Knoll luxe in New York City’s D&D building is diminutive by comparison to other showroom spaces, but there’s more here than meets the eye. It’s a concentrated nerve center representative of the emerging technologies of no less than 8 countries in textile design. Cannon Schaub, fresh from a 10 year stint as the textile manager for Holly Hunt (another known textile innovator) was tapped to manage the line introduced by KnollTextile creative director Dorothy Cosonas, and I for one can hardly imagine a better pairing. Cosonas envisioned the collaboration between fashion’s current luminaries and the Knoll brand as the latest incarnation of the company’s history of mash-ups… so having the ever fashion forward Schaub at the helm is serendipitous. This is stylish product, stylish space and a stylish representative.
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Boucle is first a novelty yarn, produced by spinning two threads of different tensions together. While keeping one thread taught, and allowing the second to remain loose, loops of slight variation form along the strand. Boucle as a fabric is made by weaving a common uniform warp thread with the filler weft being the boucle yarn. Solid colored boucles have monochromatic warp and weft, while multi-colored boucles incorporated several different colored weft threads. It’s almost impossible to talk about boucle with any authority and not mention Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. Continue reading →
As a resource, Maharam Fabrics (for decades a “go-to” source for contract textiles) is often overlooked by residential designers because they are generally used by the hospitality design community. I have long been an advocate of their unique and lustrous designs for home applications. Contract fabrics are specifically tested for their ability to withstand wear and tear, and are often treated for stain resistance or to make them fire retardant. Why then, if the design and weave of an individual textile is suitable for a movie hotel or restaurant, would it not be an excellent choice for the sofa in a child friendly living room? In these economic times, don’t we all endeavor to select products for our homes which provide high style and longevity? What does it matter that it was designed to withstand abuse if it’s beautiful?
For me, Maraham’s most appealing group of fabrics are in The 20th Century Collection. Here you will find glorious re-editions of enduring designs from some of the twentieth century’s most noted visionaries; from Gio Ponti to Charles and Ray Eames, and many in between. Some stayed and sedate, others bright and whimsical, there is something for everyone. While many designer fabrics carry a significant price point, Maharam’s fabrics are in the moderate range; which allows everyone the opportunity to access remarkable design. You can navigate their user friendly website to view all the fabrics in the collection easily, and order samples upon request.
My personal favorite from The 20th Century Collection, Design 9297 by Josef Hoffmann. shown in 005 Scarlet, and 007 Peacock
Maharam Inc.
http://www.maharam.com/vl.html
* information and resources for interior design professionals