So with knitting immersing itself in all manner of new media mash ups, it’s no wonder we are seeing it filtering into interiors. Watch for knits in all shapes and forms to get a stronghold in the home in 2012. We’ve seen its influence on fabrics, furniture, lighting, windows and even walls.

Deryn Relph, a textile designer explored the effet that color has on emotions through the kitted media in these ” Uplifting Lampshades.” Relph specializes in knitted textiles for interiors and  merges this with previous upholstery and furnishing skills to create unique and contemporary solutions to an idea.

Tired of the cold sterility of most modernist furniture — then check out these inviting knitted stools by British textile designer Claire-Anne O’Brien. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, O’Brien’s funky and tactile stools are a refreshingly clever rethinking of what form the ordinary stool may take.

FLOR rethinks  traditional cable sitiches in these Just Plain Folk modular carpet tiles in muted neutral tones of 100% recycled Nylon fiber providing visual warmth for your floors.

The ‘loop chaise lounge’ was born from dutch designer sophie de vocht’s interest in the ‘tufting’ technique, and is characterized by a high number of tufts of yarn inserted through needles on a fabric base. Designed for italian furniture company casamania, the chair features a metal structure in which ‘over-sized yarn’ is woven through to create a softness. The main base and seat are tightly woven, gradually getting looser in their stitching along the length of the chaise lounge, eventually fanning out over the floor.

 Knitted wall panels seen at M&O

Don’t forget knitting cousin, Crochet. Believe me you won’t if you see any of Polish artist ,Olek’s work  who aggressively crochets her life into her work, and  has freely admitted to spending the night in her Knitting Is For Pussies exhibit,recently at the Christopher Henry Gallery.

Award winning designer Chae young Kim creates intricate interior products by combining analogue and digital techniques. Her Knitted Room Wallpaper is created using 2D vector graphics processed through a software to create a knitted 3D effect onto a printed surface.

We first saw this at imm Cologne as part of the Young Talents exhibition and it is now in production and available through Surface View.

Check out Etsy for loads of wonderful knittted and crochets accesories, soft furnishings and one-of-a-kind pieces if you’re looking to jump on the Knit trend bandwagon.

Elizabeth Hamilton Collection at Hollywood at Home

Elizabeth’s lifelong love of textiles drew her into marriage and partnership with Peter Fasano. Now, Elizabeth is branching out with her own distinctive collection. The Elizabeth Hamilton Collection reflects Elizabeth’s particular point of view – stylish, fresh and with a bohemian-chic perspective, much like Elizabeth herself. She is drawn to traditional patterns using the tones of plant dyes; patterns found in nature; prints that are simple, yet lyrical. Fluid floral patterns – monochromatic with easy-on-the-eye color – are coordinated with smart stripes and modern geometrics and all are hand screened.

  Linen, hemp, and cottons are the soft textiles of choice.

Charlotte Moss for Fabricut

At several design centers across the country, Charlotte unveiled her 100-sku  collection with Fabricut. The collection is brimming with alluring wovens, divine prints and stunning trimmings in crisp, refreshing colorways. Charlotte’s inspirations came to life in the form of fabrics as she went through the collection and shared the names of her fabrics, all of which were named after women.

“My inspiration came from the beautiful women around me,” said Charlotte. “Not to mention, wicker baskets in my garage and everyday items, like Hamacas!” ( The result seen in the red/white print she wears in the ad and which I am coveting!)

Charlotte's Inspiration shots-Photo courtesy of Visual Vamp

“My first collection through Fabricut stresses the decadence of life and the intimacy of fabrics,” says Charlotte. “Decorating is about luxury and love for your home, your guests and the company you keep. Entertain brilliantly and love every minute of it!” Moss urges us  to embrace her  philosophy “to live passionately, decorate luxuriously and always, always entertain beautifully.”

de Le Couna

Bernie de Le Cuona founded what is now the world’s largest own brand linen collection in her kitchen in 1992. They have also recently expanded their range to include bespoke curtains, paints and a small furniture collection. Her fabric designs are most notably the extensive collection of linen textiles with a luxurious drape and handle, wide range of hand woven paisleys, and eclectic mix of rich textured materials that accomplish a look of soft glamour and understated elegance. By harnessing unique methods such as metal detailing and the use of materials like alpaca wool and eel skin, she has evolved the brand into a company with an urban edge to compliment their previously known subtlety.

“The Grace Collection” is a wide range of textured materials ranging from embossed Art Deco inspired velvets to plaids and herringbones akin to the suits of Saville Row.

Creation Baumann Natura V

To celebrate their 125th anniversary, earlier this year Creation Baumann updated its classic Natura line with 90 new designs in silks, wools, linens and cottons. Dubbed Natura V  for the fifth edition, the collection showcases the  exceptional and instinctive feel the design team has for contemporary trends. The team sees authenticity, longevity and quality  gaining in importance; as evidenced in the comeback of  high quality and natural materials. are celebrating a comeback. This Fall, they added innovation to the list with the introduction of  Elwood, Elwin and Eperla.

Elwin features small, laminated wooden rods spread in a pattern across the semi-transparent fabric as if they were floating above it.

Elwood is an extravagant curtain fabric with an intriguing interplay of materials and 3 D effect. The laminated wood pallettes are cut and applied by hand. They spread in a dense arrangement over the paper- like backdrop to form a second layer that moves.

Martyn Lawrence Bullard for Schumacher

You probably have seen him on Million Dollar Decorators… Dahling, or you might have caught his work on the pages of AD, House Beautiful or Elle Decor as designer to the ( Rock) stars; now you can give your clients Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s ” tradition with a wink” style with his first fabric collection for Schumacher.

The collection is built on Bullard’s globe trotting sensibility with saturated colors and modern graphics upscaled to create a riot of color and patttern. The collection spans a variety of  surface designs from embroidery, ikats  to jacquards andwarp  print techinques.

Traditional warp printing and hand weaving techniques are used to create the dramatic woven fabric on the right. It features an exotically patterned stripe design that gives a new look to the classic ikat, and is woven in a crisp blend of linen and cotton yarns.  The shade and weaving variations within each length of fabric are the signature of its hand crafting. Schumacher brought the designer’s vision to life by finding srtisans across the globe to translate the designs into textiles.

Brunschwig and Fils Alizes Collection

Named for the tropic trade winds that propelled the trade ships, this collection from Brunschwig and Fils  is inspired by the converging  of East and West with embroideries, wovens, and vibrant prints.

By the way can you see a trend emerging ? More Ikats, chevrons and recolored  tree of life florals will be in our textile future.

More collections tomorrow …

 Come on you gotta love it – a  bit of Americana to tug at your heart strings; mix in a killer tagline and top it off with a oh-so-right-now crowdsourcing contest. ( Not to mention right on trend with the typography inspiration. Hint: if looking for a way to puch up your Fall interiors think type, text, vintage graphics, etc.)  Genius!

Favn

“Design needs to solve the problem and be long lasting – off-course. But it is important to remember that my design is made for humans – to be used by humans. I believe that design should provoke emotions. Design should make you feel good. Create happiness.”   Jamie Hayon

 Jamie  Hayon’s new sofa- FAVN does all of the above. FAVN – the Danish translation for embrace, is the result of an experimental dialogue between Fritz Hansen& Hayon. “FAVN is picking up from the long tradition of Arne Jacobsenin the sense that I wanted to create a form that was based on a shell, like the Egg™ and the Swan™ which looks equally beautiful from all angles.” Hayón continues.

“I wanted the sofa to be based on a shell. A shell being hard on the outside, soft and welcoming on the inside. I wanted to create a form that embraces you, something really organic – that’s why we named it FAVN.”  There is something very Mad Men about this sofa.

Personally, while I love the sofa, I find myself drawn to the sketches even more.

The Cape

This gives new meaning to a slipcovered sofa. Love! the idea of changing out the cover with the seasons.

  Cape by Konstantin Grcic is an upholstered sofa with an overlay cover. Cape grew organically from the initial design challenge to create covered seating with a casual yet luxurious feel to it. The inspiration came from the informal way in which loose fabric is draped over a piece of furniture as protection  in hotels or country estates off season. ( I know, you can’t remember when the last time was that you throw a cover over your couch as you closed up the country home for winter…. just go with it.)

The Cape pieces have  moved beyond the slipcovers and tight-fitting, washable coverings seen at last year’s Milan furniture fair. Grcic’s mantle is much more free-flowing, casual but still tailored — less Snuggie-for-your-sofa than these pictures might imply. It’s available in different colors and weights so customers can change looks over the years or even change textures with the seasons. It also allows for an instant update as an interior changes.

 I am thinking a subtle houndstooth; maybe a fine wool sateen???

Digital Dawn is an interesting reactive window blind that is responsive to external stimuli. Designed by Rachel Wingfield. Rachel belongs to an emerging generation of designers redefining conventions of how, why and with what things are made.  Digital Dawn digitally emulates photosynthesis using printed electroluminescent technology; as seen in the image below, a light-based botanical environment seems to grow on the window lamp as a room gets darker.

Wingfield intended Digital Dawn to emulate the process of photosynthesis using electroluminescent printing technology. Light-dependent sensors monitor the changing light levels within a space, triggering the growth of the organic foliage on the blind. A natural environment will appear to grow on the window surface, exploring how changing light levels within a space can have profound and physiological impact on our sense of well-being. It’s essentially a solar powered textile storing sun’s energy during the day and using it at night to illuminate the blind.

Wonder if the energy could be used to operate the blind?

Dream Home at the Merchandise Mart

A must-see for all attendees. I never miss to see what new inspiration I can gain.

Julia Edelman for Buckingham ID

Julia believes in mixing aged objects with modern elements and it shows through in this welcoming space.

Michael Abrams for Michael Abrams Limited

Wanting simplicity and elegance enveloped in  luxury was Michae’ls goal in this bedroom.

Wallcovering by LG

LG Hausys debuts its new line of vinyl wallcoverings designed by Anya Larkin. Seventy four new patterns from animal prints to damasks and crinkle looks will be shown. Booth 8- 4116.

NUB by Patricia Uriquola for Andreu World.

Love everything this prolific designer does. Love the fact that a childhood memory inspired the chair… ”I used to play with my grandmother’s bobbins for making lace,” she recalls. “These small wooden bars were playmates that I have now reimagined.” Traditional woodworking techniques, gently updated, produce the wing chair and side chair’s notable beech backrest: Its bars widen at the height of the lumbar region, alternating to add dimensionality. The frame comes in red, white, or black lacquer and 21 wood finishes. Multiple solids and patterns are available for the seat upholstery. Merchandise Mart 10-132

Hear Patricia Uriquola  Tuesday at MCA for a lecture sponsored by Luminaire and featuring her groundbreaking work for B&B Italia.  See you there.

Haworth Collection

Employers shrinking the size of their offices and staff have translated to tough times for office furniture manufacturers. One example of a company looking for revenue beyond cubicle and desk chair sales is Haworth. The Haworth Collection is the company’s foray into offering crossover products for the home based on their experience as a commercial furniture manufacturer. The aim is to offer high quality products which are designed to compliment a residential environment but contain functionality and durability derived from their commercial office furniture heritage. Merchandise Mart 312.

So after posting the preview of the Haworth Collection this bit of news came across my desk. =Looks like they are really serious about moving into new markets….

Retailer Crate & Barrel announced today that it will carry three products from contract furniture giant Haworth.

“With two great brands coming together, our customers can get beautiful, high quality products previously only available on the commercial market,” says Raymond Arenson, executive vice president for merchandising and design for Crate & Barrel. “Haworth’s products make a great addition to our portfolio of products.”

The three products sold will be the new Eddy table, available in July, followed by the Very Task and Very Conference chairs, available in August.

“With this Crate and Barrel relationship, Haworth can take another measured step into the retail world,” says Tom DeBoer, Haworth product manager. “We find ourselves pulled in the retail direction due to beauty and quality of our products and with the trend of office and residential coming together. We are excited to work with a great retail brand like Crate & Barrel.”

The products will be in Crate and Barrel catalogs, on crateandbarrel.com, and at more than 100 of Crate & Barrel’s retail stores across the country.

The Very chair to be carried by Crate and Barrel

Next up in our Preview:  Textiles.

The fashion world’s loss is the interior design world’s gain. In Janaury, we saw Christain LaCroix’s brillant collection for Designers Guild and now he recently launched his furniture collection for Sicis’ Next Art Mosaic Factory. With designs inspired from the famous mosaics of the Byzantine empress Theodora, who LaCroix describes as “an archetype of femininity”, the furniture  reflects  a heady mix of styles with a touch of flamboyance and extravagance .

Christian Lacroix has been a recognized force in interior decoration for some time as he dreamt up several illustrious hotels, cinemas and theatres. The new furniture collection made up of 12 chairs, light fixtures, tables  and ottomans combining fabric and leather, accented with lace, passementerie, and embroidery is set for worldwide distribution from June 2011 in all of SICIS’s showrooms.

Mr. LaCroix on his inspiration for the collection…..

“Having the privilege of being brought up between monuments, museums and 17th century houses – all well-steeped in the history of art – gave me the confidence that everything could be mixed up, particularly the most extreme styles such as baroque, neo-classical, post- modern, kitsch and pop.”

With regard to the furniture’s enviably sensual shapes, Mr Lacroix demonstrates his practical and grounded side, stressing that amongst the curves and contours, comfort was a key consideration. Meanwhile, to enhance the magnificence of the mosaics – exuberantly colorful and jewel-like in appeal – he used them sparingly, opting for a light, subtle hand. Elegant as ever, Mr Lacroix’s main goal was to create furniture conjuring up “refinement and individuality.”

I am so hoping we’ll get a up close and personal look at Maison et Objet in September. (BTW- LOVE! the lace applique on the ottoman.) This is a ceramic tour de force about the art of living.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, 2011 now! design à vivre designers, show how this pressure can encourage even more precision. Designed to meet present-day needs but to resist the assault of time and fashion, their objects are sustainable by definition and consequently need to be precise. Their designs themselves are part of a long-term industrial process where design, in their opinion, owns the top spot. The importance of draftsmanship seems incongruous in these days of 3D technology. Yet it is natural for Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

Slow Chair for Vitra

Ronan born in 1971 and Erwan born in 1976, have worked together for over 10 years. Their partnership is a permanent dialogue, nourished by their differences and guided by their need for precision and delicacy.

At the Salon du Meuble in 1997, they were noticed by Giulio Cappellini who assigned them with their first industrial design projects. In 2000, Issey Miyake asked them to design a space presenting his new Apoc clothes collection in Paris. Then came the decisive meeting with Rolf Fehlbaum, president of Vitra, which led to the design of a new typology of office systems called Joyn in 2002. They have worked with Magis to design two complete furniture collections: Striped and Steelwood.

Steelwood Chair for Magis

Finally, the textile walls  North Times and  Clouds designed through a  partnership with Kvadrat.

 In 2010 they presented two separate collections for two new editors: a tableware collection, called Ovale, for Alessi and a bathroom collection for Axor.

Alessi Oval Collection 2010

UPDATE: Being introduced at M&O  next week in the  Nanimarquina booth is ‘losanges’ , a new rug collection designed by the  Bouroullec brothers.

Intrigued by traditional persian rugs and the ‘kilim savoir-fair’ which the designers consider to be a delicate mix of rusticity and fineness, the ‘losanges’ project is carried out by craftsmen in northern Pakistan who weave the rug’s thirteen colors into a geometrical rhombus shape. ‘losanges’ is crafted by hand, and the afghan wool used to craft it is hand spun, allowing for particular color tones to be highlighted,making each one a unique piece. Can’t wait to see it in person.

 For those of you interested in the process; see below.

Full scale sketch by Bouroullec brothers

Traditional weaving process by Pakistani craftsmen

Photos Courtesy of Maison et Objet.