The first major installation in New York on lace in more than 40 years: Threads of Power: Lace from the Textilmuseum St. Gallen exhibit at the Bard Graduate Center (September 16, 2022 – January 1, 2023) captured the attention of textile enthusiasts everywhere. Exhibition curators Emma Cormack and Michele Majer answered all of our burning questions about lace, while contemporary lace artist Elena Kanagy-Loux, offered her personal take.
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Charting new waters in ethical and sustainable rug design, Armadillo was a natural choice for our Made in India Report. Co-founder Jodie Fried tells The Textile Eye about her big career pivot, being the first Australian and American rug maker to achieve B Corp status, and what slow living means to her.
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Report 13 cover star Lison de Caunes – granddaughter of Art Deco master André Groult – tells The Textile Eye about growing up in her acclaimed grandfather’s design studio, reviving straw marquetry savoir faire, and why the material is so popular for furniture and interiors today.
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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.
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After being postponed from April 2020, Milan Design Week’s Fuorisalone and a special edition of Salone del Mobile brought fresh ideas and excitement.
In 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.
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Nature 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.
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The 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.
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On 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.
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Merry 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.
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Happy birthday to Josef Hoffmann, born on this date in 1870! Most known for his architecture, Hoffmann’s vast body of work includes furniture, glass, metalwork, porcelain, and textiles. Hoffmann’s main goal with his work was in unifying architecture with interior elements. He joined with Moser in 1903 to establish the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop).
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