We have been working with the good folks over at Stansborough Fibres in New Zealand since the late 1990's. They were one of the original artisans that we partnered with when we first launched Pfeifer Studio, which back then was just Pfeifer.

Originally we wholesaled their collection to the US market and it was available through luxury retailers, including ABC Carpet and Home and Saks Fifth Avenue. Over the years, like the rest of our line, we decided to bring it directly to retail buyers at a lower price and so we began to sell it online right here at pfeiferstudio.com

We are delighted debut a new collection for the coming cold weather months that is as inspired as the first batch of blankets we offered back when we started.

Starting at $279 + Free Delivery, all styles are eco-friendly, all natural and ready to ship. Have a look at the designs available for Fall 2012 below and click here to see the collection our popular Blanket and Throws category.

At Pfeifer Studio we love our Greys…our Stansborough Greys that is. We also love the fabulous designers we get to work with, and we recently received a pleasant surprise from Planeta Basque, an award-winning full-service Architectural Interiors and Interior Design Firm out of Boston who frequently shops Pfeifer Studio.

Nationally recognized for their excellence and creativity, in addition to being featured in magazines like Interior Design and Design New England, we were excited to receive a photo of a stunning one bedroom model unit they designed for the W Boston Residences. Aside from the seriously gorgeous neutral color palette, we couldn’t help but notice the completely scrumptious gray floor cushions made from Stansborough wool felt purchased through Pfeifer Studio.

In case you didn’t already know, Pfeifer Studio is the exclusive online retailer of Stansborough’s wool fashion and home accessories collection. Stansborough, who weaves the rarest natural fibers in the world, is based out of a clean green 3000 acre farm nestled in New Zealand’s Waipara Valley. With products that are 100% environmentally safe and use only natural colors and biodegradable over dyes, there are no harmful acids used in the coloring process.

Designs superior to more common wools, the rare breed of sheep contributing to this effort are known as Stansborough Greys. With other 10 years of selective breeding to produce the silky and lustrous fiber, the flock is now over 1000 strong and still the only one of its kind in the world.

Stansborough's wool felts are individually made by hand, creating subtle variations that make each piece completely unique. To make the felt, wool fiber is laid to pattern on a felting table and covered with a layer of fine netting. Hot and cold soapy water is poured over the wool while a bamboo blind is used to roll and knead the wool into felt. The felt is then gently removed from the bamboo, carefully rinsed, spun, pulled into shape and dried flat.

In reference to our earlier mention of the seriously neutral color palette used in Planeta Basque’s room, we are glad to see last year’s emphasis on gray is still going strong. Our own personal liking of cool gray tones balanced with dark browns, you’ll see this referenced throughout the Pfeifer collection. And, with fall right around the corner, you’ll definitely want to check out more of our gray wool collection and especially our Wool Felt Rug and Wool Felt Mat created exclusively by Stansborough.

“The design concepts for the "inspired concepts" collection of model residences at The W Boston Residences, including all loose furnishings and certain fixtures and finishes, were entirely conceived by the participating designers. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., W Hotels and their affiliates were not involved in developing the design concepts or selecting such furnishings, fixtures and finishes for the unit and make no representations that they are consistent with the image, quality, design standards and expectations of the W Brand. W Boston is a SW Boston Hotel Venture LLC project. The W Boston Residences are not owned, developed or sold by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. or its affiliates. SW Boston Hotel Venture LLC uses the W® trademarks and trade names under a license from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. This is not an offer to sell or solicitation of offers to buy, nor is any offer or solicitation made where prohibited by law. The statements set forth herein are summary in nature and should not be relied upon. A prospective purchaser should refer to the entire set of documents provided by SW Boston Hotel Venture LLC and should seek competent legal advice in connection therewith. Equal housing opportunity.”

Pfeifer Studio is proud to be the exclusive online retailer of Stansborough Wools of New Zealand. Their hand made wool throws and blankets are some of the most popular styles on the site and we recently decided to expand our offerings to include select styles from their fashion collection, including the ever-so inviting pink suede sheepskin slippers that you see to the left.

What makes Stansborough Wool's designs so unique? Well for starters Stansborough founders, Barry and Cheryl Elridge, take a hands-on approach to the production of their wool designs.

The Elridges raise a rare breed of sheep, known as 'Stansborough Greys' on their 3000 acre farm, nestled in New Zealand's Wairarapa Valley. Over 10 years of selective breeding has developed a silky and lustrous fiber. Their flock is now over one thousand strong, still the only one of its kind in the world.

'Stansborough Alpaca' are also bred at the farm. With more than 20 different natural shades, the Alpaca wool expands the color palette and is used to enhance the natural colors of 'Stansborough Greys.'

Barry and Cheryl personally sort the fleece and only select the finest quality fibers for use in their production. Stansborough's luxurious wool throws are woven at their Wellington Mill on looms dating from the early 1890’s and have a unique, handmade and natural feel, distinguishing them from mass-produced, commercial soft goods.

Their sumptuous wool felts are individually hand made, creating subtle variations that make each piece completely unique.

The time spent producing each Stansborough design is evident in their quality and each style produced in Stansborough Wool can truly be called handmade.