DE LE CUONA: 25 Years

Interiors fabrics, perhaps more than other luxuries, exist with one undeniable truth: It’s easy to spot the cheap stuff. Given that upholstery, drapery, and bed linens are meant to be touched and experienced, high-quality textiles are essential. Bernie de Le Cuona, founder of the eponymous artisan collection beloved by interior designers, has long been obsessed with this idea.

“It was a love of linen and attention to detail that first fired my desire to create beautiful fabrics,” she says. “Over the last 25 years, de Le Cuona has grown to become a global business and is a leading specialist in textile made from luxury fibers.” While “craftsmanship” is a term frequently tossed about, a visit to de Le Cuona’s studios outside London reveals how sincere the effort is. The company was the first to produce stone-washed linens for interior use. To achieve authenticity, Bernie collaborated with a French company that made distressed jeans with an aged look and developed a special technique that features real pumice stones (not chemicals, a typical shortcut.) Luminous velvets, washed linens, fine cashmere, and signature wool paisleys earn rave reviews. Sun-bleached paisley is such a complex fabric to create (and part of the Victoria & Albert museum woven collection) that less than 10 feet can be woven per loom per day.

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De Le Cuona Savage Couture

Photo: Jon Day