Friday, January 27, 2017

Langhorne’s Role in the Massive Minnesota State Capitol Restoration


Historic Carpet Restoration - Langhorne Carpet Company It’s not at all unusual for Langhorne to be involved in major historic restoration projects. As a circa 1930 business—and one of two remaining Wilton Jacquard mills in the U.S.—our mill and team are simply able to design and weave floor traditional wool coverings in ways other manufacturers cannot. But what is unusual is for us to be a part of something as big as the Minnesota State Capitol Restoration Project. The multi-year, $309.674 million undertaking has restored one of the country’s grandest state houses to its turn-of-the-century glory—modernizing while burnishing, leaving history unscathed. We were honored to accept the job of re-creating a carpet for the elegant and gilded Governor’s Reception Room, a space the state’s highest official uses for speeches and formal gatherings.
Historic Carpet Restoration - Langhorne Carpet Company


With a gentle suggestion from our Philadelphia friend Gail Winkler—who, with partner Roger W. Moss, quite literally wrote the book on restoring 19th Century American buildings—Minneapolis-based HGA Architects and Engineers found us to create the carpet. HGA wanted an American mill with expertise in historic reproduction, said senior associate and project architect Kimberly Sandbulte, “Langhorne was called out as being the best, if not the only, American mill that could produce a product similar to the original carpet.”

That was in 2002. In 2017, the state house reopened for business. Sandbulte and her team predict the restoration will endure heartily into the next century. We tend to agree.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Gacek Design Group Visits Langhorne Carpet Company


Woven wool Jacquard Carpet
Bill Morrow (left) meets with Gacek Design Group
On Friday, December 16, Langhorne Carpets welcomed Gacek Design Group for a tour of our historic Penndel mill. Langhorne’s own Bill Morrow led the group around our facility, from the Jacquard room to finishing, past narrow and broad looms, and through our design archives. We were delighted the talented firm from New Hope, PA chose to spend their valuable time visiting us. The reason for their visit?

“Over time, you really learn to value expertise,” said Lori Olzewski, the firm’s director of marketing and business development. “One of the things we like to do is build what we call experiential design: Our designs tell a story. They’re based on how people live in a home, on experiences. We were really drawn to the experience of the mill, how differentiated it is.”

Founded in 2005 by Richard Gacek, the interior design and architectural consulting group is known
for their timeless and classic designs for both private and commercial clients. Their portfolio of work spans historic residences, modern farmhouses, traditional apartments, elegant beach houses and classic mountain retreats. They view Langhorne as a natural choice for their work.

Custom woven wool carpet designs
“Carpet making is a lost art,” said Olzewski. “At Langhorne, you can customize, personalize. We value Langhorne’s expertise, and our clients value that expertise.”






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www.langhornecarpets.com