Visit to D. Porthault
I had the pleasure of visiting the D. Porthault showroom in Dallas last week and meeting its store manager, Angela, and her associate, Kelly.
They were incredibly sweet and gave me the run down on their linens. Unbeknownst to me, their linens have an extensive, very interesting history. They have been around since 1920 and was started by Daniel Porthault and his wife, Madeleine, in Paris during the Roaring Twenties.
What was different about their linens during this time was that they weren’t the traditional white and ivory linens- instead, they were printed sheets inspired by Madeleine’s love for Impressionist art and the gardens at Giverny.
The rest is history as they say…
D. Porthault has created and printed custom linens for almost ninety years. The White House and Buckingham Palace were just a few noteable places in which the Porthault linens resided. Some of their clients have included Audrey Hepburn, Sir Winston Churchill, President and Mrs. Kennedy, Coco Chanel, and Brigitte Bardot.
{Tori Burch’s bedding}
In 1976, the brand expanded to porcelain, beachware, accessories, and children’s clothing.
The four leaf clover that was often seen in Louise de Vilmorin’s signature (she was a friend of the Porthaults’) inspired Les Trefles, another well known D. Porthault print. (below)
Another classic pattern of theirs is Les Coeurs (above). It was designed with the Duchess of Windsor and is now the infamous heart pattern that their clients love and know so well!
The Dallas location opened back in 2004 (in Highland Park Village) and has been a very successful boutique ever since! They have tons of loyal clients who keep coming back for more of their legendary prints.
It seems you can’t flip through a magazine these days without finding an advertisement or article about D. Porthault. Last month they graced the cover of House Beautiful, next month- who knows where they will pop up? All I know is that with the continued production of such beautiful patterns, D. Porthault will no doubt be around for another ninety years!
