
After working for seventeen plus years creating textiles and accessories for fashion brands in New York, I decided to make a big change. My passions were more in Home Accessories, perhaps related to my becoming a mother of two small children as well as buying and renovating a brownstone. But I can trace my journey from fashion design to furniture design to the moment that I inherited a couple of pieces of furniture from my grandmother and decided to reupholster them.
I got one particular armchair that I used to sink into when, as a child, I used to spend the night in my Grandma Barbara’s guest room. I knew its intricate caning and over-stuffed, burgundy-colored cushions by heart. I didn’t realize the armchair’s potential until I brought it back to Brooklyn and decided to remake it. I was overtaken with joy and excitement as I crafted a new beginning for this piece that was so familiar and meaningful to me. Since then, I have come to love the process of reinventing used furniture and giving a new life that is fresh, modern and also sustainable, all the while knowing that I am saving something that has value and history.
As a mother of two small children I spend a lot of time thinking about how we are going to leave this world to our kids. My goal is to take a beautiful and expertly crafted piece of furniture and give it a new vibrancy, a new life, and a continuation of its story as it goes on to live in the homes of my clients for years to come.
I get a lot of inspiration from both of my grandmothers. While raising three children, Grandma Fanny made a good living cutting hair in her basement. Grandma Barbara was an eccentric who, after running a small produce company for more than thirty years, started a business importing bronze artifacts that she found while traveling in Asia. Grandma Fanny, now 95, is a great cook who likes to tell jokes she hears in church. Grandma Barbara, who passed away at 89, wore leather jumpsuits and had a hobby of collecting and displaying erotic art. I get my fire and entrepreneurial spirit from the two of them.
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rachael@doublerdesign.net / 440-371-5846
© doublerdesign.net / all rights reserved
rachael@doublerdesign.net / 440-371-5846