Last year, Schumacher celebrated its 125th anniversary with parties across the country, a special anniversary collection and other major changes within the brand, all adding up to a historic company effectively keeping up with modern needs and sensibilities. And it’s continuing into 2015.

As of March 5, Schumacher has a completely retooled and fully redesigned website, FSchumacher.com. Created to be a dynamic and inspiring user experience, the site combines the impact of rich editorial content in the form of a new blog headed up by former shelter publication editors and a seamless e-commerce shopping experience.

Through the new website, design professionals can check inventory, reserve stock, approve samples, place and track orders and reference order history—all in real time. In addition, the site’s responsive mobile design means designers can tap into all the website’s features from wherever they are.

The new blog will include designer interviews, current obsessions of the design team and highlights of iconic moments in the brand’s history.

“Schumacher has had an incomparable legacy, and our new website sets the bar yet again,” said Creative Director Dara Caponigro. “Not only will it be a breeze to navigate, but with content created by a staff of well-seasoned magazine editors, the website will have an editorial look with a blog full of exciting design-related features.”

To learn more, Editor at Large chatted with both Caponigro and Interim CEO Stephen Puschel, who shared why right now was the right time for this move. (Editorial Note: as of the time of publication, Stephen Puschel as stepped down as interim CEO. The President and CEO of F. Schumacher & Co. is now Timur Yumusaklar.)

What will be the main differences between the new and old website and blog?

SP: For the new site, we had two goals: to facilitate an excellent commerce experience and to offer market-leading content. On the commerce side, we’ve added functionality that we think our customers love: inventory visibility on each product page, stored addresses, the option to have sub-users on a given account, order history and the ability to convert, extend or cancel reserves. On the content side, our homepage and blog are editorial and engaging. We hope that our customers will enjoy our market insights and guest postings as much as the shopping and browsing capability.

Why is it so important for an established fabric company to invest in an online presence?

SP: Our commitment to design, quality and service will never change, but the ways in which our customers shop and the ways in which we provide service are constantly evolving. Designers are and will be browsing, speccing and shopping digitally more and more—and this digital investment is an acknowledgement of the changing market habits.

How will each of the contributors of the blog bring something new and different to the table—since each has an editorial background?

DC: The contributors of the blog have had six magazines between them—domino, Veranda, In Style, WSJ, Elle Decor and House Beautiful. While they each have different points of view, they all come to the table with a deep appreciation of design and style. We'll cover a myriad of topics that excite us personally and we'll package them with a journalistic eye.

What type of content will the new blog have? Will it cover just Schumacher news, or other design industry happenings?

DC: The blog will focus on style, design, culture and entertaining, and will include everything from an eye-catching flower arrangement to a worthwhile museum exhibition to a history lesson on a style icon. Of course, there will be Schumacher-related content, too—with 125 years to draw on, there are some amazing things to include.

What impact do you hope/expect the new digital platform to have on the fabric business?

SP: We think our new platform will increase our level of service, making doing business with Schumacher easier and ultimately make our customers happier.

Images courtesy of F. Schumacher & Co.