The Textile Eye - Report 30
Skill & Sensibility
New Themes in Contract & Hospitality
This report follows the contract and hospitality market through NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days in Chicago, then travels to Copenhagen for the thirteenth edition of 3daysofdesign.
Expertise runs through the report in several forms — Liam Lee, a self-taught felter who reached production with a contract mill, Lapuan Kankurit, a weaving family five generations deep, and an interview with artist & educator Ragna Froda. Plus, guest contributions from Lori Weitzner and Daniela Venezia. Character, skill, and material expression came to the fore across the season, while sustainability emerged as material choice, durability, and circular design.
What's inside:
Five design themes: The Cultivated Collector, The Avant-Gardener, The Bauhaus Effect, Beyond the Surface, and The Mark of Mother Nature
40 pages of color direction in Personality Types: Contract Color with Character — 19 named shades and palettes with HEX codes throughout
Interviews with Liam Lee on his collaboration with HBF Textiles, Jaana Hjelt of Lapuan Kankurit, and Ragna Froda on connection, craft, and culture
Daniela Venezia on the human hand in contemporary design, and Lori Weitzner's Color Worlds from Copenhagen
Viva Vienna: Women of the Wiener Werkstätte at The Jewish Museum
Featured work from over 180 brands, studios, and makers
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Cover image: Layered x Teklan
An insider’s guide to the ideas, materials, and visual language shaping Milan Design Week 2026. From structured launches at Salone del Mobile to experimental installations across Alcova and the city beyond, this report captures the layered surfaces, expressive symbolism, material experimentation, and evolving aesthetics that defined the week.
This digital-only report offers a focused look at the ideas and products presented at Heimtextil 2026. Across more than 70 pages, it highlights notable directions in pattern, materials, and product development seen throughout the show.
Great design and sustainability are now equal expectations in contract textiles, shaping products that balance aesthetics, performance, and responsibility. This issue explores the latest themes in commercial design—florals, geometry, expressive linework, and menswear influences—while also turning outward to the cultural richness that inspires them.
As the hospitality sector rebounds, The Textile Eye unveils the textiles driving today’s most engaging spaces. This report captures the creativity and innovation reshaping high-end environments, where bold colors, luxurious materials, and sustainable practices come together. From boutique hotels to modern office spaces, designers are blending aesthetics and functionality to create immersive experiences that resonate with today’s demand for both comfort and style.
This online exclusive bonus report delves into the innovation and creativity on display at Heimtex 2024. From new approaches to sustainability, groundbreaking initiatives that champion cultural preservation, to a pursuit of community enrichment, this report covers everything you might have missed at the predominant B2B home textiles show.
Our digital-only bonus report takes a deep dive into the concepts, products, and palettes displayed at Heimtex 2023. From inspiring palettes to fascinating sustainability innovations, and ingenious themes to emerging qualities and treatments, this report is a deep dive into this enormous and influential B2B home textiles show.
Two reports in one! We demystify the exclusive world of trimmings, from elegant old-world passementerie to modern textile art. Then, we check in on hospitality design, roaring back to life with imaginative offerings to adorn every surface. Two stunning exhibition photo essays extend our look at beauty and embellishment: couture from Guo Pei and lace from Textilmuseum St. Gallen.
A comprehensive view of the influential Spring shows Maison et Objet and Déco off. The best of the season’s new offerings are curated into inspiring themes from understated luxury textures to exuberantly witty conversationals. Key colors are explored in easy-to-use palettes complete with HEX references. A dive into the world of French savoir-faire reveals stunning heirloom-quality products and deep family histories. Our exhibition report on Yves Saint-Laurent leaves you with an inspiring look at a brilliant design mind.
What’s Inside
Seven curated themes documenting new directions
Paris Color Report with analysis and color chips
Q&A’s with top practitioners of French savoir-faire, including straw marquetry, bespoke furniture, and classic bistro chairs
Profiles of several textile brands and artists detailing what makes their work uniquely French
An inspiring look at the Yves Saint-Laurent exhibitions that took over the museums of Paris
A double whammy! We take a look at current trends in California cool, from Coastal Texture to Hollywood Glam. Then, a full breakdown of the happenings in commercial design, including mind-bending innovations in sustainability, the latest themes, and a joyful rainbow of palettes. The report is rounded out with a visit to the De Young museum and a peek into the world of vintage textile document archivists.
After a hiatus of two-and-a-half years, Proposte Fair—a key annual business-to-business trade show for furnishing fabric—returned to WOW editors with new collections from high-end suppliers across Europe and India. Our Proposte Special Trade Show Report covers exclusive industry information on the latest trends in styles, colors, and constructions in home, contract, and cruise fabrics from this important event. Plus, profiles on over twenty suppliers you need to know, including their history, specialties, and sustainability.
Design at its problem solving best! A special section outlines breakthroughs in sustainability, and products created in response to COVID-19. Color treatments,are reviewed, with a full spectrum look at exciting palette changes. Six compelling themes. And to feed the creative spirit, we take a close look at the brilliant and improvisational quilts of Rosie Lee Tompkins.
An overview of textile trends and colors from this wholesale-oriented show staged in Frankfurt.
The second installment of The Textile Eye features coverage of Salone del Mobile and Neocon, arranged by theme. Color reports for each show are included so you can easily stay current. A peek into a fantastic gallery of notable antique textiles (Moshe Tabinia in Milan) and some favorite restaurant picks round out this issue.