Six degrees of separation from Robb & Stucky.

 By Carol Tisch

Joe Ruggiero and I have more friends in common than anyone cares to read about, but I had to wait 20-plus years to meet the HGTV host and This Old House celebrity designer at a Robb & Stucky seminar. Joe came to town to as spokesman for Sunbrella fabrics, for whom he has designed a brilliant new fabric line for indoor furniture that has all the strength and easy care of the Sunbrella textiles we all know and love for outdoor seating, awnings and boats. 

Carol Tisch and celebrity designer Joe Ruggiero

Robb & Stucky carries the complete Sunbrella line in its upstairs fabric library, where you can select any pattern or color for the furniture you buy, or order yardage to have re-upholstery and draperies done in their workrooms. It’s amazing what the store has to offer on the second floor—rugs, flooring, window treatments, everything that allows their designers to completely furnish a home. It’s a total decorating concept, not just furniture or decorative accessories.

Sunbrella's Indigo collection can be machine-washed with bleach

Back to Joe. It’s safe to say that more than 200 fans (mostly women) turned out earlier this month for Ruggiero’s presentation at Robb & Stucky because of his acclaim rather than a burning desire to see his Sunbrella stuff.  But the stuff stole the show. Joe Ruggiero’s forte is creating sophisticated environments that are inspirational as well as attainable. During his 30-year career, he has become one of America’s most trusted authorities by helping consumers understand that design can incorporate both an aesthetic and practical point of view.

Color and damask pattern was inspired by Ruggiero's visit to Venice 

Nothing illustrates that concept better than Joe’s new indoor fabrics for Sunbrella. Women in the audience were amazed at the beauty of the new velvets that look like mohair and silk; the soft chenilles; the sheers that won’t fade—and the fact that every fabric can be machine-washed with a cup of bleach. “It’s a new frontier,” Joe proclaimed. “Any any of these indoor velvets and silk looks will hold up perfectly on outdoor furniture as well.”

Ruggiero showed the Robb & Stucky audience slides and clips from his travels across America and around the world for his HGTV series—and how gardens, castles, and homes from Venice to the English countryside to Mexico have impacted the color and patterns of his fabrics.

After the presentation, Joe and I sat down on a sofa from his upholstery collection for Miles Talbott (which Robb & Stucky also carries). We reminisced about our mutual friends—all of whom are connected by degrees of separation from our mutual creative mentor, Don Wise. Don invented the boutique ad agency. Joe and I were both clients. We used the same photographer, stylist, art director and account executives, and knew the same design editors and publishers— but had never even met at a Christmas party. Small world.

Next Wednesday, Feb 18, interior designer Howard Firth will conduct a free seminar at 10:30 a.m. at Robb & Stucky, 7557 S. Tamiami Trail. For information or reservations, call 922-2274. For a list of upcoming events and seminars, go to http://www.robbstucky.com/Seminars-By-Location.aspx?Id=7