Art of Native America: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection · The Met Museum

Inspired by my studies, I chose the cover of Art of Native America: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection (2018) for this first blog entry in weeks. On this term, I took a course called 'Museums and Society: The Circus of Death?' in which we read about indigenous peoples, about museum work in the Native American communities of Hopi and Zuni, to name a few. Apart from reading textbooks and academic articles, I viewed conservation material on various museum websites and through my search I discovered this stunning publication by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection includes objects from more than fifty cultures across North America, spanning the era from before the European settlers to the early 20th century. The book provides insights into the art, culture, and daily life of indigenous communities.

Jacket illustration: a tunic and leggings detail by a Tlingit artist.

Art of Native America: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection
By Gaylord Torrence with Ned Blackhawk and Sylvia Yount
Hardback, 232 pages, illustrated
ISBN: 9781588396624
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Man's coat, ca. 1820, Innu (Naskapi), Native American/The Met

In December when I shared my first book cover entry I honestly thought I could use this category to keep my blog alive during my studies. I have come to realise it's impossible to do so when dealing with endless assignment deadlines on top of getting through the reading material for each lecture. There are periods when it feels as if one hardly comes up for air.

It has been a strange term because of the coronavirus pandemic. The term is almost over and here in Austria, they have started to loosen the lockdown. Unfortunately, museums are still closed so my hopes of working as an intern this summer are gone. But the good news is that no one close to me has been infected by COVID-19 and I hope the same goes for my blog readers. Stay safe!

bottom image by me, appeared on Instagram 14/01/2020 | Tailored garment via The Met

Textiles and Persians

If you thought this blog entry was about Persian textiles you have been lured to the blog on false pretences; I'm referring to my Persian cat, who did some serious photobombing the other day when I was photographing patterned fabrics by Schuyler Samperton Textiles. It was a relaxing day, with the sun in hiding but every now and then brightening up our reading nook quite generously, and I had spread books, interior magazines and fabric samples all over the coffee table. There was coffee too.

A certain colour palette had formed in my head and all of a sudden I realised how beautifully it harmonised with the January 2018 cover of The World of Interiors. I picked the fabric samples needed, grabbed the camera, and had shot perhaps four or five photos when my Persian prince appeared on the scene ... and refused to budge (I should have known, he likes sleeping in between my books). I tried to work around him but he kept popping up in the frame. The last photo shows the end result: he had his way and I called it a day.

Caledonia, Doshi and Firefly fabrics by Schuyler Samperton Textiles

Back to that colour palette. I chose three designs by Schuyler Samperton Textiles. The floral fabric with the bird motif is called Caledonia, seen here in the colourways Peony (above in the foreground) and Imperial (under the cup). The design with the loosely printed botanical motif is Doshi, in the colourways Hibiscus and Aubergine. Sandwiched between the two is the Firefly in Plum. In blue it's called Deep End.

A Persian prince enters.

Bedroom image from The World of Interiors, January 2018/Simon Upton

The cover photo of the January 2018 issue of The World of Interiors was lensed by Simon Upton. The magazine visited the home, a transformed warehouse in Milan, of art director Roberto Gerosa. The bedroom is textile heaven.

All's well that ends well.

Schuyler Samperton Textiles

The world of textile design got richer this year when Schuyler Samperton, a Los Angeles–based interior designer, took the plunge and introduced her own fabric collection under the name of Schuyler Samperton Textiles. With the launch of the fabric line, a dream came true for Samperton, who has been collecting textiles since her teenage years. The word stunning describes my first impression of her collection, which exists of eight fabrics made of 100% linen, available in various colourways. For two months I have been admiring the details of her patterns and asking myself, Where do I even begin to share this beauty?

Nellcote/Petunia by Schuyler Samperton Textiles

You may have seen some of the fabrics by Schuyler Samperton Textiles on my Instagram account this summer, but for the first blog post I landed on the Nellcote/Apricot in a leading role, a bohemian pattern that to me depicts a certain playfulness. (The detail above shows the colour Petunia.)

The Nellcote/Apricot is the fabric and colour I would like to use for a cushion or two in our new living room, after we have purchased a new sofa - I'm moving soon, about to start packing! I have been playing with ideas and every time this is the pattern that feels right, plus its colours match well with the textiles I already have and the ones I have my eyes on.

Left: The Doshi fabric in Persimmon. Right: In foreground, Nellcote/Apricot;
top, Caledonia/Mandarin; bottom-left, Celandine/Sunset

Of the eight designs, the Doshi fabric is the one with a loosely printed pattern, a simple botanical motif. You can easily use any of its five colourways to draw out another colour, resulting in a beautifully decorated space. For this post I chose the Doshi/Persimmon but I also have a crush on a blue version, Doshi/Lake. The floral fabric also seen in my image above is Celandine/Sunset.

Some other time I would like to feature the Caledonia design in more detail on the blog. It's the floral fabric with the butterfly in my image above, in the colour Mandarin. This fabric also has a bird motif.

Another Schuyler Samperton design I'm fond of using in my new home is the Cordoba fabric with a paisley motif, seen folded in the colour Spice in my image above, and in detail below (also spotted in Indigo under the ceramic vase). I have yet to decide between the Cordoba/Spice and Cordoba/Dahlia.

I will be featuring more fabrics later. In the meantime you can view the full range of fabrics on the website of Schuyler Samperton Textiles, where you will also find a list of showrooms.

Cordoba/Spice by Schuyler Samperton Textiles

A few years back I featured the work of Schuyler Samperton on the blog. The suzani lovers out there may perhaps remember this particular post where, among others, I shared an image of a West Hollywood bedroom (scroll down), belonging to a residence she designed. She studied art history and decorative arts at Trinity College, NYU and Parsons School of Design, and for four years she worked for American interior designer Michael S. Smith. Her interior design projects are accessible online. Throughout September I will be adding some of my favourite Schuyler Samperton spaces to the Lunch & Latte Tumblr page.

Textile and interior designer Schuyler Samperton. © Schuyler Samperton Textiles/Alexandre Jaras

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.'

Colourful fabrics by Lisa Fine Textiles

Motifs, patterns, textiles, colours. Having recently received a batch of samples from Lisa Fine Textiles, I have spent my latte moments with hand-printed, colourful fabrics and textile books spread all over my desk, as captured in my images. Here we have three designs she introduced last year, Kalindi, Cochin and Ayesha Paisley, which are a beautiful addition to her exotic collection, inspired by her travels. Soon I will be sharing with you a little chat I had with Lisa Fine herself through email, about books, art and other inspirations.

Cochin by Lisa Fine Textiles, colour in foreground: rose

Of these three designs, the floral fabric Cochin is the one that has won my heart and soul, especially the colour rose with a saffron background. The pattern is hand-printed on 90% natural linen blended with 10% nylon, available in four colours: rose, cinnabar (the red and blue one - see image above, top-right), burnt sugar, and saffron (with pink flowers). Many of Lisa Fine's designs bear an Indian name. Cochin is the colonial name of the Indian city Kochi, situated on the southwest coast in the state of Kerala.

Ayesha Paisley, colour in foreground: ruby

The Ayesha Paisley fabric is hand-printed on 100% natural linen, available in four colours: ruby, sapphire, coral, and spinel (I don't have a sample of the last one).

Ayesha Paisley, in the foreground: sapphire

In foreground: Kalindi in every available colour (under my cup are two samples of the fabric Luxor)

The Kalindi fabric has a floral pattern with dots, hand-printed on 90% natural linen blended with 10% nylon. It's available in five rich colours: monsoon (the light blue one), indigo, saffron, dusty rose, and lipstick. I'm assuming the fabric is named after the Kalindi River in the state of West Bengal in eastern India.

To view the full range of fabrics, visit the website of Lisa Fine Textiles.

Perhaps some readers are in the mood for a new look in one of their spaces or even thinking about redesigning their home. In an interview that appeared in Lonny a few years ago, when her guest flat on the Left Bank in Paris was featured in the magazine, Lisa Fine gave a solid advice: 'Never be a victim of trends. If modern is in style and you love Victorian, go Victorian. Style is an expression of yourself and not what fashion dictates' (Inspiration India, Dec/Jan 2010). In the same feature she shared a few design tips and this one could help you start: 'Similar to how many designers will start with a rug and then build a room, choose a fabric to inspire the space and work from there.' My choice of fabric would be clear.

Carnations in my study

The other day my son and I were having breakfast when he asked me what were my favourite flowers. Without thinking I said carnations (on the table was a vase with yellow ones). 'Why?' he asked. 'Because they are durable,' I said, 'they last long.' A few years back I would have said white tulips or peonies, without a doubt. When I think about it I cannot really choose between these three, but carnations are the flowers I buy most of the time (the Spaniards were on to something when they chose the red carnation as their national flower). This is an image I snapped in my study this morning while enjoying a nutmeg latte. Carnations and stacks of books on my desk is a common sight.

New coffee table books

The west coast of Scotland doesn't look autumnal, yet, but I'm already in the mood for autumn. I have started to light candles in the morning and occasionally I let fire burn in the fireplace, just for a short moment. Soon I will give the summer shirts a rest and start wearing sweaters and shawls in darker shades. What I find exciting about the autumn is that it always sees the publication of new coffee table books. I would like to share with you a list of the ones I have in sight this year.

· Nomad Deluxe: Wandering with a Purpose by Herbert Ypma. Actually, this one was published earlier this year but it only recently caught my attention. Ypma's photographs available for preview on the Assouline website look stunning.
· Neisha Crosland: Life of a Pattern by Neisha Crosland. A book by a textile designer full of patterns ... no words needed!
· Map Stories: The Art of Discovery by Francisca Mattéoli. I believe this one is a gem for lovers of vintage maps, published in French last year and now soon available in English. If you are unfamiliar with Mattéoli's work you may want to take a look at her blog, which she writes in both French and English.
· Cecil Beaton at Home: An Interior Life by Andrew Ginger. I cannot wait to browse through this one. I think it will find its way to my coffee table one day.
· François Catroux by David Netto. I believe this is a book many have been waiting for. Remember the Paris home of Lauren Santo Domingo that I posted on the blog designed by Catroux? One of my favourite house tours is his Paris apartment.
· Urban Jungle: Living and Styling with Plants by Igor Josifovic + Judith de Graaff. Igor is a dear blog friend and I'm so excited to see his book published. Head over to his Happy Interior Blog to take a look at what was going on behind the scenes during the work on the book.
· Wanderlust: Interiors That Bring the World Home by Michelle Nussbaumer. My textile heart is already beating faster. See more below.
· Ottolenghi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi + Sami Tamimi. This is a new edition of the one published in 2008. Not a coffee table book per se, but their cookbook Jerusalem is one of those that regularly ends up on mine because it's more than just a cookbook.

It is not my intention to let any one book on the list shine brighter than others but when I saw the textiles and colour palette in the Swiss bedroom of designer Michelle Nussbaumer I simply had to share it on the blog. (I think this photo appears in the book, which features, among others, her homes in Swiss and Texas.) Not everyone has the knack for arranging mismatched textiles stylishly, however, Nussbaumer seems to do so effortlessly. The images I have seen of her design have a few things in common; they are rich of antiques, patterned textiles and global finds. She runs a very popular design shop in Dallas, Ceylon et Cie.

Bedroom textiles in designer Michelle Nussbaumer's Swiss chalet

1: image by me | 2: bedroom photo · Melanie Acevedo via WSJ