Once Upon a Pillow: A Story of Home, Design and Exquisite Textiles

- Once Upon A Pillow is the first book to highlight a designer making luxury pillows from antique textiles. - Features an extensive glossary of sewing, stitching, and textile terms and categories. Once Upon a Pillow features a stunning collection of pillows and accessories designed by Rebecca Vizard. Celebrated for her innovative use of rare antique textiles - from the embroidered metallic threads of ecclesiastical vestments to Venetian Fortuny draperies and Central Asian suzanis -her designs present a perfect balance of art and material culture. A favorite of designers and a discerning public, her pillows and accessories adorn some of America's finest homes. An early childhood fascination with textiles eventually led her to create pillows from her growing personal collection of rare textiles and, when Neiman Marcus placed its first order in 1999, B VIZ Design was officially launched. While her collecting forays frequently take her abroad, she returns to her Louisiana roots and its rich history and tradition of decorative arts for inspiration. In addition to Ms. Vizard's home, rooms in a range of styles and periods by such top flight designers as Gerrie Bremermann, Barry Dixon, Suzanne Kasler and Matthew Patrick Smyth are included to illustrate embroidery, applique, tapestry, needlepoint, Fortuny, damask and brocade and suzani and ethnic pillows. A selection of accessories from lighting, gifts and dog wear of Fortuny fabric is also highlighted and an annotated textile glossary is included. Early in her career, while working on interior design projects from New York to New Orleans, Rebecca Vizard noticed a void in the pillow market. Discovering a niche for antique textiles, Vizard focused on designing these one of a kind pillows for clients, and in the process employed many local seamstresses. Soon pillows sold to Neiman Marcus and other exclusive stores. Her pillows frequently grace the covers of national publications, such as House Beautiful, Veranda, Elle Decor, Traditional Home, and Architectural Digest.