The fantastic floral silks of a prolific English pattern designer.
Born on this day in 1688 in Hartston, Leicestershire to a reverend and his wife, Anna Maria Garthwaite became one of the most famous English designers of her time. The fine silk designs of Anna Maria Garthwaite–when I have been lucky enough to see them in museums like the Victoria & Albert Museum– give me so much pleasure in their balanced, delicate renderings of flora and masterful use of color.
Read MoreAfter being postponed from April 2020, Milan Design Week’s Fuorisalone and a special edition of Salone del Mobile brought fresh ideas and excitement.
The work of Suzie Zuzek (1920-2011) received some well-deserved attention this past year. A beautiful monograph, “Suzie Zuzek for Lilly Pulitzer: The Artist Behind an Iconic American Fashion Brand, 1962-1985”, a solo show at the Cooper Hewitt, and a stellar presentation by Susan Brown, Associate Curator of Textiles at the Cooper Hewitt and co-author of the book, all shed light on Suzie’s beautiful but little-known work.
Read MoreSince 1993, Proposte Fair has been an indispensable trade show for the high-end, home furnishings textile industry. By now, I have lost count of how many times I have walked the halls of Proposte looking for the perfect textile for this collection or that project. I first visited early on in my career when I worked at Schumacher, and I’ve never stopped feeling like a kid in a candy store.
Read MoreIn the Fall 2021 - Staying Power edition we ask: What defines iconic American design, and what will define it tomorrow? The pandemic’s new way of life has ignited nostalgic interest in tried-and-true favorites, dovetailed with fresh interpretations.
Read MoreNature has been the great Muse for centuries, and it is no less impactful today. Pattern designers turn to the natural world for inspiration, with current renditions offering personal and textural takes on trees, leaves, landscapes, and waterscapes. Pratt Institute-trained painter Alex Mason is no exception to the call of the wild. The result is Ferrick Mason, a hand-rendered fabric and wallpaper line full of graphic, abstract repeats and references to sinuous flora and fauna. The brand graces the cover of Staying Power: Iconic American Designs of Today and Tomorrow, with an interview in the “The New Naturalists” theme.
But Alex Mason wasn’t always in full bloom.
Read MoreThe beauty of handcrafted objects of the highest quality has always been appreciated by interior designers—and is more appealing than ever to end consumers eager for a break from mass-production and tech. While the appreciation for the handcrafted has waxed and waned in the US, Mexico never strayed from the commitment to hand craft. Building on deep roots, Mexican designers like Caralarga are forging a new tradition of sublimely modern and socially responsible design.
Read MoreTwo quintessentially French brands were the natural choice for our Report 8: Very Paris cover. Manufacture Prelle and Passementerie Verrier Paris - each with over 250 years of French production- represent the crème de la crème. And they have a unique way of working together that highlights their expertise. Get to know these luxurious cover stars!
Read MoreHappy birthday to the “Mother” of interior design and one of America’s first woman interior and textile designers, Candace Wheeler. Born on March 24, 1827 (but often mis-dated March 27th), she grew up on a farm in Delhi, New York with her seven siblings. Wheeler’s life went through dramatic transformation: her early years were “a hundred years behind the time” in a strict Presbyterian household, but her latter years were spent in jazz-age New York City after decades of being “working woman”, paving the way for women in design.
Read MoreDear readers: We want to keep you in-the-know, so we rounded up a couple of the most important themes from our special report Best of 2020 & Influences for 2021. The styles that came out on top in 2020 were largely influenced by how COVID-19 changed our lives, and they will no doubt be here for years to come.
Read MoreOn February 19th, 2020, a massive retrospective of nearly seventy works by Rosie Lee Tompkins (1936-2006), an accomplished African-American quilt artist, opened at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). A new awareness of her creations as true pieces of art, encompassing masterful color choices, sharp social commentary, and brilliant composition, is emerging.
Read MoreMerry Christmas! And Happy Birthday to Marion Dorn, a trail blazing print and graphics designer. She designed for many companies, creating textile designs, wall hangings, carpeting, rugs, wallpaper, graphics and more. She contributed to some of the best known interiors of the time including the Claridges, Berkeley of London, Savoy, the Orion and the Queen Mary. In the 1920s, she was dubbed “The Architect of Floors” in praise of her influential modern carpet designs. She raised the status of rugs with her modern designs; she is best known for her sculpted carpets and using batik techniques on rugs.
Read More
