Local cafe boasts same interiors as the White House and Buckingham Palace

Family textile company Calzeat started out in a tiny Biggar mill in 1973 with just two ancient looms and big ideas. Now it has woven an incredible international reputation for itself with a client list that reads like a who's who of showbiz royalty, with Sean Connery, George Clooney, Steven Spielberg and Michelle Pfeiffer among their fans.

Interior designer Viv Galbraith is married to Calzeat's marketing director Bob, who's father started the company in the small Borders town over 40 years ago.

Viv met her husband at an interior exhibition in Rio the early 90s, and it seems fate always intended their paths to meet, as Viv joked: "I was born in the same year Calzeat started, so it seems we were destined to be together!"

Viv, 42, has spent years developing her own highly successful interior design company and was recently commissioned to refurbish local cafe, Aroma. 

When Flora Neville and Hillary Tawse decided that their High Street caf' was badly in need of a revamp, Calzeat was the first thing that came to mind.

Flora said: "Calzeat has such a good reputation and of course they're local, and we were very keen to use local designers, local materials, and local tradesman in our refurb. 

"Hillary, my business partner, joked that if Calzeat is good enough for the White House it's good enough for Aroma! And Viv has done a great job, she's created a really modern feel but still keeping it really traditional and cosy."

The pair bought the nine year old cafe in 2013 and are really pleased with it's new look, which was completed just two weeks ago.

Flora added: "The last thing we wanted was it to be minimalist and stark. We are getting such good feedback, people say its so much brighter and seems bigger.

"Calzeat's fabrics are just beautiful, and we have these fantastic handmade slates for cakes and things, made by Moira Thomson."

Now the cafe can boast that they share interiors with the likes of the Whitehouse and Kensington Palace. 

In 1992, Calzeat was commissioned to reproduce drapes and wall fabric for Windsor Castle after it was ravaged by fire. In the recently released photos of the adorable Prince George on a rockinghorse during a visit from President Obama, Calzeat's fabrics make a cameo appearance in the background.

And their designs also share centre stage with the President himself every time he addresses the nation, as their deep red curtains drape behind him in the Oval Office.

Viv said: "Bob is always posting the picture of Obama with Calzeat's curtains on Facebook, it's quite funny. It's our little claim to fame! The company made the cloth for the White House when Obama was elected in 2008."

The Obamas loved the firm's designs which got the go-ahead after a sample was sent to the White House for the President and wife Michelle’s approval.

And for years, Calzeat have been used by Obama’s celebrity LA based interior designer Michael Smith for a whole host of prestigious clients as previously mentioned.

The firm's fabrics have also been used for the past eight years in the glittering 'Dressed to Kilt' charity event held annually in New York, where a star-studded cast take to the runway to fundraise for Help the Heroes.

Billy Connolly and Mike Myers are among the famous faces to have showcased the work of the Biggar mill, in what is now regarded as a prominent fixture in the New York fashion calendar.

Viv, who is currently working on projects closer to home in Biggar's Elphinstone Hotel and Tinto House Hotel, added: "It’s amazing to think that a little piece of Biggar can be found all over the world.”