Design*Sponge » textiles

textile field by the bouroullec brothers

Grace Bonney — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:00:28 +0000

You know that game (which I’ll abbreviate here) FMK? If I was asked to play that game and the Bouroullec Brothers were involved, I would marry them every. single. time. These two brothers are hands down my favorite designers around. They have literally never designed something that I didn’t immediately love and want to either own or explore in person. They approach design with that perfect combination of curiosity, problem-solving and beauty. I can’t say enough good things about them; they’re quite simply the best.

Along with Kvadrat, Ronan and Erwan designed a gorgeous new installation inside the V&A for the London Design Festival. They had free reign to choose any space in the museum, and they decided to create an amazing textile field that’s nearly 100 feet long inside the Raphael Cartoons Gallery.

Their intention was to create a more casual experience for viewers in what is often an intimidating and formal environment. The colorful foam and textile field invites guests to lounge, relax and enjoy the artwork from a more comfortable setting.

I’d love to install something like this in a basement, playroom or backyard, so guests (or children) could have unlimited space to relax. But until the Bouroullecs design an at-home version, I’ll live vicariously through these photos. If you’re in town, you can visit this for the rest of the month at the V&A. Well done, Ronan and Erwan. xo, grace

brimfield 2011: textiles

Kate Pruitt — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:00:41 +0000

Amy, Grace and I were discussing the inevitable “tunnel vision” that occurs at big shows like Brimfield, and the point really hit home when a woman came rushing up to us and asked in desperation, “Have any of you seen any large gas-station signs for sale anywhere?” The inquiry made us a) incredibly curious as to why she needed a gas sign so badly, and b) wonder if maybe we had seen them, but since we weren’t interested in them, they just never registered. When you see so much stuff at once, it makes sense that your own personal biases would naturally create a filter in your mind. That was basically a long way of saying this: We had Navajo rugs on the brain, so this post about textiles will be largely devoted to Navajo rugs because, well, we like them, and we took notice of them.

There were actually a lot of great rugs at Brimfield beyond the selection of Navajo designs we were eyeing. One vendor had some incredible overdyed rugs, such as the purple one shown below, but unfortunately, those rugs seemed a bit cost-prohibitive for the casual buyer. On the second day, there was a cluster of vendors who specialized in colonial wares, and they had some incredible textiles including simple linens, burlap and lacy cottons that would have been great to turn into rustic table linens or curtains. I won’t try to argue that the selection here represents all that Brimfield had to offer in the way of textiles, but these are the styles that caught our eye this year. Enjoy! — Kate

CLICK HERE to see more Brimfield textiles after the jump! (more…)

borders by hella jongerius

Grace Bonney — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:00:44 +0000

Looking back on my first jobs out of college there are things I do and don’t miss about both of them (I only had two jobs before starting D*S). One of the things I miss most about my job in PR was getting to interact with designers from some of the companies the firm represented. Mainly I miss getting to (briefly) chat with people who worked with Vitra and KnollTextiles, two companies that had a seriously impressive, and innovative, rosters of contemporary designers with whom they collaborated. While I didn’t do a lot of work with Maharam, I did meet people there as a result of our work with Knoll and I really miss getting to hear about the collaborations they were doing, because they were particularly exciting. Yesterday I got a press release about their upcoming collaboration with designer Hella Jongerius, someone I’ve looked up to for years*. Hella has really blazed a path for contemporary female designers and I love how she manages to feel so forward-thinking without losing those elements that recall her Dutch design roots. Hella has a new collection called “Borders” with Maharam that explores her continued interest in embroidery. Using traditional Mayan backstrap weaving, this new collection may not seem like something I might initially be wowed by, but upon closer inspection, has such an interesting (slightly random feeling) pattern that I find myself itching to see it used in a large scale project so I can get the full effect. I think the linen/red combo (below) would be especially beautiful on a settee or some sort of sofa with more refined lines that would contrast nicely with the geometric feel in the pattern.

The collection came out late last month, but you can see more of Hella’s amazing work right here and see Maharam’s current fabric collections (including Borders) here.

*Out of curiosity, who are the women in design you all look up to? I’ve always been inspired by Hella, Patricia Urqiola, Angela Adams, Dorothy Draper, Donna Hay and Kelly Wearstler for their commitment to quality and their ability to really hone in on a style that’s their own and pursue it fiercely. But I love being introduced to other strong women in the field- do you have any favorites that we/I should know?

plume textiles

Grace Bonney — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:00:32 +0000

As much as I love stripes and dots, lately I’ve found myself drawn to more subdued patterns. I typically go for the boldest print I can find, but after falling head over heels for Diva’s delicately dotted napkins, I’ve been gravitating toward prints and patterns with subtle applications and softer color palettes.

These napkins and pillows are from Elizabeth at Plume Textiles. She started her line almost a year ago with just pillows, and now she’s expanded to include tabletop designs. I really love her soft, sketchy herringbone print that feels subtle enough to not distract in a room, but interesting enough to add a bit of extra detail to a table or sofa. Her color palette stays in a comfortable, neutral range of linens, grays, soft blues and yellows — something we’re seeing more of from tabletop designers. I’m really excited that textile designers are playing with softer palettes and embracing less “in your face” colors this season. If you’re interested in picking up one of Elizabeth’s pillows ($85) or napkin sets ($25), click here to check out her full Etsy shop. xo, grace

new: dwellstudio look book!

Grace Bonney — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 13:00:45 +0000

It’s always such an honor to share a sneak peek of a new collection before it launches — especially when it’s one this gorgeous. DwellStudio’s new Spring 2011 bedding and rug collection has managed to nail almost every one of the styles I’ve been dying to try in my bedroom. The room above, with its coral/brick-colored walls and sophisticated stripe/gray combo, is my idea of perfection. It’s grown up but not boring, and the stripes — well, I can never say no to a good stripe (especially one named after my favorite interior designer). And as much as I love red and gray together, I also can’t get enough of another classic color combination: yellow and gray.

This modern but lady-like combo has me itching to make a new upholstered headboard (how fantastic is that headboard??) and switch our linens out for something more neutral. It also has me wanting to cover my walls in decorative molding like the picture above, but I’ll have to leave that for whenever we own something. I don’t think our landlords would approve.

In addition to new bedding patterns (Batavia, Ikat Dots and Labyrinth and a new Poppy color in Draper Stripe), DwellStudio is also bringing some new colorways to older patterns like Trellis, Silhouette and Circles. They’re debuting some beautiful colored pillows and lovely rugs, as well, so no matter what you’re looking for at home, this new collection is bound to have something for your rooms. I know that the red-striped sheets and black-and-white striped runner are at the top of my list. If I’m not careful, my home is going to turn into one giant barcode with all those stripes.

You can click here to check out DwellStudio’s current collection online, or check out their booth at the Gift Fair this weekend in NYC (Booth #7817). These new pieces will be in stores by mid-February. Pricing for the duvet sets range from $280 to $340, sheet sets are $230 to $280, pillows are $48 to $78 and the rugs range from $125 to $650. xo, grace

UPDATE: some of the new collection is available online now.

CLICK HERE for 8 more images from the new collection after the jump!

(more…)

auggie

Grace Bonney — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0000

While a big part of me is still overwhelmed that most of my friends now have children or are about to, I relish my role as the last-minute babysitter, tiny hand-holder and excited gift-buyer. While I may not delve deep into children’s design here at D*S yet, in my personal life I really enjoy getting to buy tiny clothes, accessories and home goods for little ones. And sometimes I find myself wanting adult-sized versions of kids products because they’re so darn cute.

This is definitely the case with the new children’s bedding line called Auggie (such an adorable name). Founded by sisters Gen and Cristina Burgess in Toronto, Auggie features a subdued but still cheerful collection of bedding that works for cribs and beds. Made in India, each of the collections has the sort of delicate pattern work that I love in children’s design and secretly wish I could use in my own bedroom (especially the little pink flowers). If you’re in the market for sweet bedding for little ones, click here to check out (and shop) the Auggie collection online. If these guys ever branch out into grown-up-sized bedding I’m totally in. Thanks to Anna for the tip! xo, grace

*Click here to see more beautiful children’s rooms and nurseries from our favorite home tours on D*S.

There are more photos of the line after the jump!

(more…)