Cultural Evolution

Edited by Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 1/1/2010 12:00:00 AM

Deep inside every fashion designer a furniture aficionado lurks, waiting to be unleashed. Just ask Vivienne Tam, the latest apparel idol to transport catwalk glamour to living rooms. Her namesake collection for Rowe Furniture taps into motifs from her Cantonese youth: chow legs on the Laurel ottoman, nods to Chinese Chippendale in the carved arms of the Camellia sofa. Many of the 45 fabrics that appear on the 15 seating designs, including three floor pillows, were adapted from her women 's wear—the most arresting being the Chairman Mao polyester, a 1995 print that makes an ideal complement to the brushed-steel pedestal base of her Peony swivel chair. 703-847-8670; rowefurniture.com. circle 403