F. Schumacher & Co.

F. Schumacher & Co is a privately held company that designs and manufactures products for the interior design industry worldwide. It was founded and is still based in New York City.  Established in 1889 by Frederic Schumacher who came to the United States from France, it is a fifth-generation business still privately owned and managed by the direct descendants of its founder. [2] It is the oldest American company of its kind and is known for both being rooted in history and innovative at the same time.[3]  

F. Schumacher & Company
Privately owned
IndustryInterior design
Founded1889 (1889) in New York City, United States
FounderFrederic Schumacher
HeadquartersNew York,
USA
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Timur Yumusaklar, CEO & President

Deborah Klemm, CFO/COO Dara Caponigro, Creative Director

Benni Frowein, President, Schumacher
ProductsFabric, wallcovering, floorcoverings, trim, furniture, home accessories
BrandsSchumacher, Patterson Flynn Martin, & Schumacher Hospitality
OwnerStephen Puschel [1]
Websitewww.fschumacher.com

The company is comprised of three divisions:  Schumacher which designs, manufactures and sells fabric, wallcovering, trim, furniture and home accessories; Patterson Flynn Martin (PFM) which designs, manufactures and sells rugs and carpets with an emphasis on custom designs, and Schumacher Hospitality which provides decorative product for the world’s leading hotels and corporations. F. Schumacher & Co. also has a media division which publishes digital content, books and magazines on interior design and decoration.  

History

Beginnings (1889-1925)

Frederic Schumacher came to New York near the end of the 19th Century with the French textile company Passavant & Co.[4] Soon after, in 1889, he opened the doors of F. Schumacher & Co on Broadway and 22nd Street on Manhattan’s Ladies’ Mile (now the Ladies' Mile Historic District).[5]  With the Gilded Age in full swing, F. Schumacher & Co. became the premier supplier of decorative fabrics for the mansions of the uber wealthy in Newport, New York and Palm Beach; as well as for luxury hotels like the Waldorf-Astoria and the Biltmore Hotel that were sprouting up across the United States at that time.

In 1895, the company became a manufacturer by purchasing a domestic fabric mill in Paterson, New Jersey.[6]  The Waverly Mill produced woven fabrics for residences, businesses and public buildings, including a satin lampas that Stanford White designed in 1902 for Theodore Roosevelt’s White House.

A modern approach (1925-1945)

Pierre Pozier, Schumacher’s nephew, a visionary in his own right, became Vice President of the company in 1912 as the second generation to enter the family-owned company.[7]

In 1925, under Pozier’s lead, Schumacher took part in the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, an exhibition that advanced the modernity expressed by the Art Deco movement.  Pozier is credited for bringing Art Deco fabrics to the United States.  

In 1930, Pierre Pozier brought on luminary French fashion designer Paul Poiret to create a line of fabrics for Schumacher.[4]  It was the first designer fabric collection of its kind and was followed over the next 40 years by collaborations with industrial designer Donald Deskey, interior designer Dorothy Draper, artist and photographer Cecil Beaton, architects Joseph Frank[8] and Frank Lloyd Wright, fashion designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Karl Lagerfeld, illustrators Jeremiah Goodman and Saul Steinberg, and artist Vera Neumann. Many of the patterns in these collections are still available today along with reboot collections with the estates of Vera Neumann[9] and Frank Lloyd Wright[10] released in 2014 and 2018, respectively.

World War II

During World War II, Schumacher’s Wavery Mill was key to the war efforts; operating 24 hours a day manufacturing material for parachutes, life preservers and other military equipment.[2]

Post-war (1945-1970)

With the rise of suburban communities and the American housewife, Waverly (a division of Schumacher, which was sold in 2007)[6] marketed directly to the department store consumer and began advertising in print media with the first slogan "all three," allowing customers to purchase fabric, wallpaper and carpeting in one place.

In 1950, First Lady Bess Truman selected a Vera Neumann-designed fabric from F. Schumacher & Co. to decorate the White House's third floor solarium.[2]

In 1956, upon learning that many famous generals in history had been honored with a commemorative toile, Mrs. Eisenhower and decorator Elisabeth Draper devised a design from the buildings, trophies, and motifs that symbolized President Eisenhower’s life and career.  The pattern was even fashioned into a dress for Mrs. Eisenhower to wear during the president’s successful 1956 reelection campaign.[11]

Schumacher’s Blue Room Lampas was featured in Jackie Kennedy’s famous TV tour of the White House, which aired in 1962.

In 1998, F. Schumacher & Co. acquired Patterson Flynn Martin, which was established in 1943 as a purveyor of fine Wilton and Axminster carpets from Europe, and authentic hand-made reproductions of traditional rug designs from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries making it the sister company to Schumacher. Presently, it also focuses on making custom rugs for interior designers and architects. The two heritage brands, Schumacher and Patterson Flynn Martin, work in harmony to meet the needs of the ever-changing interior design industry and trends, focusing on exceptional customer service and broad range of premium product offerings.

Today

F. Schumacher & Co. has 3 divisions that provide products and inspiration for interior decoration and design:

Schumacher

Schumacher specializes in fabric, wallcovering, trim, furniture and home accessories.  It has a portfolio of over 10,000 products in a range of styles, which are united by a passion for beauty and quality, an understanding of the past and an eye toward the future.  They are available for sale to interior designers and architects on fschumacher.com as well as in the 13 Schumacher showrooms in the United States:  New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Dania, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Chicago, Troy, Los Angeles, Laguna Nigel, and San Francisco. Schumacher is also sold in Canada, Australia and Europe through representatives.[12]

In addition to its proprietary products, Schumacher continues to collaborate on collections with artists, artisans, interior designers, architects and notable brands.[13]  Current collaborators include:


Schumacher patterns have long been woven into the fabric of American culture.  From public buildings to the big and small screens, the brand has played a leading role in numerous notable projects and appearances over the past 130 years. These include:

Schumacher Media:
  • The Bulletin by Schumacher: In 2015, Schumacher released the first issue of The Bulletin, its biannual glossy magazine. Since then, the magazine has grown in popularity both within and outside the interior design community.[19] Each issue includes stories on decorating, entertaining, travel and culture touching on all things that make for a well-lived life. The Bulletin is spearheaded by Dara Caponigro, former editor-in-chief of Veranda magazine and style director of the original domino magazine. The Bulletin is available via subscription and at Barnes & Noble.
  • 100 Rooms to Know and Love: a hardcover book featuring some of the best rooms of today
  • S is for Style:  The Schumacher Book of Decoration: To be published by Rizzoli in Fall 2020 this coffee-table book identifies 16 different decorating styles through the use of patterns, chic spaces by leading contemporary designers, and beloved iconic rooms.
  • The Schumacher Style Dispatch: Schumacher's digital newsletter
  • The Edit: the Schumacher blog

Patterson Flynn Martin (PFM)

PFM, the rug and carpet atelier, is a purveyor of luxury contemporary, traditional, transitional and statement hand-knotted, hand-woven, hand-tufted, hand-hooked and hand-coiled rugs, as well as Wilton broadloom and narrowloom carpets. In addition, PFM has a design studio that helps clients make custom rugs in any shape, color, size, scale or construction. PFM sells exclusively to the interior design trade and has nine showrooms across the United States in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Dania, Laguna, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C.

Patterson Flynn Martin also collaborates on collections with artists and interior designers. Current collaborators include:

  • Charlap Hyman & Herrero        
  • David Kaihoi
  • David Kleinberg
  • Elizabeth Dow
  • Hutton Wilkinson
  • Joseph La Piana
  • Mary McDonald
  • Matthew Patrick Smyth
  • Miles Redd
  • Thomas O’Brien
  • Timothy Corrigan
  • Timothy Whealon
  • PFM also carries rug designs of late legendary designers Madeleine Castaing and Paule Marrot.

PFM Media:
  • - The Loop digital newsletter

Schumacher Hospitality

Schumacher Hospitality caters specifically to commercial projects. With the ability to create bespoke products and make any of the Schumacher designs hospitality grade, Schumacher Hospitality is dedicated to helping designers and architects create exceptional interiors for the public that have a lasting impact.  Schumacher Hospitality is based in NYC but has design consultants across the United States.

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References
  1. Worthington, Don (30 April 2014). "F. Schumacher moves distribution center from Richburg to Fort Mill". Heraldonline.com. The Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2015. Schumacher CEO Terri Eagle said the company, which sells high-end fabrics and furniture to interior designers, selected the site because of its proximity to the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
  2. "Schumacher - Our Heritage". fschumacher.com. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  3. "What startup culture and values can do for a 128-year-old fabric house". businessofhome.com. 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  4. Simpson, Jeffrey. "Fashionably Inspired". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  5. Garnett, Natasha (2014-08-21). "A Narrative Thread". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  6. "About Us". Waverly. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  7. "PIERRE POZIER,; 31 ItRICS EXECUTIVE Chairman of F. Schumacher & Co, Dies in Greenwich---He Joined Concern in 1899". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  8. Keller, Hadley. "Josef Frank's Beloved Prints Now Available as Wallpaper". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  9. Luckel, Madeleine. "Schumacher's New Vera Neumann Collection Tells a Long-Lost Artistic Story". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  10. Keller, Hadley. "The Frank Lloyd Wright Design You Never Knew About". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  11. "Fine Fabrics Weave Tales of Times Past". Los Angeles Times. 1997-04-12. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  12. "Schumacher - Showrooms". fschumacher.com. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  13. "Schumacher - Collaborators". fschumacher.com. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  14. Rus, Mayer. "Timothy Corrigan's New Fabrics, Furniture, and Carpets for Schumacher and Patterson Flynn Martin". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  15. Keller, Hadley. "How Miles Redd Turned a Favorite Artwork into a Fabric Design". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  16. Bowles, Hamish. "Vogue Living and Schumacher Debut an Exclusive Collection of Fabrics and Wallpaper". Vogue. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  17. Keller, Hadley. "The Frank Lloyd Wright Design You Never Knew About". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  18. Rus, Mayer. "Johnson Hartig Collaborates with Schumacher". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  19. "Is your new favorite magazine published by a brand?". businessofhome.com. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
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