Artist Saul Steinberg is perhaps most famous for his New Yorker covers - especially his View of the World cover from 1976. However, he was also a very successful fine artist, as well as a sometime designer of textiles. Schumacher discovered Steinberg’s work in Greeff’s archives. Greef is a company Schumacher now owns.  The decision to re-introduce Steinberg’s work must have been a no-brainer, and here they are for us to enjoy. This new collection is comprised of fabrics and wallcovering using four of his original designs from the 1950’s.

The Opera print, below, was discovered in the Schumacher archives as an original Greeff print (Schumacher now owns that company). I think they’re too fab. That means awesome.

Schumacher fabrics are available through the trade. I don’t believe you can find them online. This means you’ll need to go through a professional to purchase this line. You can always contact me directly for a price quote.

The home accessories shop, Sea Cloth, is holding a sale through the month of July. I love their fabrics (wish they offered larger images on their site though). They’re bright and fun and beachy.

To take advantage of their 30% savings, enter JULYSALE at the checkout.

I love the new lines of paper and fabrics from Jane Churchill. They’re a contemporary departure from her more traditional patterns. Lonsdale embraces the return of foils - something that was quite popular in the 1970’s. If foil isn’t your thing, her Calder and Caro Collections works with Lonsdale and come in a wide choice of colorways.

I find that some of my clients shy away from bold wallpaper patterns, fearing they’ll overwhelm a room. I feel quite the opposite. Large patterns can really make a room zip. Here are some tips on how to get it right.

• Flat surfaces will always show an over-sized design to its best advantage, so avoid using it on a wall with lots of picture molding that will break up the image.

• An intense, large pattern will look lighter with a diaphanous fabric on the windows.

• Carry the design through-out the room. Use the print from the walls on things like upholstery or bedspreads or a bedskirt. This will create an intimate feeling.

• Use a large print on the walls, ceiling and at the windows. In a smaller room, such as a bath, this looks great.

• Use large graphic motifs to create artwork by framing it. Or to create the illusion of a headboard.as works of art in their own right by framing them.

• Strong contemporary colours bring traditional prints such as damasks and toiles up to date.

Jane Churchill designs are available through your favorite designer. Don’t have a designer? Send me an email and I’ll get them for you.

Here’s an awesome find, which I read about over at Decor8. North Carolina company, Spoonflower has launched a site where you can upload a pattern or image of your choice and they will print it onto 100% cotton fabric and have it delivered within a week from ordering.

They’re currently Beta testing their operation. You’ll need to fill out a form to join their list. During beta, you can only order up to 5 yards. You can also request an 8×8″ sample swatch for $5 or a 21″x 18″ fat quarter for $11 before you commit. The fabric is $18 per yard - a fantastic price. Almost unbelievable.

As a designer, this sort of thing could really come in handy. I hope they’ll increase the yardage size in the future (which looks likely). Five yards isn’t enough to make much more than accessories.

You can follow their progress on their blog.

What is your opinion of this sort of service? Are you up for putting your creativity to the test?

I’m currently working on a project using fabrics from Groves Brothers, which I thought I’d share with you. These hand-screened fabrics have a wonderful depth to them and are reversible.

They can be custom-made in any color and are available to the trade. You can view their line here.

Because the fabrics are reversible, it makes them a great choice for use in a bedroom. Create a duvet with one side of the fabric and window treatments with the other. When you fold part of the duvet over, the combination is fantastic.

The collection is based on the ages-old methods of Venetian printing. Most of the patterns are faithful reproductions of documented patterns from the Renaissance period. The range is comprised of 33 patterns, each available in 175 standard colors.

If you’re interested in a sample and prices shoot me an email.

Okay, this is about the coolest thing I’ve come across in ages. Sonic Fabric is the brainchild of Texas artist, Alyce Santoro. She makes fabric it by recording street musicians on subway platforms, bits of conversation, and noises on the street. She feeds the streams into a multitrack mixer, created an audio collage, and transfers it onto magnetic tape, which is then knitted together to form the fabric.

Because no finishing or backing has been added to the textile, you can still hear sounds from her mix by drawing the head of a reconfigured Walkman over the material’s surface.

Designed for both the residential and commercial markets, Sonic Fabric is available in five colors: copper, onyx, granite, amethyst, and cobalt. It can be ordered by the yard from Sonic Fabric’s site located here.

What could me more awesome? 

Fabric and wallcovering company, Thibaut, has added new designs to their outdoor Courtyard Collection.

This is a nice collection that lends itself to both contemporary and traditional styles. Their prices, while not budget, are good. You can achieve a high-end look without denting your wallet.

Batik, 6 colorways

Bolton & Swept Away, 5 colorways

Coral Gables, 2 colorways & Monterey, 6 colorways

Thibaut is sold via designers. If you’re interested in samples and/or ordering, send me an email. My prices are good, too.

This year Moroso was spectacular. Not everything was a hit, in my humble opinion. I didn’t particularly like Ron Arad’s work. Patricia Urquiola’s Bohemian Collection was not to my liking.But her additions to the Shanghai Tip collection were beautiful.

Bohemian collection - not for me

The new sofas, chairs and settees from the Shanghai Tip Collection are more soft and relaxed. And she sets the gold standard when it comes to intertwining different textiles and pattern.

New, softer sofa

I love this settee, pouf and chair - with their Asian flair and wonderful use of pattern and texture.

Nipa Doshi and Jonothan Levian’s Charpoy Collection was wonderful for these up-and-comers. Definitely not for everyone, but I found them to be lovely, and totally new.

You can see Urquiola’s influence. Their customizable My Beautiful Backside (what a name!) settees are young and cheerful. They used wool and felt because the combination reminded them of old-fashioned clothes with stiff starched collars.

Nipa Doshi sitting on her Beautiful Backside Settee. She’s definitely someone to watch.

I saw copies of Tokujin Yoshioka’s Bouquet Chair throughout the Salone. He says, “I got the idea for Bouquet from the installation I created last October for Moroso’s New York showroom. I used about 30,000 paper tissues to recreate a cloud-like atmosphere.

The Bouquet makes people who sit on it happy, just as a bouquet makes the person who receives it happy. The vibrant, delicate colors trigger different sensations in each of us.”

The chair is a pleasure to sit in. I felt very feminine and wished I were wearing high heels.

Philippe Bestenheider’s collection of Nanook tables (part of a larger furniture collection) were a hit with me. They also remind me of Urquiola’s feminine instincts.

However, Bestenheider says he drew his inspiration from the cold north, and Inuit cultures.

The Moroso exhibit was jammed. Obviously a hit with everyone.

I found a cute fabric company, Nuno, which makes kid’s fabrics and trims. The company hails from Japan, but ships all over the world.

Their fabrics are cotton and linen. They’re sold by the square (50cm x 55cm) or (19.5″ x 21.5″). Some are also available in traditional widths and are sold by the meter. Their designs are quite unique, with a Japanese twist that has become very popular.

These would be perfect for quilters and other home-dec projects. They also don’t have to be limited to children’s things. Tea towels, placemats, and other things with a funky twist to them would be great. Nuno’s prices are good, too. The Little Matryoshka print sells for about $5.00 per square.

I guess I’ve got India on the brain today. Indian textiles are especially appealing to me. The bright colors and bold patterns could be at home in any part of the world. Rayela Art, over at Etsy, specializes in all things Indian. She makes her own things using vintage textiles and buys from other traders from various countries around the world. I thought you’d enjoy taking a peek at her shop.

Vintage Suzani Tapestry: $125

Indian quilt: $145

Vintage textile: $150

Vintage Sindhi Ralli Quilt: $160

I have, from time to time, written about my despair at not being able to find a shop that could create custom lampshades that weren’t prohibitively expensive. Which is why I’m very excited about this new, custom system from Alluminaire.

Imagine me jumping up and down. That’s how cool I think this is. I’ve been sitting on this news for several months, while they worked out some details. I finally got a note from Friday (cool name!) Shamblen last week to let me know that they were “quietly launching” their new custom fabric service.

Alluminaire has had a semi-custom system in place for a while. But now they’re going for a true custom option. You can select from 15 patterns and 112 colors to create your own fabric. I’ve created a few of my own pendant masterpieces to illustrate some of the options.

The price for a 20-inch custom pendant luminaire, like the ones shown here, is $298. (That’s the 20% off sale price - their two-day sale starts today.) “What is quite exciting for me,” says Friday, “is that we are able to offer this custom fabric at a much lower price point than I had expected to: I am not sure that we can always offer it at this price.” They ship to the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, and have plans to ship internationally in the coming year.

The custom option applies to all their styles. While there are 15 patterns to choose from, they plan to add to the selection soon, and will consider adding patterns created by designers (for credit of course) . They’ve included the hex codes to the colors, so that designers can coordinate.

“We’re quite confident of the quality of the fabrics, ” Friday explained. “We have worked with this vendor for several years now, and they produce some of our standard fabrics for us. The quality has been flawless and beautiful.”

But wait - there’s more! I’ve saved the best news for last. Alluminaire will soon be offering the option of ordering extra fabric by the yard. What can I say? I think this is awesome. Now it will be simple to match the fixture and the curtains. Until now, the best price I had been able to find was $400, not including the fabric. So this is really something to watch. Bravo, Alluminaire.

Indian influences in textiles are soon to become a big trend, at least in my humble opinion. Leading the way is John Robshaw. His large line of textiles includes pillows, bedding and tabletop creations. Here are a few of my favorites from his Fall Collection. His new Spring things are just out and I’ll be featuring them soon.

Misregistered

Madura

Maharaja

To find a store in your area that sells John Robshaw’s products visit this link.

I see the Indian influences in the emergence of bright colors. Perhaps the fact that China is so much in the news plays a role. But Indian motifs are more familiar to us and, therefore, a more obvious choice for new textile designs. My eyes will be open to see if this trend really takes off.