Andrew Lefevre was an artist and interior designer whose curtains, bedspreads, tablecloths and drapes were valued by clients across Western Pennsylvania.
“He was very artistic and talented and sensitive,” said his business partner, Francis Simko Jr. of Swissvale.
Andrew Lefevre of Swissvale died of kidney failure Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014. He was 79.
Mr. Lefevre was born in Adamsburg and graduated from Jeannette High School in 1954.
In 1976, he and Simko Jr. opened Originality Plus in Youngwood, a consignment shop that sold the work of local artists.
When the shop was moved from Youngwood to Swissvale, Mr. Lefevre started to receive many requests to design and make custom bedspreads, curtains and other textiles.
He learned his trade as a young man by installing draperies for JCPenney and by working with interior designers, Simko said.
By the mid-1980s, his design work took up all of his time.
“It got so busy that we actually closed the gift shop,” Simko said.
When he was at his busiest, Mr. Lefevre had eight to 10 employees, according to Simko.
“The word got out and more and more designers came to him,” Simko said.
Much of his work was behind the scenes. He would help interior designers produce what they envisioned, or make designs of his own for private clients.
His employees would cut and sew each piece, making custom pieces.
“He did a lot of the work for the top designers in the city for 12 to 15 years,” Simko said, “I don't think I want to tell (about) too many of the customers, because some of them were very influential.
Mr. Lefevre's most recent client was Frick Art & Historical Center in Pittsburgh, Simko said.
Mr. Lefevre loved to throw parties for his friends, recalls his niece, Jami Hudson of Youngwood. He would organize get-togethers in gardens, theme parties and holiday celebrations.
“He was the life of the party,” Hudson said.
He was an artist and worked in a variety of media, she said.
“For our birthday he would always give us art — a painting or an enamel,” Hudson said.
Mr. Lefevre is survived by his sister, Lillian M. Mazzaferro of Tampa, Fla., and 13 nieces and nephews.
Friends will be received 2 to 8 p.m. Friday in Thomas L. Nied Funeral Home, 7441 Washington St., Swissvale. A service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Jacob Tierney is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-6646 or jtierney@tribweb.com.
