THE BUTLER'S CLOSET –– Unique Products to Preserve and Protect your Wardrobe, Furniture, and other Important Treasures.
The idea to start this company came to me in 2003 as I placed a special dress from Nina Ricci, Paris, in my closet.
For years, as CEO of Parfums Nina Ricci, I traveled to Paris and acquired a small wardrobe of elegant dresses and suits from the ready-to-wear and couture collections. My goal was to keep them safe by using museum conservation techniques.
Knowing that chemicals from dry cleaning bags would harm these clothes, I began to search for archival, museum quality cotton garment bags to protect my clothes from light, dust and damage.
No such covers were to be found.
So, I decided to create my own unique line of museum quality, archival wardrobe and furniture covers made from 100% cotton percale. These protective garment bags and furniture covers are free of chemicals, bleach and dyes and meet textile conservation standards.
As I developed ideas, I read extensively about the Edwardian Era and the Stately Homes in the English countryside. During those halcyon days, Butlers and their staff organized a life of magnificent luxury.
These experts were a hidden force managing the estates flawlessly and providing the most deluxe accommodations and service. They were responsible for priceless collections of art and furniture, silver and porcelain. These vast collections had been built by successive generations of aristocrats over many centuries.
The care and management of these extraordinary homes and valuable treasures were in the capable hands of these experts. Indeed, it was the Butler and Housekeeper who developed some of the very techniques that museum conservators use to maintain these Stately Homes and collections today.
WILTON HOUSE, Salisbury England
In addition to researching English Butlers' techniques and traditions, I searched worldwide to find the proper materials. I also enlisted the help of professional textile conservators to ensure the products perform in a way that is consistent with current conservation techniques.
The Butler’s Closet is an original collection of superior quality products offering clothing and and furniture protection.
We have a range of other specialty products––Cotton Shoe Shapers, English Shoehorns and English Horn Clothes Brushes––designed to help you care for your shoes, fine linens and clothing. The majority of our products are manufactured in the USA.
Please visit our Expert Advice Blog for guidance about protecting furniture and preserving your wardrobe. There is also a helpful list of valuable resources - experts in the various areas of conservation and helpful books.
Today, in spite of our fast-paced lives, we still want to care for our possessions - to protect them and enjoy them for years to come, in order to hand them down to the next generation.
It is my goal to introduce you to the products and techniques used by Butlers and Housekeepers then and museum conservators today to help you protect and preserve the special things you own.
Welcome to THE BUTLER'S CLOSET!
Barbara Harman
barbara@thebutlerscloset.com
914-779-1537