In 2019, two iconic fabric lines were on the verge of extinction… Rose Cumming Chintzes and Classic Cloth. After the former manufacturer filed for bankruptcy, Lauren Hudson saved the two brands from falling into obscurity and is on a mission preserve the storied textiles and introduce them to a new generation of designers. Hudson is an interior designer and founder of The Wells Companies.
“With Rose Cumming, I’m taking it back to its roots,” Hudson told Business of Home. “Those chintzes are special, and the archive we have taken possession of is beautiful. There are some fabrics in that archive I can’t wait to get my hands on. If they’re recolored or rescaled—there’s enough that’s not out there right now to keep us busy for several years.”
Rose Cumming Chintzes fabrics have long been celebrated and employed by A-list decorators including Tom Britt, Michael Smith, Richard Keith Langham, and Mario Buatta. Cumming’s great-niece Sarah Cumming Cecil, President and Principal Designer at the Rose Cumming interior design firm says, “My great-aunt, the legendary Rose Cumming, began decorating in 1917 and producing her iconic fabrics and wallpapers soon thereafter. We are delighted that The Wells Companies will be relaunching this uniquely beautiful line for those who have always loved it and for generations to come.”
Rose Cumming arrived in New York from Australia in 1917 with her sister, a silent-screen actress. Cumming quickly became the toast of the town, recognized for her unique talent and unparalleled sense of color. She was one of the “Great Lady Decorators” who invented the field of professional decorating and interior design in the early twentieth century. Cumming opened a retail shop for antiques and fabrics on the Upper East Side, which also served as her decorating office. She put her best furniture in the window of the shop left the lights on at night, which nobody had ever done. The shop became a destination for celebrities such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Babe Paley, Andy Warhol, Rudolph Nureyev, and Jacqueline Onasis. Glamorous movies stars such as Marlene Deitrich, Norma Shearer, and Mary Pickford were among her star-studded client roster.
Known for her flair of mixing bold patterns and colors, Cumming also invented metallic wallpaper, which allowed her rooms to glow. Her rooms were sumptuous with glittering chandeliers, oriental birdcages, and fine carpets, along with a of mix styles including Gothic, Venetian, Australian Baroque, eighteenth-century Continental, and Chinoiserie. Flamboyant and eccentric, Cummings also incorporated surrealism and drama with a dash of the eclectic and bizarre. She died in 1968, but the name Rose Cumming remains synonymous with style, wit, and beauty. And thanks to Lauren Hudson, her exquisite and iconic chintzes will continue to be enjoyed by future generations!

Rose Cumming’s living room circa 1960

Rose Cumming in her antiques shop, 1964, by Jeanloup Sieff for Harper’s Bazaar (via The Devoted Classicist)

One of Mario Buatta’s Final Projects featuring curtains of a Rose Cumming fabric.

Mario Buatta’s second apartment on 72nd Street. “It was my Rose Cumming period – silver tea-paper walls, dark green woodwork, mercury mirrors, and chintz,” he said in Mario Buatta – Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration. Buatta worked for Rose Cumming while saving for the Parsons School to begin his career. “She had the most wonderful chintzes,” he said.

The French settees in this Nantucket cottage are covered in Sackville-West chintz by Rose Cumming.

Designer and lifestyle expert Holly Holden made Chinoiserie pelmets and curtains from Sackville-West.

William Eubanks selected Sackville-West for the guest room in his 1920s Tudor in Memphis.

Sackville-West chintz via William Eubanks

Designers Olasky & Sinsteden used Rose Cumming’s classic print Genges in linen on the sofa in this cozy library.

Pillows in Rose Cumming “Genges” fabric designed by Jayne Design Studio

Rose Cumming chintz in the Sussex home of Ronald Grimaldi via Little Augury

Custom lampshades in Rose Cumming’s Delphinium grace the bedroom of Colette van Den Thillart

Mark D. Sikes selected a Rose Cumming fabric for the custom shade on the pendant above the breakfast table.

Designer Janet Simon selected Chestnut Leaves for the chair cushions in this beautiful home.

Chair upholstered in Sabu-Terrace via House of Ruby.

Sabu-Terrace was used in Carolina Herrera’s 2019 Rose Cumming Capsule Collection

Designer Betty Sherrill selected Rose Cumming’s Lace for her Southampton home

Lace via Betty Sherrill

Fashion designer Bill Blass designed a skirt with Cabbage Rose for his spring 1983 collection.

Cabbage Rose was named a “Classic Southern Chintz” by Southern Living magazine.
Classic Cloth and Rose Cumming Chintzes are found in some of the best showrooms across the country and beyond, including Ainsworth-Noah in Atlanta, Wells Abbott in Texas, Jasper Showroom in Los Angeles, and Tissus d’Helene in London. In addition, all designs are on the newly launched websites: wellstextiles.com, rosecumming.com, and classicc

That’s terrific news!
And thanks for the mention.
Sound so innovative!! It’s so mesmerizing to read this
Fabulous!
Fun fact: Mario Buatta almost certainly developed his love for Japanned cabinets from Rose Cumming. This may be old news to those of you in the know, but the new kid in town found it interesting and wanted to share.
Another hit, Andrea!