Tag: Fabrics
Making a Spectacle
The Great Exhibition of 1851 was a mighty show of the strength of Victorian commerce, ingenuity and human progress. For her second fabric collection as design director of Zimmer + Rohde's Hodsoll McKenzie brand, German designer Fredericke Winkler has looked to this landmark event for inspiration.
A Fresh Face
For the first time in its 81-year history, Marvic Textiles has launched a new brand, Studio by Marvic, which is billed as having "a contemporary, fresh and younger aesthetic".
Checking In
Romo and its sister company Kirkby Design have taken a definitive stance for AW20, with both brands introducing checked fabrics to their collections. Within that, though, these classic geometrics explore a range of different ideas and aesthetics, from pretty upscaled gingham to faded velvet inspired by the punk movement.
The Design Explorers
US fabric giant Kravet is known for working with the cream of American designers, and two new collections cement its reputation for exciting creative collaborations: a debut by Nate Berkus, and a fourth collection by Barclay Butera.
Optimistic Outlook
"Colour has the power to lift us up, make us happy, and change our moods. Colour should be a magnetic force that makes us want to stay right in front of it," says Boston-based artist Liz Roache, the latest person to collaborate with Pierre Frey. Her joyously bold work has translated wonderfully to a collection of fabrics, wallpapers and rugs.
100% Commitment
"Monomaterials" might be a word you'll be hearing more of in product design. Textiles that are made from 100% of any single material are more likely to be recycled at the end of their life, and Kinnasand's Monotypes collection (available from Kvadrat at Home) explores this theme, focusing on "the essence and the beauty that lies in each material".
Softer Than Cashmere
Living at high altitude in the Peruvian Andes, alpaca survive the harsh climate thanks to their remarkable fleece. Textiles made from these super-soft fibres are prized for their warmth – and they are now available at George Spencer Designs, since the showroom added French textile company Innata to its stable of brands.
Organic Standard
Just 1% of the world's linen is organic – and organic textiles are not widely available for the interiors industry. So de Le Cuona's new Pure collection, certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), is a rarity, and a very welcome one.
A Family Affair
Head to a new showroom in Design Centre East, Christian Lee, to see the work of US fabric giant Fabricut, including its new Collective Threads collection, which touches on both traditional design and a more bohemian aesthetic.
La Belle Vie
Paris's jewel of a hotel, Le Meurice, reopened in September, and with it came the opportunity to enjoy one of the city's best suites. The seventh-floor La Belle Etoile suite by Lally & Berger incorporates fabrics by Holland & Sherry, Dedar and Rubelli, among others.
Speckle Mania
From terrazzo tiles to confetti-like patterns, there's a kind of speckle-mania happening in interiors. Are these small-scale graphic prints a reaction against big, bold maximalism, or an expression of how the 1980s and postmodern design are experiencing a revival?
Palladian Revival
Zoffany has revived Palladio's mid-century wallpaper books, infusing Festival of Britain era design with a new life – and added an equally vibrant design of its own.
A 21st-Century Jacquard
Heritage weaving company Gainsborough (available at McKinney & Co) has brought the art of jacquard weaving up to date with a collaboration with young Singaporean maker Tiffany Loy. The Weaverly Way is an installation at CitizenM Bankside, with a further version on show in McKinney & Co's showroom window at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour.
Slimline Design
Fine lines can be traced across autumn's new launches, creating a look that manages to be both strong and visually light.
See the Specialist
New to Design Centre East, Sonya Brown Textiles grew out of founder Sonya Ryman’s Hampstead curtain and blind shop. Ryman began to devise her own collections in 2018, responding to the taste of her clients and filling in the gaps where she couldn’t find the right product. Setting up a dedicated textile showroom was the logical next step, where her …
Glint & Glow
There's a certain lustre permeating autumn's new launches. Subtly reflective surfaces create dynamic design schemes, glinting when the perspective changes, or taking on entirely different qualities when lit with daylight or electric light.
Artful Interiors
Italian design house Agena is a new brand to be discovered at Jason d'Souza. Its current portfolio includes several designs influenced by art history, from 1980s pop-art legend Keith Haring to Austrian painter Gustav Klimt.
Charmed by Nature
Charme is Spanish brand's Pepe Peñalver's homage to French rural style. Available from Lizzo, the collection features pretty florals and versatile plains, with jacquards, light embroidery and small-smale prints.
Special Delivery
Villa Copenhagen, a new hotel in the Danish capital, is a place to stay that also wants to win the hearts of locals, and a place where guests can do more than scratch the surface of history and culture. As designer Jo Littlefair puts it: “Travellers now want to experience life under the skin of a place.”
Floral Brights
Bold florals are experiencing a revival. The big, blousy, overscaled designs made famous by brands such as Sanderson in the first half of the 20th century seem just as vital today, whether they're used with a reverence for traditional country-house style or a in a way that seeks to bring the look up to date for a more contemporary setting.
Streets Ahead
Hermès called on the talents of French illustrator and architect Thibaut Rassat for its latest fabric and wallpaper collections, available from Dedar, and his fantastical, repetitive structures and cityscapes have been given a distinctive Hermès spin.
Warm-Hearted Orange
The Design the Rainbow installation is currently brightening the Design Avenue with its pop-up spaces for all seven colours of the rainbow. Reflecting the rule-breaking, expressive interiors of the seventies, the orange scheme also conveys the sense of escapism that many of us are craving, with orange's exotic associations with tropical fruit and spices from far-flung lands.
Urban Glamour
Dominating the east London skyline, the Atlas Building cements 'tech city' – the area surrounding Old Street roundabout – as a property hotspot as well as a business hub. Replacing a 1980s office building, the 152m tower has 302 apartments, including this eye-catching penthouse designed by Angel O'Donnell.
Savannah Style
As we hit high summer, the wide plains, sun-bleached colours and wild beauty of the savannah are being channelled in interiors. And while the palette may be neutral, an abundance of texture stimulates both the eye and the hand, with intricate details that demand to be touched.
Dream Destination
Pantelleria's rocky volcanic landscape, impossibly blue thermal springs and traditional stone dwellings are a rich seam to mine when it comes to design inspiration, as Zinc Textile has found for its latest collection, named after the tiny Italian island.
An Understated Accent
De Le Cuona has launched a range of accessories, creating ready-made products from its sought-after fabrics as well as introducing vases and bowls, occasional furniture, oversized decorative beads and Belgian linen towels.
Culture Clash
The Balearic island of Ibiza provides the design inspiration for Harlequin's Mirador collection, which reflects the White Isle's layered cultural history as well as its natural beauty.
Soft Spot
Chunky shapes and curvy outlines have replaced hard angles in upholstered furniture. These soft silhouettes express our deep need for comfort right now: a chair that literally wraps around the sitter has a calming, cocooning effect.
Rural Retreat
Set among 500 acres of Cotswolds farmland, Anthology Farm is the escape to the country that many locked-down city-dwellers are yearning for. These two listed barns were recently transformed by interior design studio Run for the Hills into a nine-bedroom holiday let with a laid-back feel.
Graphic Outline
Inspired by a stroll through a Moroccan bazaar, 'Massura' is the winning entry in a competition by Vero Fabrics and Holland & Sherry to discover a new fabric design.
