duralee Fabrics, we invite you to experience these fabrics now with our memo samples.

Duralee recently partnered with Philip Gorrivan Design who is based in New York City and specializes in high-end residential interiors and commercial projects including hotels and offices. His firm is known for its unique and clever use of color and a polished and refined eye for objects, art and furnishings.

Sprigg wrote "The downside of all this magnificence is that you can only buy from these wholesale resources through an interior designer or architect, or anyone else with both a resale number and an established business, plus an understanding of fabrics for the home."

She continues "You can ask for large samples (called "memo" samples) to take home and live with for 30 days while you make your decision. The fabrics are first-quality; carefully designed to allow for efficient repeats...You can even ask for a "cutting for approval," or CFA, which will be taken directly from the piece they plan to send you. This may be from a different dye lot than your memo sample, so a CFA is always a good idea, allowing you to make sure any difference in the two lots is acceptable.

A design center is a wonderful resource for Portland, allowing you easy access to fabrics that previously were available only in the larger cities. We are pleased to have Duralee Fabrics, Sherrill fabrics and others at Landfair Furniture and we are open to interior designers and the public.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

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