Beautiful Patterns have you Covered
Some drop-dead gorgeous fabrics are fluttering into homes this season. Many are so lovely, designers and homeowners are displaying them like artworks.
Interior designer Dani James of Crossroads Interiors in Prairie Village often uses beautiful fabrics in places other than windows and upholstery. In one open-floorplan home, James hung silk taffeta to separate an entryway from the dining area. Ornate tiebacks anchor the fabric to columns. “It provides a degree of visual separation and drama,” James said.
In another home, James created a wall behind the master bed out of a lustrous harvest gold fabric pocketed to create poufs in a checkerboard fashion.
This year new collections by two respected manufacturers showcase the rich tradition of women’s designs in home textiles.
Rachel Doriss, associate design director for Pollack, was recently in Kansas City to present “Women’s Work: A Common Thread.” The fabrics in the collection are inspired by textiles culled from the archives of the Museum of Art of the Rhode Island School of Design.
Inspiration pieces range from a 20th-century Hmong resist-dyed skirt from Southeast Asia to Crow Native American beaded moccasins to a fragment of 17th-century Flemish bobbin lace.
In each case, Doriss said, the goal was to translate the utilitarian beauty of the originals into fabrics that work in today’s interiors.
“The fabrics are classic but contemporary and innovative in materials. They are really well constructed and can stand up to wear and tear,” Doriss said.
Knoll Textiles’ new Archival Collection draws on designs from the company’s 60-year history, many of which were created by female design directors, including Anni Albers and Eszter Haraszty as well as former company president Florence Knoll.
The company’s current design director, Dorothy Cosonas, has created some new designs, as well, some of which are inspired by couture.
In another example of fashion intersecting with interior design, Dani James upholstered the walls of a library in an apartment a couple of years ago in gray flannel with a double welt. She covered the room’s furniture in the same fabric and finished the cabinetry in black lacquer for a polished, sophisticated look.
On the Cover: Fantasy is an apt name for this dreamy shimmering sheer acetate and silk fabric from Pollack. The yarns are clipped on the reverse, creating an elusive fringe that adds another layer of pattern. The Alice in Wonderland feel of the motif makes a dramatic backdrop for an antique Chinese console table and Thai birdhouse with bell. Fabric $266 per yard, antique Chinese console table $875, Thai birdhouse with bell $99, Black Bamboo
Archival Arrival: Knoll’s Archival Collection includes designs by three powerhouse female designers from the first half of the company’s 60-year history (1947 through the mid ’70s). From left: Cato by Florence Knoll (1961), Eclat Weave by Anni Albers (1974) and Fibra by Eszter Haraszty (1953). All exemplify Knoll’s signature classic modern design. $120, $56 and $50 per yard, Knoll and Hudson Home
Couture allure: Century, by Dorothy Cosonas for Knoll, was inspired by a houndstooth coat designed by Marc Jacobs in 2005. $68 per yard, Knoll and Hudson Home
Run the Table: Sheer fabric in a bold geometric pattern makes a chic runner atop a credenza. Mira Sheer, part of the Knoll Archival Collection, was originally designed in 1958 by Ross Littell. $36 per yard, Knoll and Hudson Home
Creative Uses For home Textiles: Make a vest out of a rich brocade Frame fabrics with interesting motifs Hang translucent panels to divide space in large rooms Cover drum lamp shades with bold solids or graphic prints Wrap journals and line drawers with small remnants. Sources: Dani Black, Rachel Doriss
Stitches Over Time: For Pollack’s Women’s Work collection, designers selected examples of traditional women’s handiwork from the Museum of Art at Rhode Island School of Design and reinterpreted them as textiles for today’s interiors. Dazzle, a sumptuous iridescent silk velvet embroidered with Lurex threads, was based on a 1920s flapper dress, right, from France. $161 per yard, Black Bamboo
Peachy: A heavy fabric on a linen ground with an allover pattern in colorful cotton, polyester and Lurex threads, was based on an embroidered Turkish linen hand towel, left, from the Ottoman empire. $154 per yard, Black Bamboo