Bruno Paulin-Lopez of Upholstery Education gives a presentation on the Herter Brothers Furniture and their contribution to American excellence in upholstery.

Bruno was born in Paris, France, 123 Port Royal in the fourteen quarter, November 2nd 1958. He is from a family of Spaniard masons and a mother who was a milliner as well as a dressmaker/designer in haute couture. He grew up surrounded by fabrics, buttons, threads, patterns and scaffolding, bricks and plaster. Most of his youth acquaintances were in the furniture trades including finishers, cabinetmakers and upholsterers. His attraction to the upholstery trade was an obvious result of his family surroundings.

His high school years were spent at "Lycee La Fontaine", in the sixteenth quarter, where he graduated with a Bac A6+, majoring in Music with English and Spanish minors. After graduating Bruno went to the well renowned "Ecole Faidherbe" now "La Bonne Graine" located in the eleventh quarter, right in the center of the Parisian hub of all furniture trades. He then started a traditional apprenticeship program through technical schooling as well as hands on coaching. He graduated in 1978.

Bruno worked all over Paris and then landed a job at the Ritz Hotel Place Vendome where he became Upholsterer in Residence. The job description included fabrication and maintenance of all the interiors.

His passion for music made him move to America in 1982 where he was accepted to attend the Berklee College of Music. He got his associate degree in 1983. After graduating he decided to establish shop in western Massachusetts to provide for his newly born family. After fifteen years of operation, collaborating with major and award winning architectural and designer firms, the success of his business was hampered by the tragedy of September eleventh. After a thorough re-assessment and reflection on those events, he was back in business with new partners and a new name: Atelier de France.

Business brought him down to historic red hook Brooklyn where he stayed until superstorm Sandy hit lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. In 2012 he moved to upstate New York where he still operates currently.

Bruno has taught at North Bennett Street School in Boston, at the British School of Upholstery in the UK, and with Upholstery Education in San Diego. Bruno has lectured and regularly about traditional upholstery at the General Society for Mechanics and tradesmen at the Parson School of Design. His collaboration with the Cincinnati Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, The Museum of the city of New York, The Louis Armstrong Museum, The Neue Gallery, The Abraham Lincoln House, The Morris Jumel Mansion, The John Jay Homestead State Historic Site, Classical American Homes, and the Park Avenue Armory to which he was presented with an interior restoration award for his collaboration on the restoration of the veteran's room sealed his reputation for historical interior restoration and conservation.

Bruno is currently busy teaching and upholstering in his upstate New York studio.