Sandy Chilewich

Sandy Chilewich (1951- ) was born in New York and is a top textile designer. She didn't study art or design. In fact, in her early 20s, she thought she might like to be a psychologist, but she really didn't like school, so she dropped out.

At the age of 27, she and an art teacher friend in her building were buying cloth shoes in Chinatown, which they bleached and dyed bright colors. They called them HUE shoes and started by offering them to friends, and then they decided to show them to Vogue, who gave them a two-page spread. Asked what else they had to offer, they started dying white cotton stockings. Thus, she and Kathy Moskal started the legwear company HUE in 1978, which they sold in 1994.

After launching her own design studio in 1997, she introduced the RayBowl and RayTray, which featured a metal frame covered with stretch netting and a simple mechanism to hold the fabric in a concave plane. These were awarded utility patents and numerous awards. Following the success of that design, she created a completely new material she called Plynyl and began to manufacture floor mats, placemats, and totes. Her career was solidified when she won the coveted Editor's Award at the 2001 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF).

Today, with husband/business partner Joe Sultan, she manages Chilewich | Sultan LLC. Their collection has been expanded to include new textures, colors and products, including woodgrain vinyl prints, striped patterns, asymmetrical placemats and floormats, and even iPhone cases.

Chilewich continues to define how people dress their tables and cover their floors.

From chilewich.com, dwr.com, americanexpress.com, and dwell.com

RayBowls
dreamlightradio.com

RayTray
shopgrounded.com

Table runner
ekhayahome.com

Table runner and mats
dwell.com

Placemats
us.amara.com

Woodgrain floor mat
popsugar.com

Pet mats
nytimes.com

Anni Albers

Anni Albers (1899-1994) (born Annelise Fleischmann) was a German textile designer, weaver, writer and printmaker. She grew up in an affluent home and had studied art as a child, but she was expected to live a traditional domestic life as her mother had done. She rebelled and chose to pursue an education in art at the Bauhaus, where she became a student in 1922.

There she enrolled in the weaving workshop and began to experiment with new materials. Embracing modernism, she used straight lines and bold colors to create wall hangings.

She met her husband, famed artist Josef Albers, at the Bauhaus shortly after she enrolled, and the couple was married in 1925. When the school was forced to close in 1933, the couple emigrated to the United States, where they both took teaching positions at Black Mountain College in North Carolina.

In 1950 the Alberses moved to Connecticut, in order for Josef to accept the position of chairman of the Department of Design at Yale University. In 1951, Anni began her three-decades long collaboration with Knoll Textiles. Her designs have had a lasting effect in the field of textile design.

From albersfoundation.org and dwr.com
All images from albersfoundation.org

Albers at the loom

Josef and Anni Albers

Black-White-Gold

City

Intersecting

In Orbit

La Luz

Red Meander

Open Letter

Six Prayers

Under Way

Pasture

Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman (Repost)

Evelyn (1924- ) and Jerome (1920- ) Ackerman are Los Angeles-based artists and designers whose 50-year collaborative partnership has resulted in a body of work that is representative of the California Modernism movement.

The couple received separate studio training. Evelyn studied painting and drawing at the University of Michigan, and, after transferring to Wayne University, she received her BFA and MFA there. She brought to this design marriage an eye for composition and color, as well as considerable artistic ability, as evidenced by her textiles, wood carvings, enamels and mosaics.

 Jerome enrolled in Wayne University in 1939 but did not complete his degree in art until he returned from service in the U. S. Air Force during World War II. He earned his MFA at Alfred University in 1952. He brought his talent as a ceramist to the partnership, as well as a keen business sense that promoted their studio output and limited production lines.

Perhaps unique to the Ackermans is their ability to move fluidly between abstract modernism and figurative stylization in their designs. This characteristic permeates all their work, but it is particularly apparent in their varied and prolific textile and ceramic production.

From mingei.org and ackermanmodern.com

(Technical issues resulted in search engine problems for almost two years' worth of my older posts, so I am reposting the ones I consider most informative. Though some of you have already viewed them, they will be new to others of you. Originally posted 10/10/2010)

Ceramic vessels by Jerome Ackerman, 1953-54
These pieces were used as props in a brochure
 for Paul McCobb's Directional furniture group.
ackermanmodern.com

Woman vase by Jerome Ackerman, 1953
ackermanmodern.com

Striped Candy Tree by Evelyn Ackerman, 1968
ackermanmodern.com

Cats mosaic table by Evelyn Ackerman, 1954
ackermanmodern.com

St. George and the Dragon, bas-relief wall panel by Evelyn Ackerman, 1959
ackermanmodern.com

Young Warrior mosaic by Evelyn Ackerman, 1954
ackermanmodern.com

Herringbone stoneware bowl by Jerome Ackerman, 2003
ackermanmodern.com

Female Figures vase by Jerome Ackerman, 1953
ackermanmodern.com

Update: Evelyn Ackerman died on November 28, 2012.

Spoonflower

I came across the website of a company called Spoonflower. You provide them with your own design...or use one of the designs on their site by indie artists from all over the world...and they will print fabric, wallpaper or gift wrap just for you. Some of the artists are even willing to rescale or railroad their designs, if that better suits your needs.

They use an eco-friendly printing process, offer $5 swatches, and don't require a minimum order. Who could ask for more? Here is a small sampling of my favorite designs. Just a word of caution: There are so many designs to choose from that you can spend hours at the Spoonflower site. Trust me...I speak from experience.

Birdland Geometric by vo aka vrginiao

Citrus Chevron by mrshervi

Tiki Tok 1 by jennski

Sea and Spa Beaded Linen Stripe by sparrowsong

Before long, a pattern began to emerge in my choices. It became obvious that I had a favorite artist.

Chili Pestle by scrummy

Burgh Zig Graphic by scrummy

Pistachio Seed by scrummy

New York Lozenge by scrummy

Baby Ikat Spots by scrummy

Beach House Ikat Diamonds by scrummy

Tangerine Triangles by scrummy

Sin in Linen

About a month ago, I received an email from Iris at Sin in Linen. She sent me samples of their product for me to review, and I've been eagerly awaiting their arrival. I got them yesterday, and they more than lived up to my expectations.

I received a set of pillowcases and an apron in their Atomic Dreams pattern. They're made of 100% cotton with a 300 thread count. (This HGTV article provides some interesting, and perhaps surprising, information about thread count.) The colors are soft and muted, and the pattern is perfect for a mid-century home.

In addition to bedding and kitchen items, the company carries pinup calendars, curtains, throw pillows, and clothing in a variety of patterns inspired the retro aesthetic, world travel, pinups, tattoos and rock ‘n roll. Drop by their site. I think you'll find something for yourself or a great gift for holiday giving.

Atomic Dreams apron

Atomic Dreams pillowcases

Josef Frank

Josef Frank (1885-1967) was an architect, designer and theorist who is considered by many to be the founder of Swedish (or Scandinavian) Modern design. The style is sometimes called "Alternative Modernism" today. He defied the austere aesthetics defined by Walter Gropius and his followers at the Bauhaus, as well as those of designers such as Marcel Breuer and Le Corbusier.

While the rest of the modernist movement favored monochromatic interiors and severe lines, Frank advocated pattern, bright colors, and curves. He did not reject traditional influences, because he thought they made people comfortable, and, in fact, his textiles were strongly influenced by William Morris, an English textile designer of the 1800s,

According to Christopher Long, professor of Architectural History at the School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin and author of Joseph Frank: Life and Work, "When Frank began to work for Svenskt Tenn in the early 1930s, he introduced the idea of a humane, mitigated modernism." While many advocated a unified modernist concept, he favored a pluralistic approach, saying that uniformity and standardized design might make everyone too similar.

Frank was born in Austria and studied architecture in Vienna at the University of Technology and taught at the Vienna School of Arts from 1919-1925. In 1933, he left Vienna to escape Nazism and gained Swedish citizenship in 1939.

Frank created sofas, tables, cabinets, lamps, and accessories. His specialty, however, was in textiles. Over his lifetime, he produced almost 2500 designs, of which only about half were ever made and only about 100 were made in large quantities.

From meublepeint.com, uchicago.edu and svenskttenn.se

Textile design Manhattan
meublepeint.com

Tray
svenskttenn.se

Display case
1stdibs.com

Liljevalch chair
svenskttenn.se

Commode
meublepeint.com

Cabinet
2modern.com

Frank exhibition - Swedish American Museum, Chicago
newcity.com