After a feature appeared in the current September issue of House Beautiful, we’ve had tons of inquiries into the very special fabric we created for the First Lady’s Luncheon, so we wanted to provide more details about Kravet’s history with the event.
Every year since 1912, The Congressional Club has hosted a luncheon for the First Lady. Since 2001, Kravet has created and donated tablecloth fabric for the event’s 200 tables.
For this year’s event, held in April, Kravet created a custom design for the tablecloth fabric. The theme for the event honoring Mrs. Obama was Illumination Celebration, which led to inspiration from the amazing chandeliers in the White House.
The Kravet design team worked with Luncheon Event Chairperson Betty Ann Tanner, who has a true talent and eye for design. They consulted the White House Historical Association, which provided historical context for the White House’s many iconic chandeliers. Ultimately, four images were chosen to reproduce on fabric.
After an incredibly exciting and inspiring year-long design process, the result is an exclusive cornflower blue fabric featuring the chandelier patterns in white, Michelle-5. The fabric perfectly illustrated the theme of Illumination Celebration as Mrs. Obama "lights the way to volunteerism."
Through the fall, visitors can stop by the Kravet showroom at the Washington Design Center in D.C. (pictured above) to see a recreation of the table setting featuring the tablecloth fabric and a very special guest.
The pattern was also scaled down, Michelle-515, to create tote bags that were distributed as thank you gifts to the attendees of the luncheon.
The limited edition bags are available for sale for $40 plus $10 shipping, while supplies last, through The Congressional Club website or by calling or 202-332-1155.
The fabric is available for sale to the trade through Kravet in both the large and small-scale designs.
Kravet is proud to be a part of this special event year after year, which honors our nation’s First Lady.
