terrific textiles.

Finding the perfect fabric is one of the most exciting parts of the process for me; I've always loved perusing the bolts and, yes, touching the fabrics that I'm interested in. For as long as I've enjoyed doing this, my mother has enjoyed laughing about it, but this obsession with texture has now carried over into my professional life as well. I'm forever touching the tile and terazzo and glass finish samples that come into our office, trying to determine if the surface to which they're applied needs to be warm or cool, smooth or grainy, how it needs to catch the light and if it should be matte or shiny. With allora.signature and allora.custom chair fabrics, many of the same questions apply and are considered when selecting the perfect seat finish for a chair. I love these green and gold fabrics in wonderful raised, quilted, and embroidered textures. The fabrics in this collection can be seen on allora.signature.THACH, as well as allora.signature.ROSS and KATHWOOD, both of which will be featured on the blog soon. This afternoon I'm off to find some fabric samples for Logan & Jimmy and Sara, so I'll be sure to have some great new textiles to share next week! Have a wonderful weekend!

what's in a name?

Allora, for the meaning of allora. I have loved this wonderfully ambiguous Italian equivalent for "so..." or "what now?" since its first melodic roll off my tongue as an eighth grade student ambassador in Italy. On consequent trips, I only grew to love it more, and while studying architecture in Rome, it was permanently adopted into my vocabulary.

My friend (and roommate on Via Candia), Elizabeth, and I would let out exasperated "allllooorrraaa"s after a long day of sketching in the city. Similarly after long days of work in New York, my favorite resident Italian, Stefano, would look at me sympathetically and say "allora, Miss Kennedy" before misting my face with Evian from an aerosol can. And of course, my sisters shares the same love for this wonderful word, which perfectly summed up our sentiments about my new Charleston apartment last fall. Allora. "What now?" in an idle, carefree tone.

That "allora" from Lauren (via a chair from my mom) translated into my refurbishing allora.signature.RUTLEDGE, and when we needed to give this hobby a name, she reminded me of "allora" once more. Va bene.

See what the official people have to say about what this word means, here and here and here.

allora.signature.VINE

The clean lines of allora.signature.VINE are beautiful reminders of the more minimal solutions in furniture design, serving both an aesthetic and functional purpose. The chair is not only pleasing to the eye, it is also comfortable to sit in and proportioned to the human body. I'm personally a huge fan of the chartreuse finish--my room is the same shade of avocado; and the subtle variation in the creme and beige high pile fabric lends itself to more natural color palettes, while still harboring a little of the Zebra attitude. Additionally, the contrast in the lines of the Zebra pattern itself with the orthogonal lines of the chair creates a more playful feel. I visited the angel oak around the time that I was finishing the new seat and cushion for allora.signature.VINE, and I feel sure that I was influenced on some level by the hues and graceful lines of this majestic tree. This allora.signature is available for $115; for inquiries please contact me at marymac@allorahome.com!

allora featured as

parker-sims product pick!

check it out here.

We're so excited and honored to be featured with such an impressive and creative group of local designers! Thanks Ivie and Adrian!

...and an interview with mary mac!read more here.

I love keeping up with the Parker-Sims blog myself, so check back often for their always interesting designs and ideas. Don't forget to check out their website, as well! You'll want to stay on top of what these creative ladies are up to!

vintage comforter.

Its not a secret that I'm quite the junk store junkie, so it should come as a surprise to no one that a couple of weeks ago I managed to leave the Habitat for Humanity Restore with something other than what I was looking for... Though I was hoping to find an incredible deal on a beautiful chandelier, I ended up with this vibrant vibrant vintage afghan. The style of the knit appears to be from the late 1960s, and the color combination of bright gold, yellow, orange, red, forest green, grass green, and brown only seems to affirm this assumption. After a little trip to the dry-cleaners, these colors only popped more, and as always, I began to imagine chairs in this interesting palette. A set? A collection? What color and fabric as a liner? Only time will tell... but as the weather gets crisper, the fall colors of this comforter will be finding their way to an allora.signature.chair!