Adding today to an ongoing list of 20th century textile designers listed on this site: Dorothy Liebes (1897-1972) was an American textile designer, weaver, and design consultant whose clients included Frank Lloyd Wright, among many others. Life Magazine has a small online collection of Liebes photographs, viewable here.

I’m grateful for this textile-specific photograph because it gives me an excuse to share my enthusiasm for the larger story behind it, this weekend’s New York Times article (and must-see video) on Doug Aitken’s Venice California home. It’s one big, meditative art installation. And yes, textiles do play a small part. On a larger note, I’m continually fascinated by the role traditional / non-western textiles play in contemporary spaces — as previous posts on the Miller House, Handcrafted Modern and Knoll CBS attest.

Charlotte Linton’s decorative wool and silk scarves combine dashes of surrealism, hyper-realism and folk art influences to create a deliciously heady stew.

Via Textile and Terrain.

“Dara” is a new classic from Manuel Canovas. Produced in three colorways, it’s a traditional Indian hunting scene updated with enough graphic clarity and brightness of color to make it feel both timeless and modern.

Edit is a fabric line by Sharyn Storrier Lyneham, a former editor of Vogue Living. Her patterns are, in the very best of ways, different. They’re different from other things on the market and they’re very different from one to the next, within her own line. Several of her designs incorporate photographs of objects, architecture and nature but it’s her painterly Giraffes pattern above that I like the most. In the U.S., Edit can be purchased through Studio Four NYC.

This “triple layered” and “holed” quilted Japanese cotton is one of many interesting (and understated) fabrics for sale by the quarter yard at Habu Textiles.

NYC’s brick and mortar Loopy Mango is, by the looks of it, a must-visit for all textile fiends with a Bohemian streak. They also have an extensive online shop and an About page with a  refreshing tale of can-do gusto. Above, one of their many Bolivian textiles.

The Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. selected this textile laden painting by George Hendrik Breitner to highlight their current exhibition, “Snapshot: Painters and Photography, Bonnard to Vuillard”. Running through May 6th, the show looks at the influence photography had on painters at the turn of the 20th century — in particular, seven painters who took photographs and also painted from them.”Girl in Red Kimono, Geesje Kwak” (shown cropped above) is deliciously rich with color, pattern, and cross-cultural juxtapositions: the European girl, the Japanese kimono, the ottoman carpet. The contrast of patterns speaks to the compositional power of textiles, both singularly and in combination.

Click here to see a cherry blossom kimono from the Metropolitan Museum’s collection.

Cover magazine (for which I’m a proud contributing writer) has a glorious new issue that’s chock full of the latest and most forward-leaning carpet designs of the season. Among the highlights is Jan Kath’s new collection titled “From Russia With Love”. Dominated by acerbically saturated colors and cloying floral patterns, the line presents a mix of tradition, kitsch and grunge glam, all made in Tibetan wool and silk. Initial encounters with these carpets may produce a strong sense of aversion, followed by curiosity and unexpected appreciation.

With a product line populated by owls, elephants and birds – among other creatures – Ferm Living’s emphasis is on fun, especially for children and their design-conscious parents. For adults (and serious children!) they have a great assortment of strong graphic patterns for pillows and bedding. Their wares are best displayed in their print catalog.

Via Notes To A Further Excuse.