A talk with textile designer Lisa Fine

The late American photographer Ansel Adams once said: 'You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.' His words apply to any kind of creative art and I used them to start an email conversation with textile designer Lisa Fine. On the blog I have described her as a designer with a sense of history; I stick to my words. She has a knack for colours, for patterns, and it feels as if each fabric by Lisa Fine Textiles tells a story. She was born and raised in Mississippi. Today she lives in New York with her dogs and travels widely, often to India and other exotic places. Miniature paintings have inspired her career, and so has painter Henri Matisse.

Wherever possible, also in direct quotes, I have added links to e.g. short essays on museum websites that I found interesting and educational. Except for the Matisse paintings, all the images were chosen by me.

[Fabrics by Lisa Fine Textiles shown in my top image (click each for info): Cairo, Kashgar,
Luxor, Malabar, Malula, Mandalay, Pasha, and Rajkot. For books, see further below]

Persian miniature: Mir Sayyid 'Ali, Night-time in a City, c. 1540, Tabriz, Iran, Safavid Period

To go back to Adams's words, what has left its mark on Lisa Fine (given how much she has discovered through her work and travels).

LF: My life is very much about people, however, books and art not only inspire and teach but are the best refuge.

My favorite painter is Matisse. I love his mix of color and pattern, especially in his orientalist portraits. Irving & Fine [collaboration with textile designer Carolina Irving] peasant blouses were very much inspired by his work. I also love the Fauvism movement.

Her other two favourite artists are Kees Van Dongen and Amedeo Modigliani.

Henri Matisse, Zorah on the Terrace, 1912

She doesn't have a favourite Matisse painting but said: 'I love his Moroccan period most, especially the portraits.' Later I found his work Zorah on the Terrace in my inbox with the words: 'Love Moroccan portraits.' The other two by Matisse followed, the one below with the words: 'Love odalisque series.'

Deborah Turbeville's 'Casa No Name'

Last Friday I told you I had snapped a few photos of a Mexican home that I promised to share. The house tour appeared in the December 2015 issue of The World of Interiors, in a feature called Destination unknown, lensed by Ricardo Labougle. The house belonged to the late fashion photographer Deborah Turbeville (1932-2013), who lived a nomadic life. She named it Casa No Name. It's located in the historic city San Miguel de Allende, in Guanajuato. When Turbeville bought the house it was in a terrible state, but if you are familiar with her photography it is easy to understand why it fascinated her. A friend of hers, who oversaw the two-year restoration told the workers to 'not ... make too perfect a job of it, for "The señora likes it that way"' (p. 190). There is no one thing that draws me to this house; it's the richness of it that captivates me, the gorgeous blend of patterned textiles, colours, plaster walls, the breathtaking roof terrace . . . this is what they mean when they talk about turning a house into a home.

In 2009, Rizzoli published the book Casa No Name by Turbeville herself. I have seen some of the images from the book and I cannot say it's a book for everyone. Let's just say that it's a different interior design book with a lot of blurry images. Hard-core Turbeville fans will probably love it.

I found a short interview with Turbeville on YouTube, taken at Casa No Name when Toast was shooting their Spring/Summer 2010 lookbook there.

For everyone interested in fashion photography I would recommend the book Deborah Turbeville: The Fashion Pictures. It's also published by Rizzoli and you will find in it the infamous bathhouse photos, which shocked when they appeared in Vogue in 1975.

images by me | credit: The World of Interiors, December 2015, Destination unknown, pp. 182-191 · Ricardo Labougle

Interior design: built-in nooks

This summer my admiration for built-in nooks has reached a whole new level. I think it started with an Ibizan house tour in Elle Decoration UK  that I shared in a blog post in June. From then on these types of nooks were demanding my attention everywhere; also the textiles, the covers and cushions chosen to make them comfortable. I have a French issue of Elle Decoration from last summer that is filled with built-in nooks. It has been on my table this summer and I just had to take a few photos for the blog. You see, I look at my blog as a diary. I don't write one, by that I mean the dear diary type, but I note down things in my journals all the time. The visual part is very important to me as well and I like being able to store these images on the blog for others to enjoy but also for myself to look them up later.

Let us start with a few nooks that appeared in a feature on Scorcialupi, a holiday rental in the Italian region of Puglia. I find the outdoor living area above absolutely stunning. The two indoor ones below are also neat.

1-3: Scorcialupi, Elle Decoration (French), July/August 2014, pp. 108-117/Christian Schaulin

As much as I like the nook below, with its harmonious colour palette, I'm not sure I would want one in my outdoor dining area, especially if I were entertaining. If one person has to stand up then others have to move or make space. However, this kind of rustic style is right up my alley and I like how the industrial Tolix chairs create contrast (this photo only shows one clearly). The nook belongs to a beautiful and stylish home on the Greek island of Mykonos.

4: Mykonos house tour, Elle Decoration (French), July/August 2014, pp. 130-141/Giorgio Baroni

Stylish bohemian vibes in Ibiza

On Saturday the latest issue of Elle Decoration UK arrived in the mail and the house tour I fell flat for was a 300-year-old finca with stylish bohemian vibes, in a remote area of Ibiza. It doesn't happen often that I more or less like every single room when viewing homes in magazines, but I have been just a tad obsessed with this one (that top image is now decorating my desktop). The feature, Where the cicadas sing, was photographed by Sunna and Marc Van Praag. I had to snap a few photos to share with you, of the corners in this home that make my heart sing.

The rustic part of the house especially appeals to me, like these ornate built-in seating nooks next to the kitchen (not shown in the magazine). This look feels so inviting. The dining area connects with the sitting area and also has a built-in nook. The nooks have a mix of textiles, cushions and covers in solid colours and with patterns. The home is inspired by the owners' travels and there are quite many global finds. I'm fascinated by that lamp between the nooks (hence the detail photo to the left) but it doesn't say in the article where it comes from.

Rustic sitting area with a fireplace and a built-in nook

Other decorative objects that caught my attention were the ornate vases on the table below and on the stairs, and also beautiful rugs throughout the house.

The bathroom has arched original walls and stylish Spanish tiles. Don't get me started on the rug! I had to include the outdoor living area with the swimming pool. To see the rest of the house you need to get yourself a copy of the issue!

For those who aren't familiar with Ibiza, it's a Spanish island, part of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Since I can remember Ibiza has always been associated with partying and nightlife, a quality that has never attracted me to any destination. But I have always been fascinated with its small villages and quiet resorts, and its mix of cultures, which is why Ibiza is on my to-visit list. There is this one old blog post, Colours of Ibiza, by María of EclecChic that shows exactly what it is that lures me to the island.

There is one more feature in the July 2015 issue of Elle Decoration UK that deserves a mention. It's an article about architect and designer Alexander Girard (1907-1993). The Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein is planning an exhibition of his work in 2016. (The museum is located right in the corner where Germany, Switzerland and France meet.) Here is a link to Alexander Girard's design for Vitra - I love his matchboxes.

images by me | credit: Elle Decoration UK, July 2015, Where the cicadas sing, pp. 98-107 · Sunna and Mark Van Praag