Framed Textile at Knoll’s CBS, 1966 –

I’m very interested in the historical pairing of non-Western (particularly “tribal”) art with contemporary interiors. It’s a match-up that’s been going on for quite awhile now and reaches back to the personal collections of Picasso and Matisse, the use of  the “primitive” in Art Deco, etc. The photo above appears within an article in Modern Magazine (Fall 2009) about Florence Knoll’s 1960’s interiors for the headquarters of CBS. Here we see the contemporary / tribal combination again, in this case with a framed textile serving as counterpoint to the sleek sofas and steel-framed tables that fill the space. I wonder how Knoll selected the piece and what it represented to her — I also wonder what the textile is exactly. Is it Indian? Is it a South American mola?

Farmhouse Pallette -

A lovely carpet in a lovely house, via “An Artful Clutter” in The New York Times. Carpet is from Antik.

Photograph by Tony Cenicola.

Becky Oldfield & Lost and Found –

Quilts are in the air these days: today it’s an inspirational look at the talents of Becky Oldfield as seen in Elle Decor’s October story on Keith Johnson’s New York City home. Oldfield designed the bed spread above, one that combines the British flag with what appears to be a sari-like brocade border. The entire piece is detailed with seed stitching in white thread. (Hard to see in this picture but the full-page view is on page 173 of the magazine if you can snag a copy). More of Oldfield’s work can be found on her website,  Lost and Found.

Antique Quilts at Ruby Lane –

Pausing for another moment on the topic of antique quilts, I’m ogling over the  selection for sale via French72 at Ruby Lane. The countless hours that went into each one of these pieces is mind-bending from the perspective of mass-consumption and these hours are not at all reflected in assigned prices (though the actual makers are at this point dead, or likely many times removed from the sale).  A graphic quilt like the one above (1920’s, $595) could transform a room, contemporary or traditional. You’d have a hard time finding a new coverlet or duvet with as much impact and lasting value.

Happy Stripes and Wanderlust –

I’m having trouble conjuring up a more idyllic domestic vision (and/or get-away) than the one above, provided by this Times Online slide show of Josie Curran’s houseboat on the Thames. She has lots of carpets from Vanderhurd Studio (a company previously posted about here) as well as textiles gathered up in India and Morocco, the later of which are featured in the picture above. Inspired by the stripes, I found these happy dhurries from Kathy M. Ireland, provided by Elson & Company.

Framed Scarves –

The August cover of  The World Of Interiors (detail above) features the Indian apartment of David Earp, a native of London who moved to Calcutta 11 years ago and since founded a charity there – Shuktara – for children in need. His love of textiles is in bright display throughout the magazine’s eight-page spread (text and photography by Henry Wilson), most especially Earp’s amazing collection of framed scarves:

“The stunning framed scarves that hang on all the walls demand attention. Most of them are by Ascher or Jacqmar, the majority woven in rayon and designed by such luminaries as Cecil Beaton, Oliver Messel and Feliks Topolski…”

Helen Marden –

– A cropped / close-up image of The World Of Interiors cover for April ‘09: the upstate New York home of artists Brice and Helen Marden. She’s the textile collector and almost every photo of their renovated 19th century villa proves the point with saturated, texture-filled carpets laid side by side on the floor, or draped over a sofa or a settee, or…Anyway, it’s pretty spectacular.

Bell’s Graffiti Sofa –

There’s a sweet article in The New York Time’s 7/10/08 Home & Garden section about the approach Pamela Bell (a founder of the company Kate Spade) is taking in creating a home for herself and her children. The sofa and chair above are offered as evidence (photo by Phil Mansfield for NYT). I like the idea of interactive / communicative upholstery, whatever that might encompass. I’m not sure I could handle the kind of graffiti above on more than a small chair, but it does bring a history-telling dimension to upholstery, something I imagine Bell’s children will appreciate later when they look back on all those scribbles. — And, I like the less wordy, but still loud, painted upholstery shown at left as well!

Picasso Fabric –

I’m inspired by the graphic quality and stylistic whimsy of the above headboard fabric, featured in Elle Decor’s November 2007 issue article “Two For the Road” about Steven Volpe and Roth Martin’s Paris apartment (pg. 196). The fabric is described as a vintage with Picasso designs. Bergamo has large scale horse pattern that’s a bit like this – don’t have an image handy – but other than that I haven’t seen anything similar in the showrooms. Searching “Picasso” and “fabric” on-line I found the above really cool image from a lot sold at auction through Treadway Toomey Galleries back in September 06. And looking on EBay there’s a very curious thing available at the moment – final photo – of yardage purchased at Cafe Picasso (not sure what this is) in Coconut Grove Miami two decades ago. It’s hard to tell here but the fabric actually has little grid lines dividing up the faces into squares that are approximately 17″. The seller is selling each square individually for $15. Would make great pillows. (Search picasso and fabric and you should find it.)

Victor Vasarely –

I was looking through my Taschen New York Interiors book this afternoon and boom! An amazing wall textile by someone I had never heard of (but after googling feel I should have…). Victor Vasareley (1906-1997): described by Wikipedia as the “father of op-art” (op as in optical illusion), a Bauhaus trained artist who worked as a graphic designer in the 1930s and ultimately worked in a number of mediums throughout his life. He contributed to the experimental textiles of Edinburgh Weavers (also hadn’t heard of before) which was started in the 1920’s as a subset of of the textile firm Morton Sundour. Anway, I’m gleaning all of this through various random searches so don’t want to compact any informational errors by going on. Needless to say, this Victor Vasarely did exist and did cool stuff! Above top, the image from New York Interiors, followed by a more subdued textile also designed by VV for Edinburgh Weavers (“Keerno”, 1962).