For over thirty years Umbra has been providing unique home ware products such as decorative accessories for the house to practical items such as innovatively designed kitchen seats and draperies. It all began when Paul Rowan, a young graphic designer at the time, had a difficult time finding the right window shade for his apartment. With nothing available in the market, he simply decided to make his own. From the success of this little project he went on to team with Les Mandelbaum and Umbra blossomed into life. Throughout the three decades they have been in the business, Umbra has won several awards such as the IDEA Award which was granted for their Oh! Chair back in 1999. Umbra continued to push forward with new, innovative designs that even Oprah Winfrey had quoted as her favorites.