Designwire Daily: from the editors of Interior Design magazine

Designtex Celebrates 50 Years

by Staff | Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Designtex founder Ralph Saltzman with Lisa Saltzman and Susan Lyons, former VP of Design in the late 1990s.

Let’s all agree that reaching the half century mark in today’s world is a major accomplishment. (We’re talking companies here, not people.) So to celebrate this benchmark, Designtex threw a party for about 400 guests in its newly renovated headquarters on Varick Street in downtown Manhattan. Attendees mingled to the tune of dueling fiddlers, while sipping wine and tasting savory hors d’oeuvres as they absorbed the glorious New York City skyline from the company’s expansive veranda. An earlier slideshow of Designtex‘s history provided some insights into the company’s origin as well as its employees’ dedication. One slide showed the average hourly commute time of Designtex workers, with some traveling from as far away as Pennsylvania and one hardy soul setting the daily alarm clock for 3:30 am.  With such a dedicated team helping it prosper, Designtex may well look to celebrate its 100th anniversary in the same grand style.

Interior Design Hall of Famer Neville Lewis with his wife Ruth.

A timeline of Designtex through the decades, starting with founder Ralph Saltzman in 1961.

Designtex's Caroline Vaughn, Director of Marketing (left), and Kimberle Frost, VP of Design (far right), share a moment with Interior Design Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen.

Jim Hackett, CEO of Steelcase shakes hands with Designtex CEO Tom Hamilton.

The Dueling Fiddlers against a spectacular New York City skyline featuring the Empire State Building.

Images courtesy of Designtex.