A while back when browsing an antique shop in the Hamptons, I spotted the most fabulous lamps. The were mid-century modern, with beautiful brass details, and I just had to find out more about them! The shopkeeper told me that they were designed by Gabriella Crespi.

The trio of paper experts who came together to create Antoinette Poisson in Paris had a vision; to preserve the almost lost art of “domino” wallpaper, which at the height of its production in the 18th century could be seen throughout the the palaces of Louis XIV’s court in France, but nearly died out completely after the French Revolution.

In 1928, textile entrepreneur Jean Lauer came across a small factory in the town of Cogolin, just outside of St. Tropez in the South of France. Here, he discovered a group of skilled Armenia craftswomen were producing silk thread and hand-knotted rugs using 19th century looms.

Bennett Leifer has the kind of personality that just makes you want to sit down on a couch and talk for hours. And if that couch just happens to be in the beautiful de Gournay showroom – even better!