Matriarch Rounds Out the In Your Skin Upholstery Collection

Matriarch is the sixth and final addition to the In Your Skin upholstery collection, a collaboration between HBF Textiles and product and interiors designer Erin Ruby. Aptly named, Matriarch is a twill weave with strong color combinations that evoke wisdom and experience. Visually, the twill blends bold complementary colored yarns to create a subtle melange and moire effect.

The six sensorial textiles in the woven fabric collection celebrate being comfortable in your own skin, inspired by the human experience and the ephemeral nature of life. Tactile with a handmade quality, In Your Skin looks like a residential product, yet has the durability for contract and hospitality environments. Each of the fabrics are certified Indoor Advantage Gold (SCS), woven and manufactured in the United States with wool locally sourced from the Midwest, and most patterns are made using post-consumer and/or recycled materials.

In Your Skin marks Ruby’s third collaboration with HBF Textiles. “Sometimes contract textiles can tend toward being cold or lifeless for pragmatic reasons, but this collection is so warm and tactile even with its high performance functionality. It’s full of life – imbued with optimism and aspiration, which I think will resonate within a space,” she shared.

The collaboration continues HBF Textiles’ focus on supporting women-owned businesses. “I love promoting talented female designers. It gives me a sense of pride to utilize the HBF Textiles platform to share their story and creative vision to a wider audience,” says Mary Jo Miller, Vice President of Design and Creative Direction at HBF Textiles. With like-minded mills and collaborators locally and globally, the brand continually explores the possibilities materiality can offer and how it can further connect us with other people and our environment.

To learn more about Matriarch, visit hbftextiles.com.

DREAMHOUSES: Abstract Fantasy Homes Prompt Short Stories

With controversial AI creations around so many corners, it’s refreshing to see an analogue project like DREAMHOUSES come along. Thought up by Fort Makers and stemming from the idea of vivid pandemic-induced dreams, the project is an online exhibition of abstract fantasy homes. Six artists and designers created their own “dream house” before being paired up with writers, who then used the creations as a prompt for an accompanying text work. The catch was that participants could only use materials that were available in their actual homes. The result is a digital neighborhood that explores the idea of what a home is to the creators.

“The past few years have forced us to radically reconsider our relationships with our homes, coming to realize that it is where our imagination comes together with reality: we create spaces in our own image while making sure they also serve our quotidian needs,” says Fort Makers Co-Founder Nana Spears. “With this project, we wanted to see what would happen if the artist is free to eschew the practical part of this equation and create a space of pure fantasy,” adds Co-Founder Noah Spencer.

CHIAOZZA x Janelle Zara, “Parallel House”

“Parallel House,” created by the duo at CHIAOZZA, features a horseshoe-style layout of two houses. With an all-white exterior and interior full of brightly-colored objects, the design takes advantage of indoor/outdoor living spaces. Entirely modeled of construction paper, this modern piece of architecture is ready for the California desert.

Janelle Zara wrote “Imagining Life Inside CHIAOZZA’s Dreamhouse, Which I’m Sure Exists in LA” in response. “In my dream house, time is an illusion, a social construct; here adherence to time is 100 percent a choice. There are no clocks, no scheduled zoom meetings, only the movement of light and shadow as the sun traces its path along the sky. Throughout the year, from day to day, this movement is never fixed; the day stretches and contracts according to the seasons.” Read it in full here.

Harry Nuriev x Drew Zeiba, “Off The Road”

Harry Nuriev’s immersive work likes to blur the line between actual and virtual realities, so it makes sense that “Off The Road” would follow suit. The 3D rendering uses his signature cobalt blue to highlight a canopy bed set in a green meadow. Once the sky dims, an otherworldly light of its own turns on.

In “Sense Index Zero,” Drew Zeiba dives into what we feel like when alone in the comfort of our homes and the color blue. “One can feel blue; blue is not something one wants to feel. In Maggie Nelson’s obsessive catalogue of the color, Bluets, she writes, “Loneliness is solitude with a problem.” Soot lands on my tongue as a reminder that there are things I cannot control, that home is not the shape of a globe, that there is no edge. The world escapes. I am beneath a sky of my own making as words crystalize carbon gray against my teeth. I shed description: I become primary.” Read it in full here.

Laurie Simmons x Natasha Stagg, “Sparkle House”

Artist Laurie Simmons, explorer of nostalgia, gender, and consumerism, created “Sparkle House.” A sparsely furnished Victorian mansion of sorts, its personality comes from the patterned textiles used throughout its rooms – including the sparkling rugs that come to life when hit with light.

Undeniably a great setting, Natasha Stagg wrote “Nowhere to sit” in accompaniment. The short story tells of a group of roommates, their various personalities, and the dynamics that exist in such situations. “The couch was so unlike the image when it arrived. All of the roommates looked at it, delivered and out of the box, the first new piece of furniture they had bought as a group. It was supposed to be what brought the room together, a luxurious blue velvet thing. They should have known, they all thought, that cheap velvet would look it, giving away more than what their second-hand or inherited furniture did.” Read it in full here.

Noah Spencer x Philippa Snow, “Sunshine Daydream”

“Sunshine Daydream” was brought to life by Fort Makers Co-Founder, wood sculptor, and painter Noah Spencer. The tiny mixed-media hut features a single unfurnished room that can move across the accompanying desert landscape with you – almost like a pet.

Critic and essayist Philippa Snow wrote “Ithaca” in extension.
“Ithaca, whose name was actually Jane, had dropped out of her Creative Writing MFA to start a new life in the desert, where she’d planned to write a novel, drop some acid, and behave exactly like the kind of white girl who called things her ‘spirit animal.'” Read it in full here.

Marcel Alcalá x Whitney Mallett, “Corner Studio Girlies”

Populated with non-binary figures, Marcel Alcalá’s “Corner Studio Girlies” uses glazed ceramic figures against a cardboard city painted red to share alternative expressions of queerness. It was photographed in the corner of Alcalá’s studio, which is also the piece’s namesake.

Whitney Mallet explored the hectic, playful yet dark, “Corner Studio Girlies” and wrote #Justiceforglitter. The piece revolves around Mariah Carey, 9/11, and the movie Glitter. “And while I’m not suggesting that sabotaging the vehicle intended to catapult Carey into cinema stardom played a role in Al Qaeda’s attack schedule, it has been documented that Osama Bin Laden’s preferred five-octave-range songstress was Whitney Houston.” Read it in full here.

Sam Harvey x Tash Nikol, “From Here I’ve Seen Even More”

Like something out of a fairytale, ceramicist Sam Harvey created a single tower. Covered in light blue shingles and waving a flag reading “having no idea as to what it all meant he chose to stay home,” your imagination just might run wild.

Poet, writer, and curator Rash Nikol interpreted the tower into words, perhaps as a link to another world, in “Waiting Room for Spirits.” “the wise ones speak of the spirit house / here and there / our ancestors speak of a place there / a holding room for spirits / outside of skin / not far from clouds.” Read it in full here.

To learn more about DREAMHOUSES, visit dreamhouses.fortmakers.com.

The Cut + Paste Homeware Collection Appreciates Layers in a Fresh Form

“This felt like a really natural partnership, we have a joint appreciation for color and we wanted to find a way to celebrate this in a way neither studio would have come up with alone,” said Jemma Ooi, co-founder at CUSTHOM, of their collaboration with Jonathan Lawes. The Cut + Paste homeware collection, designed by the two London-based studios, adds some lighthearted fun to your home with its playful approach to color and form.

One of the best parts? The collection of tumblers, highballs, a vase, and artwork are designed so that each piece can be enjoyed singularly or as part of a set. The collage-like designs are chosen by the team for their bold, graphic color blocks.

Jonathan Lawes adds, “A lot of my work can get quite busy and numerous layers all interacting – this was a good way to reel that back in and focus on specific elements.”

Another fantastic quality of Cut + Paste is that its pieces are all made from recycled glass supplied by revered glassware brand, LSA International. In fact, both the color palette and designs are inspired by the green of the recycled glass being used. The art prints are made using water-based inks and FSC-managed papers, and the entirety of the Cut + Paste collection can be recycled.

To learn more about the Cut + Paste collection, visit custhom.co.uk.

IKEA + Marimekko Launch Self-Care Centered BASTUA Collection

Two of the biggest Nordic brands have united to bring us the BASTUA collection, launching globally in March 2023. The limited-edition series of 26 products, created by home furnishings giant IKEA and iconic printmaker Marimekko, brings together Nordic design and self-care rituals. From furniture to glassware to textiles, vibrant patterns reflect nature back at you.

“Collaborating with Marimekko was a natural choice for IKEA as we are both committed to enabling a better everyday life at home, and with the BASTUA collection, it begins with focusing on wellness first,” says Henrik Most, Creative Leader at IKEA. “The collaboration encapsulates the sensations of endless summers and the simple and aesthetic beauty of Nordic nature in furniture and accessories for the home.”

“BASTUA” describes a sauna in Småland, the region in southern Sweden where IKEA was founded. Self-care and Nordic sauna were the starting points of the collection that’s meant to be used when relaxing outdoors in warm weather or simply winding down at the end of a long day.

The launch of BASTUA marks the first time that Marimekko has designed prints exclusively for a brand collaboration. “Capturing the essence of Marimekko’s Finnish roots and its connection to the historic origins of sauna culture was a fundamental part of the design journey and the creation of the BASTUA prints,” says Rebekka Bay, Creative Director at Marimekko. When gathering inspiration from nature, the brand gravitated towards the large, decorative rhubarb leaves that are often found growing near saunas in Finland. You’ll find it throughout the collection, including on the ever-popular FRAKTA bag.

Within the BASTUA collection lies furniture, glassware, and textiles that include robes and towels – and even the first-ever sauna bucket – among other items. These are all things one might traditionally use when enjoying a sauna, or right before or after the ritual. You’ll find elements that can be used during a meal, a place to sit and feel grounded, and even a candle infused with the scents of elderflower, rhubarb, and sweet vanilla.

BASTUA’s furniture pieces are inspired by classic Nordic design. A side table offers a clever feature: the collection’s patterned trays fit perfectly on the top. You may even want to pull up the coordinating bench to enjoy a relaxing moment of Zen.

“Nordic furniture design has always been characterized by clean lines and simple constructions that focus on function” says Mikael Axelsson, Designer at IKEA. “The BASTUA side table is my take on this heritage, as it is made of birch veneer and with a high edge that keeps things in place.”

The BASTUA collection feels like a perfect partnership, neither pattern nor design overshadows the other. It’s a wonderful marriage between two brands that complement one another in harmony.

To learn more about BASTUA, visit ikea.com.

VARMBLIXT Provides the Biggest Effect With the Least Resources

“I wanted to take an unexpected approach to exploring the idea of how lighting functions within the home, and to inspire people to consider new shapes and elements which blend into and highlight different types of interior spaces in new, bold, and artistic ways,” says Rotterdam-based designer Sabine Marcelis. Her 20-piece VARMBLIXT collection is a collaboration with IKEA that includes sculptural lighting objects, serveware, rugs, and more.

Each piece of lighting is designed to interact with both direct and indirect light, and align with IKEA’s hopes of shifting the perception of it in the home. Rather than simply being functional, lighting can be emotional in that it can transform the look, feel, and atmosphere of our spaces.

The four lighting pieces in the collection will become a permanent part of IKEA’s offerings. They include the VARMBLIXT LED pendant lamp, which features curved pipes of frosted white glass, and the VARMBLIXT LED wall mirror, designed with a semi-transparent glass panel and light strip. Both are sculptural objects when turned off, and a display of light engineering when illuminated.

“At home, I have mainly indirect lights, as I love the soft effect they give. I also have a lot of art objects that double as lighting, something I love because it blurs the boundaries of function and art,” said Marcelis. “It’s really a lost opportunity if you don’t think about the appeal of a lighting element when it’s in its ‘OFF’ mode – because a lot of the time a light might not be turned on, but you still need to live with it and have it be part of the interior.”

We find it to be a true sign of a successful collaboration when the designer features the products in their own space. “I have a donut lamp in my son’s room, which he loves, and the curved line in my living room high up on one of the structural columns,” Marcelis shared with us. “I love how it highlights the connection with the ceiling. I’m planning to mount them on all the columns to really add to this architectural feature.”

A motif that can be seen throughout Marcelis’ work – the infinite doughnut – finds its place as the VARMBLIXT LED lamp that can be wall-mounted or displayed on a table. You’ll also find two serveware sizes in orange and green in the same shape, alongside a beautiful set of glassware.

Marcelis admitted that, “Just yesterday I brought home a set of the champagne glasses and made some dry-January mocktails in them. I have to say, I’m very proud of how the glassware turned out. It’s a product category I have not worked on before, and it’s so satisfying to drink from something I have designed myself and directly interact with it on such a close level.”

With a focus on warm colors, VARMBLIXT includes two rugs inspired by the setting sun. The larger of the pair, made from 100% hand-tufted wool, features a sunset-like color gradient that fades from deep orange to amber yellow. An overlapping style adds extra interest while creating the illusion of depth.

Marcelis told us that she’s really learned how to get the maximum amount of effect with the least amount of materials/resources used through VARMBLIXT – and that was her aim all along. “To not solely rely on the lusciousness of materiality, but to strip everything back to essentials and with a singular gesture make it gain its desirability. The pieces needed to have my signature, but also be anonymous enough to be able to be applied in many different types of homes. It taught me more than ever that less is more.”

To learn more about the VARMBLIXT collection, which will launch in February 2023, visit https://about.ikea.com.

Fungi Forest Toile Comes for the Le Bambole Capsule Collection

In her first-ever interiors collaboration, British eco-conscious pioneer Stella McCartney worked with B&B Italia on a series that launched at Art Basel Miami Beach. Based on both’s shared values of sustainability, the Le Bambole capsule collection features a hand-drawn “Fungi Forest” in a dark red and white toile print. The upholstery pattern was pulled from McCartney’s Summer 2022 runway collection, and can be seen adorning the exclusive Le Bambole armchair and Granbambola 3-seater sofa. In reimagining Mario Bellini’s armchair, McCartney was able to experiment with a designer’s work she loves while also celebrating Le Bambole’s 50th anniversary with B&B Italia.

Five decades after its introduction, Le Bambole has evolved using innovative design elements that contribute to its comfort and environmental footprint. The capsule collection brings together the quality and durability of B&B Italia with responsible materials and construction choices that are in line with McCartney’s eco-conscious mission. The new Le Bambole is designed to be fully disassembled, allowing for easy repairs when necessary and a circular end-of-life process to do the least harm.

While the original construction used a metal structure wrapped in polyurethane, the updated versions employ a recycled polyethylene frame, elements in polyurethane foam, and thermoplastic elastomers. These are encased in recycled polyester fabric beneath the upholstery to give Le Bambole its iconic shape, comfort, and breathability.

The capsule collection also introduces sustainable innovations developed by B&B Italia’s R&D team. Happily, Le Bambole’s upholstery is made of 100% biodegradable and toxin-free polyester that leaves no harmful microplastics in the environment. It’s produced using 25% bio-based, 75% petroleum based feedstock and made in audited mills which follow the strict OceanSafe Compliant standards, and the ink used for the print is Oeko-Tex® certified.

To learn more about Stella McCartney x B&B Italia three-piece capsule collection, visit bebitalia.com. They are available for purchase in all B&B Italia direct, mono-, and multi-brand stores globally as well as online.