God Save the Queen—George Smith helps carry the torch!

God Save the Queen—George Smith helps carry the torch!

The opening day of the London 2012 Olympics began with the lighting of the torch which is on the last leg of its 70-day journey around the country. The flame then made its way on board the Queen's row barge, Gloriana, where it was lit by gold medalist rower Sir Matthew Pinsent. The Olympic flame was then taken along the Thames which made its way to Tower Bridge. The Olympic flame arrived at Tower Bridge alongside City Hall where it will "rest" before emerging to light the cauldron at the opening ceremony.

The Queens Barge, the Gloriana, is a 28.6-metre-long British royal barge. She was privately commissioned as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II for her Diamond Jubilee, and was the lead vessel in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. The project to build Gloriana was initiated by Lord Sterling, who stated he got the idea for a waterborne tribute to the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee from her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales.  Lord Sterling financed the estimated £500,000 construction cost of the project. After leading the Jubilee parade the Gloriana was presented to the Queen as a gift.

The grey-green brocade cushions have been made by upholsterers George Smith, in Chelsea, and by Watts and Co, which made fabrics for the Queen's Coronation. “We wanted to show the colors of the Thames but in a nice way,” said the Gloriana's interior designer, Kate Woods.

“While the cushions are not really a hero piece from George Smith, we are honored as a British Heritage Brand to be included, even in a small way, in such important moments of British history—in light of this we teamed with Fromental, Best & Lloyd and Julian Chichester to decorate our windows at our Fine Arts showroom in New York City” says Patricia Spado—head of US Operations.

George Smith is the manufacturer and purveyor of handmade furniture and fabrics of the highest quality in both design and craftsmanship. Visit www.georgesmith.com to learn more.