This designer reuses vintage furniture into modern pieces

After nearly 20 years in the fashion industry, Rachel Rosenblum He was ready to change his profession. Although she has spent the past decade working closely with Italian silk textile mills as director of accessory design, it wasn’t until she found her creative calling that she turned the antique she inherited from her grandmother. “I wanted to translate my passion for textiles into remodeling furniture,” she says. work from home.

In 2020, Rosenblum launched Double R Design with a collection of 12 recycled furniture pieces, including velvet-covered club chairs with palm leaf-patterned backs and a swivel chair dressed in a scattered paint print. “Many pieces were pulled from the back of a pickup truck on its way to the landfill,” she says.

Inside her Brooklyn studio, Rosenblum and her team recreate everything from vintage rattan chairs to modern mid-century armchairs and tasseled ottomans. “We also collaborate with local workshops that specialize in refinishing, painting and upholstering to ensure that every piece is truly heirloom,” she says. “Our studio is basically a high-end one-stop shop for custom remodeled furniture.”

When looking for vintage designs to recycle, Rosenblum tends to gravitate toward pieces with good bone and thoughtful details, such as spindle legs and scalloped edges. “Whether it’s intricate hand-carving or an iconic silhouette, we look for pieces that stand the test of time,” she says.

After making any necessary frame repairs, she counts on eye-catching fabrics and rich finishes to bring every salvaged discovery back to life. “Most of my upholstery comes from independent fabric designers—although I go to the big houses like Schumacher and Kravet when I look for high-performance fabrics or great velvet,” she says. “I love incorporating vibrant elements to create a contrast with the old world frames.”

Along with a range of fully restored box goods and upholstered furniture pieces, Double R Design also offers a variety of custom services. “You can offer your own piece to take back or pick an unfinished item from our inventory,” she says. “Our goal is to turn your piece into a unique and unique work of art.”

Currently working hard on her next collection—which will include an upholstered chest of drawers and a lacquer desk in bird-inspired hues—Rosenblum says her aesthetic is evolving by leaps and bounds. “When I launched my first line, I was experimenting with many different techniques in upholstery, such as upholstery,” she says. “Now my collections are much smaller, and I’m focused on creating luxurious, one-of-a-kind pieces.”

From May 27 to May 29, Rosenblum will share a booth with House SFW at Field + Supply Spring MRKT. She’s also in the process of renovating a dining room set up in collaboration with London-based needlepoint studio Hunt & Hope. “My goal is to build a trusted reputation in the interior design world for our distinct sense of style and extreme attention to detail,” she says.

If you want to know more about Rachel Rosenblum and Double R Design, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.

Homepage photo: Double R Design Velvet Club Chairs | Tara Striano