The Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) has been part of my professional life almost from its inception in 1985. When I arrived at Knoll Textiles in 1987 my employers were actively engaged in charting a course for this fledgling trade organization. Originally created to increase visibility for contract textiles, over the years ACT has taken on the mission of […]
It was gratifying to have a good crowd and attentive audience for my CEU presentation in the San Francisco Fabricut showroom in March. Reviews on the IDCEC website were positive and I won’t pretend that all this validation wasn’t reassuring.
Plans have just been finalized for the presentation of the continuing education course, “Behind the Scenes in the Textile Industry: misconceptions, mysteries and what to do when things go wrong”, on March 20 at the Fabricut/S. Harris/Stroheim/Vervain showroom in San Francisco. This is an intermediate level IDCEC approved course which will earn .1 credits for […]
Kudos to all for having the vision, the tenacity, the chutzpah, to take this chance, bringing authentic textiles out of the hallowed halls of design centers and plopping them so emphatically into their customers’ living rooms.
Did I ever thank her for the inspiration, for being that beacon pulling me toward a career that would come to fill and fulfill my life, for showing me how to be firm and fair, demanding and understanding, professional and accessible?
The entire front lobby was filled with Herman Miller sofas covered in a new Marharm wool plaid in a dazzling array of colors that would have, and probably did, make any Scotsman weep with joy. High end jobbers HBF Textiles and Knoll Textiles introduced novel designs and qualities in wool that I took to be a clear sign that wool was on the ascendence again. But where had it gone? Why was this recent proliferation of wool so noteworthy?
Several readers of this blog have commented on the striking fabric used in the header. A quirk of the website template I use is that the header doesn’t have a caption, so I would like to publicly credit and thank the design’s creator, Mette Krebs Petersen, in this post. I have had the pleasure of […]
After 17 years that is saying, what, that I don’t buy much furniture? Yes. That the furniture I have bought comes with an acceptable fabric already on it? Yes. That I am loathe to replace perfectly acceptable fabric with something that more specifically suits my tastes, and if I’m honest, my ego? Yes. That I have trouble making the big decisions on such things because what if it is only perfect for today and not tomorrow? Yes.
Reading a recent interview with Larsen in Dwell magazine made me realize that although he has created some of the most exquisite and expensive fabrics available, Larsen also has an egalitarian view of owning fine, authentic textiles and bringing them into our lives. As he suggests in the article, just one yard of his fabric could upholster 4 dining room chairs, and I might add, an ottoman, bench or even become a stand alone wall hanging.
My first recollection of being swept up by the siren call of textiles was of fondling an iridescent silk scarf my Great Aunt Edna brought my mother from India. At the age of 7 I had never touched anything so fine and would sneak into my parents bedroom to find the scarf in a dresser […]
Authentic Textiles 
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