allora.signature.CANDIA

This contemporary set of chairs features a fabulously exaggerated extended back that is symmetrical about the horizontal access formed by the seat. They will surely add interest to your home or patio! Both chairs are made of tubular aluminum (an allora first!) and have been finished in a bright cobalt enamel. I know you're probably wondering where the seats are, and they have been cut but not recovered as of yet. I'm still looking for the perfect fabric--and am contemplating an exterior fabric, so that this lovely pair can remain the green grass! As I mentioned yesterday... some of these chairs are still a work in progress, so let me know if you're interested in this set, and we can work together to select a fabric!

pairs of chairs week

For those of you who have been keeping up: the first week of August was Shark Week; the second was Hurricane Week; and now for the third... Pairs of Chairs week! Until a couple of weeks ago, I only had one pair of chairs at allora. I must admit, this was a little disappointing on my end, but I just couldn't find any chairs that I was wild about and came as a set. It seems, however, that the chair gods have heard my pleas, and my little place has been inundated with chairs as of late. And they came two by two. So this week, I'm going with my first theme blog ever and celebrating the arrival of these chairs--in whatever state they may currently be! To kick it all off, I thought I'd share these images of some rather famous Pairs of Chairs, with the most famous being the thrones of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip at Buckingham Palace. There is something so wonderful implied by having a Pair of Chairs--I love the idea of designing explicitly for company of such an intimate nature, which is perhaps why I'm so drawn to the Reitveld and Gaudi chairs above. I also like the way that the corner (or fireside) chairs finish one another, that they don't quite make sense on their own. So get excited for Pairs of Chairs; there will be a new set everyday this week--be sure to check in and have a great Monday!

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!