Happy Valentine’s Day! We hope you have someone who looks as longing at you as my dog son, Charlie, looks at this cake pop (don’t worry, I treated him to a few baby carrots for being such a good model).
Some may say the day doesn’t matter, but better to be safe than sorry!
Valentine’s Day may seem to most as a day Hallmark and floral shops depend on for their yearly survival. But, even if you don’t have that “special someone” to spend the day with, the idea of looking introspectively at who you consider a loved one and what you want out of those closest to you is a nice alternative way to commemorate the day.
“Think sublime style, unstinting details, old-world craftsmanship. The charm of classic lines and modern style. Sensuous textures and saturated colors that dress your home, your life. This is the essence of ANICHINI.” Check out their new design center in Quechee, VT where I took this snapshot. Every direction you look is more charming than the last!
No tour of Vermont’s luxury home decor brands would be complete without a visit to Anichini, Inc. The Green Mountain State is home to this mecca for high end interior designers who feather the nests of the rich and famous. The company, founded 26 years ago by Susan Dollenmaier, has become the “most prestigious brand of luxury textiles and home furnishings”. It is a full spectrum textile company specializing in rare and handcrafted fabrics and products. I visited Anichini’s new design center in Quechee, VT last week while on my tour of Vermont’s top luxury home decor brands. May I just say right here and now that I have never seen a collection of such beautiful and luxurious fabrics in all my life? What an indulgence for the senses. All of them… not just sight… so many different textures and subtle fragrances of linens, cottons, wool, cashmere and other fibers. Wow.
“In an era where the word “luxury” is used to describe everything from a bus ride to a bottle of shampoo, ANICHINI has raised the bar on the definition of “luxury” with textiles that are the ultimate in opulence and craftsmanship.” How would these luxurious Anichini linens, fabrics and textiles look in your home?
Anichini Inc. imports fabrics (Muga silks from Assam, Tibetan cashmere woven in Nepal, Ottoman inspired velvets and tapestries from Turkey, Renaissance replications from Umbria, Linen from Lithuania, Woven silks from Morocco) because they are simply unavailable in the USA. However, as shown in this video (The Craftsmanship of Rural Women) those fabrics are sewn here in Vermont by a group of talented seamstresses in Turnbridge.
Found in the linen closets of royal palaces and celebrities around the world, Anichini fabrics round out Vermont’s luxury home decor brand portfolio. They are future heirlooms that celebrate the “extraordinary designs, rare materials, and traditional techniques that are soon to be lost. ” Come see them for yourself! We hope to be featuring a nice selection of Anichini linens at Stonehurst, which will soon be your launch pad into the world of Vermont’s authentic, handcrafted home furnishings.
Last week I managed to escape from the office and take a road trip. The excuse (er… purpose) was to visit Vermont’s top luxury home decor businesses. Maybe this won’t surprise you — it turns out that in addition to being the fine furniture capital of America, Vermont is second to none in many other types of authentic, handmade home decor. The Green Mountain State hosts hand blown glass blower Simon Pearce, hand forged lighting manufacturer, Hubbardton Forge, hand loomed artisanal fabrics maker, Anichini and handcrafted furniture and pottery maker, Shackleton Thomas.
We felt these companies should be featured at Stonehurst, making it a complete showroom for Vermont’s best, high quality, handcrafted home goods. So I was chosen as the lucky one to make the rounds and pitch the idea. I was met with nothing but kindness and enthusiasm. Wendy Fannin at Hubbardton Forge, Heather Carey at Anichini, Maria Parrado at Simon Pearce, Charlie Shackleton and Miranda Thomas were all very supportive of our plans (thanks guys!).
Over the next few months we’ll be hard at work, adding these new products to our showroom. A nice selection of items will also be added to our online store. Stay tuned for more details as they unfold!
