Annie Selke: Material World
March 3, 2020
Text by Maria LaPiana   Photography by Annie Selke Companies
Annie Selke estimates she has about 300 yearsâ worth of textile history crammed into two antique Swedish armoires that belonged to her mother. âI could design the next twenty collections without ever leaving the building,â she says.
The buildingâa refurbished wool mill in Pittsfield, Massachusettsâserves as both company headquarters and a constant source of inspiration for the renowned designer and purveyor of home textiles. Itâs home to the Annie Selke Companies, which include Selkeâs eponymous fabrics collection as well as Pine Cone Hill, her bedding company, and Dash & Albert rugs.
A lifelong resident of the Berkshires, Selke purchased the four-building complex in 2006. âI was sold on the openness of the third floor of the main building,â she says. âThe windows are large, and the light just pours in.â
That third floor is where she located her office, which she adorned with a wall of blue and white china behind her desk, because, she says, âIt makes me happy.â She shares the floor with her creative, product development, and marketing departments.
Selke, who started Pine Cone Hill twenty-five years ago out of her dining room, has a special affinity for the history of the building, one of the last surviving wool mills in Pittsfield. Today, she employs 180 people in the 179,000-square-foot headquarters.
The complex holds an on-site photo studio, a customer service department, an outlet store, a quality-control department, a sewing room, an art and textile archive, and a warehouse stacked with bedding, pillows, and rugs.
âMy feeling is that where we work should be as uplifting as where we live, so I put a lot of thought into our office design,â she says. Beyond being a pretty place to work, it also holds an on-site gym and yoga studio. (No doubt a good spot for testing Selkeâs line of yoga mats and pillows.)
And although itâs not uncommon for Selke to travel for work, itâs also no wonder that she says, âWhen it comes to inspiration, I honestly have everythingâand everyoneâI need right here.â
The Annie Selke Companies, Pittsfield, Mass.
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