Category — Someone You Should Know
Uber Upholstery
I’ve been following UK designer, upholsterer extraordinaire Aiveen Daly for several years and her new pieces do not disappoint. Known for her sexy details, she has worked with the world’s top designers- Liberty of London, Paul Smith and Bill Amberg to name a few. I always find design inspiration from her.
This stunning satin upholstered canopy bed bedazzled with hundreds of tiny pearls and silver studs.
Aphrodite silk lampshade with hand braided detail.
The Can Can chair- What's not to love. Corset lacings and it's RED!
October 12, 2010 1 Comment
iHeart Jakob Schlaepfer
One of the highlights for me at Paris Deco Off was Jacob Schlaepfer. For me, Jakob Schlaepfer epitomizes the best of both design worlds. They call their textiles “industrially hand crafted “and it is so true- innovative, ingenious design done by the hand of master artisans. Known as the purveyor of haute couture fabrics since 1904 to such fashion houses as Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, Vivenne Westood and Christian Lacroix (That is a whole other story!), They entered into interiors in 2008 with couture worthy textiles that… well; you have to see it to believe it!
I was honored to be invited to experience their 2010 decor line at Galerie Alain Blondel in the Marias and they did not disappoint.
Artisitc Director Michele Rondelli and Creative Director, Martin Leuthold led us on a mouth watering tour of their third edition interior collection. Each new piece was better than the last. This collection was meant to be experienced by all the senses.
Vada Tulle and Vada Gardinio Blackout
In 2008 they introduced a world first in by Vada Pleats and Vada Giardino. Never before has printing been carried out on three layers of tulle simultaneously. The effect is as beautiful as it is striking, since the three layers give the fabric a 3D look. The collection is supplemented with the flame-retardant Buonanotte fabric for black out draperies, which can be printed with all the motifs in the collection.
Phanton in Motion
Phantom – the world’s lightest textile for windows needs to be thrown up in the air to see how it float swirls around you like smoke rings. Weighing only 10 grams per square meter, this polyester fiber enhanced with metal floats with every movement of the air. Introduced in 2009 and winning several prestigious textile design prizes; they built on its success with a printed version- Secret Garden.
Secret Garden
Detail Secret Garden
“The technical perfection of the material, which shows most spectacularly in movement, has here been made entirely subservient to the poetic effect achieved,” commented one member of the Textile Design Jury.
Pollock Wall Panels
- Playing with pollock
Pollock must be played with. This textile is like a incredibly beautiful etch-a sketch. Invention is in Jakob Schlaepfer’s blood: it has been more than thirty years since the St Gallen manufacturer developed the first industrial procedure for applying paillettes(sequins) to fabrics, revolutionizing the entire textile industry. Now a new process has made these same paillettes interactive: by stroking them you can turn them over, from one face to the other, from one colour combination to another,from bright to matt, from plain to printed, from glittering to iridescent – with more than 200 combinations the possibilities are simply endless. Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood and Marc Jacobs, were so enthralled they included the fabric in their new collections just off the runway.
Korsakow close-up
Korsakow is …how do you explain Korsakow-? It is embossed foam tipped with gold or silver leather and applied by hand to transparent black tulle).See what I mean you just have to see it to believe it!
Aluminum Sheer
A layer of aluminum is sandwiched between contrasting chiffons in this sculputural curtain.
April 7, 2010 No Comments
Someone You Should Know: O Eco Textiles
Master Bedroom Hamptons Showhouse
I am not a practicing GREEN designer. I understand the importance etc, but it isn’t my niche. Because today’s Earth Day, I thought I do my part and post about someone you should know in the Green movement- O Eco Textiles.
I first came across O Eco Textiles and founders Leigh Anne Van Dusen and her partner Patty Grossman through my friends at TODL. I’ve had the good luck to spend some time with Leigh Anne and hear her awesome presentation about textiles and what is really green and sustainable. Frankly, I am a little pessimistic about all the Green conversations and marketing strategies out there. It’s interesting how linen and cotton have all of a sudden become “organic”; yet if you examine the textile process by its very nature it is not green.
But O Eco is… O Ecotextiles is probably the greenest producer of home textiles (primarily used for window coverings, upholstery and top-of-bed). In addition to the yarns, it’s about the process. O Ecotextiles is an “organic fabric”, not just an “organic fibre fabric.” Think of turning organic apples into applesauce: if the manufacturer mixes the organic apples with Red Dye #2, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabalizers then the final product is far from organic. The same is true of fabrics.
Leigh Anne and Patty researched the chemicals used in the textile process , finding there are 2000 chemicals used in the manufacturing process of making textiles from yarns. They have ELIMINATED USE of ALL THESE CHEMICALS in their manufacturing process (the “toxic yuck” as Patty says). Their resulting fabrics are acknowledged as beautiful and lush, and they meet / exceed all fabrics use standards.
Just the Facts, Ma’am
BuildingGreen.com named them as one of their Top 10 Products for 2008 – very big deal. These are selected by the editors of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec®, the leading national directory of green building products. Hefty criteria.
CEO Patty Grossman heads up the Textiles division for the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC)
Their attention to the environmental aspects of production doesn’t mean that they turn a blind eye to the finished product- using Belgian linen spun into yarn by a Master of Linen and long fiber hemp field retted by craftsmen who still maintain the old traditions.
Not to mention, they have entered into a partnership with So Far So Near collaborating on some fabulous printed textiles that are presented as a collection that works together to delight the eye and the hand – soft, beautifully colored and finished.
Leigh Anne and Patty say it best; some of their favorite points are
- Much of the textile industry has left the US and gone to developing countries.
- In India alone, textile effluent averages around 425,000,000 gallons per day. In a year, that would fill 240,000 Olympic sized swimming pools — water filled with detergents, degreasers, surfactants, bleaches, optical brighteners, size, desizers, dyes and many other types of chemicals.
- People don’t realize that the phthalates and ‘Bisphenol A’ and toxic chemicals that have just been outlawed in California in kids toys, well, the vast majority of textile printing dyes are full of that stuff. Phthalates is a class of chemicals that has a pretty unsavory toxicity. People who are very careful about not bringing toxic toys into their house can be putting kids to sleep in rooms full of this stuff because the fabrics are full of it.
- Doctors who treat patients for sick building syndrome increased by 40% in the decade of the 1990s. The chemical soup in our homes over the last 50+ years is causing or contributing to a plethora of issues — increased autism, one type of leukemia, male birth defects, childhood brain cancer, ADHD, asthma. And today 40% of all children have allergies of some kind
Bottom line – O Eco Textiles are beautiful and healthy – a hard -to -find combination.
April 22, 2009 No Comments
Faythe Levine’s Handmade Nation
Are you a closet crafter? Were you the one who passed on typing class for a front row sewing machine in Home Ec? I did and lately I am feeling the urge to get back on the craft wagon. ( believe me crafting and craft fairs are not what they used to be) So it’s with great interest that I am following Faythe Levine’s journey with Handmade Nation. I first heard about Faythe and her amazing documentary in 2007, at about the same time as I was trendspotting the growing craft movement and its affect on design. We labeled it Renegade Craft- the transformations, adaptations and the resurrection of old-fashioned processes and materials into designs that are fresh, edgy and new. Its focus is on the intersection between craft, art and design; the on-going need for the hand-made in a techno-based society, rendered in a completely forward-looking fashion. Now 2 years later it has become a full blown trend and the documentary has been a huge hit screening
What is Handmade Nation?
In 2006, first-time filmmaker Faythe Levine, founder of Art vs. Craft, Milwaukee’s independent craft fair and the co-owner and curator of Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery. traveled 19,000 miles to document what has emerged as a marriage between historical technique, punk culture, and the D.I.Y. ethos. Handmade Nation gives viewers an inside glimpse into the fascinating world of the indie craft community through interviews and footage of crafters in their natural habitats – work studios and craft fairs. Featured crafters include Jenny Hart, Nikki McClure, Knitta’ and Deb Dormody, just to name a few. Levine lets the individual crafters shine as they talk openly about being part of an ever-growing DIY community. While each crafters’ individual work is highlighted in the interviews, it’s their expressed dedication to the larger indie craft movement that comes off as nothing less than amazing. The indie craft community, as highlighted in Handmade Nation is one of the only economic rays of light in this troubled economy – and this film is a testament to that success. Follow Faythe on her blog, at Handmade Nation’s official website. or buy the book. If you’re new to the craft movement, you gotta check it even its to see what kind of mad skills crafters like Austin Craft Mafia, Sew Bitchy, or Naughty Secretary Club have.
Handmade Nation’s next screenings:
April 23rd: West Bend, WI- I’ll be there!
Museum of Wisconsin Art 5 – 8 pm
West Bend, Wisconsin
5 pm, food & beer tasting
Film begins at 6:00 pm followed by panel discussion with Faythe Levine and guests
Tickets only available at door $5 beginning at 4:45pm, limited seating.
(CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Theater J at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center
1529 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Screening #1: 6:30pm- For Summit Pass Holders Only
Screening #2: 8:30pm- Open to all. Tickets to this screening can purchased online, starting April 8th.
Information HERE
Screening & book signing with Faythe Levine
Modified Arts in Roosevelt Row, 2PM
407 E. Roosevelt, Phoenix, AZ
Tickets $10 available at Stinkweeds, Frances and MADE
Seating is limited & books will be available at screening
Ridge Theatre, 3131 Arbutus Street
Craft Showcase at 7:00pm + Screening at 8:00pm
Tickets $20.00 in advance or $25.00 at the door. First 100 tickets sold will receive a swag bag. Info & tickets available HERE.
November 10th & 11th: Seattle, WA
Hosted by Northwest Film Forum & Urban Craft Uprising
Information TBA
April 20, 2009 No Comments
The Business of Design
We’re all about niche marketing here at Design Confidential. California interior designer James Swan’s “After Care” program is a unique take on using a niche to create another revenue model for your business. Conceived when a customer mentioned to James that they had no idea about what was entailed in continuing care of what James’ calls -the physical plant. The client commented that he didn’t have a clue about how to handle the post project management in their new home and suggested that James and his staff help him. Out of that suggestion grew the after care program. Separate from his design scope of services, here’s how it works:
When working with potential clients discuss this add-on service as an option:
Present a proposal to clients individually crafted to their needs.
Inventory the products and services needed to provide annual care to the home’things like paint touch up, cleaning carpets, replating hardware, etc.
Present the list to the client face-to-face where a decision is made about who will do what, in terms of supervision.
Present a contract that usually provides management of tradespeople and craftsman, onsite supervision and follow-up to ensure it’s done correctly, including picture perfect cleanup.
What a great way to keep in touch with your core clients, add revenue and ensure your vision is carried out.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post about James and his new venture with Ballard Designs.
February 27, 2009 No Comments
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