Interior Nature, Interior Design

Interior Nature to Interior Design

June 16, 2014 • Kristin at Interior Nature

Designer pillows were not a calling. About eight months ago, I perched on an outcrop longing to see the luminescence of the monarchs as they gathered on the purple asters before taking flight en masse for the winter. What a honor to witness. Such brilliance is unusual in design. Sometimes we capture it in glassware. Shiny metals may capture it, like mirrored cabinets refracting bright fabrics or wallpapers. Silk velvets, lights and lamp fabrics, and yes, plastics of various kinds, can produce that feeling of happy internal light.

Photo © Interior Nature

In the Fall of 2013, there were no butterflies in Maine. I took the above photo in the Fall of 2012. They never arrived during the past summer, let alone gathered to head South in the Fall. I missed staring at their delicate movements and wing dancing. The luminescent orange and purple were an annual rhythm. How many vivid light and color experiences can we count on, especially in an expected rhythm? Art and Design can try to emulate these experiences.

A friend of ours, Salley Knight, has spent decades trying to express luminescence in silk using traditional Japanese dye techniques. Curing the fabric with homemade soymilk is a lengthy process. Her love for both light and dark is expressed through the medium of silk.

Photo © Salley Knight Studios

She miraculously manipulates the refraction of light, playing and designing with often unpredictable flows of ink among the fibers. It is a fine art that has taken years of practice and refinement. The glow is so complex, it is even flattened by photography.

The 2014 Kips Bay Decorator Showcase is a great example of fine designers at work managing light and refraction in design. Some people may find the results agitating and too noisy; others find the results grounding. Great interior designers try to master it in every project, and recognize the personal needs of the individual.

I used to work in the reclaimed wood business. I have worked with many designers, furniture makers, and decorators. Some love to communicate about details, and can manage imperfection and uncertainty that is inherent to adapting to an individual. As one happy customer said of their experience, “this place is so NOT internet!” What did she mean?

Well, the opposite feeling is "I want this exact thing I saw on Pinterest"! Educating the consumer about what it would take to replicate a unique piece of wood with a unique personal history can sag the "I want it now at my fingertips" heart. But taking a worn piece of one person's trash with a unique history into an object of beauty is not easily repeated from piece to piece.

Photo © Interior Nature

Getting back to Interior Nature: Peter and I have embarked on a journey to bring past fabrics back to life. There is so much genius and craftsmanship in the history of design. Even genius mid-century modern designers that embraced smooth lines brought imperfection into the home via stone, wood, and fabrics. They were personal, natural spaces. Minimally, vintage and antique fabrics deserve a happy new home. And maybe, our products will enable you to add that touch of the personal to your home.