Melchior de Hondecoeter: A Cock and Two Hens, with Chicks, in a Landscape Setting
Welcome to Mr. Thread, thanks for being here! Every week, I bring you the interior design news and industry intel that actually matters to your business. I hope this journal helps you stay informed, grow your business, and uncover your next opportunity. And yes, please reply directly to this email and let us know what you think. We read every message!
Issue #00010 : January 22, 2026
Hello readers.
I spent last week in Paris for Déco Off, where the weather was unseasonably sparkling, and I promised you a full report. Performance fabrics are hot, Féau Boiseries was on everyone’s lips, while maximalism continues its rise—you know the drill.
But the most captivating moments weren’t on showroom floors. They happened inside centuries-old French workrooms. I visited Phelippeau, a 155-year-old upholstery atelier, and met the brilliant artisans at Declercq Passementier whose work traces back to King Henry VIII.
These craftsmen aren’t worried about AI. You can’t vibe code hand-stitched pleats or museum-grade artistry that takes hundreds of hours of painstaking handwork for a single tassel. Their real struggle is education and storytelling. Making their work seem relevant and understood by a younger generation living in today’s digital-first world.
Interestingly, these workshops are forming consortiums to combine their powers. They’re teaming up to teach the value of their craft to a new generation, and learning how to survive in a market flooded with fly-by-night brands.
I also ran into more Mr. Thread readers than I expected. Apparently, the newsletter has been flying around Paris faster than I did.
Between meetings, I had the best cassoulet of my life at an off-the-beaten-path Parisian bistro named Benjamin Schmitt, thanks to a tip from the Meenrok List food blog. If you don’t know cassoulet—rich, slow-cooked French stew full of sausage and confit duck—you’re missing out.
Keep reading to find out about Pharrell’s interior design debut, how America invading Greenland might affect furniture prices, and why India might be your next big play.
Think of this newsletter as a cassoulet of interior design news.
See you next week.
Industry
Cole Thomas: The Course of Empire, Desolation
Inside the D&D Building’s slow collapse
Charles Cohen owns New York’s D&D Building— the greatest collection of fabrics and wallpaper in the world on display in one place. He also owes Fortress Investment Group $187 million and is slowly losing everything. Cohen has already lost the DCOTA in Florida and the Houston Design Center. According to The Real Deal, Fortress is requesting a court-appointed receiver to sell his assets, saying Cohen “cannot be trusted” to oversee the process himself. I could have told you that 30 years ago. Savage.