The menswear-inspired aesthetic has come home. Taking its cues from fashion, the home furnishings industry is suiting up in lengths of urbane cloth steeped in natty patterns.
And for good reason. Just like a good gray flannel suit, “these are fabrics that can dress a piece up or down,” says Sherri Donghia, executive vice president of her brother’s home furnishings company. These fabrics can provide presence to a couch of no particular pedigree and add elegance to a gawky chair. They can temper the lines of an overblown sofa or lend nonchalance to a fussy seat.
They’re also far more interesting than mere gray flannel, dripping as they are with texture, pattern and tone. Instead of any particular theme, small neat repeats and luxe natural fibers are the common denominators.
“Couture” home furnishing companies such as Donghia, Schumacher, Cowtan & Tout and Larsen added these fabrics to their collections within the last year or two. But menswear designer Jhane Barnes revolutionized the office furniture market back in 1983 with her first line of suiting-inspired textiles for Knoll. Some of her original styles are still big sellers in the line today, and have always crossed over to the residential market, reports her partner, Howard Fineberg.
These textiles are clearly neutral yet full of nuance, surprisingly rich yet refined. We want to know why it took everyone else so long to catch up.
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Photo far left: Left pile, top to bottom–Bentley in maple sugar, blue haze, macedoine and flint (all Larsen); Cheltenham Twill in greige and taupe (both Cowtan & Tout); Sedona in tan, sage and green (all Cowtan & Tout); Marston in sand, camel, sage and green (all Cowtan & Tout). Right pile, top to bottom–Jane Churchill in green and blue (both Cowtan & Tout); Westport in sea green (Cowtan & Tout); Harbor Stripe in green, teak and aqua (all Cowtan & Tout). Top three, draped, from top to bottom–Westport in oyster, natural and sand (all Cowtan and Tout). Center photo, left to right: Romanie Canyon, Cubes, Nuance and Checkmate (all from Knoll). Photo, near left: Petradura (Schumacher), Champleve (Schumacher), Shadow Stripe (Donghia), Woolly (Donghia), Sartorio in brick (Schumacher), Tacking Stripe (Donghia), Pin Stripe (Donghia), Optique (Schumacher), Sartorio in wine (Schumacher).
All companies are represented at the Merchandise Mart.
