In 1955, architecture titan Frank Lloyd Wright created a collection for Schumacher that dazzled the design world. Fast forward to today: his iconic patterns designs plus brand new designed based on the maestro’s archives are in production once again. And these three designers put their own singular spin on the extraordinary fabrics.
CHALLENGER: GEN SOHR
Francesco Lagnese
Nashville designer Gen Sohr, who with her architect husband, Benjamin, comprises the design duo Pencil & Paper Co., has earned a reputation for her bold vision when conquering projects both grand and modest. For clients with a small study in a new-build home that demanded layers of personality and patina, Sohr fearlessly anchored the space with pattern by covering the sofa in a large-scale design.
“It’s unexpected on a piece of furniture,” Sohr says. “We love defying convention by juxtaposing tones, eras and motifs. And taking the idea of architecture behind this very graphic collection, and integrating it into such a small space, made it very fun to use.” Sohr amped up the contrast with supporting patterns in varying scales, and added our playful Matrix Tape to define the walls a la David Hicks.
A gusty large-scale print makes a striking and surprising statement on a boxy sofa. Shell Console by Miles Redd for Ballard Designs. Hallway wall in Askandra Flower, sofa in Design 101; both fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
Sofa detail. Francesco Lagnese
Armchair seat and roman shade in Design 107, stool seat in St. Marks Print, wall trim in Matrix Tape; all fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
CHALLENGER: DAN FINK
Francesco Lagnese
With a portfolio that underscores his talent for designing spaces that are at once highly polished and deeply soulful, it’s no wonder that Manhattan designer Dan Fink gravitate toward applications that both tested the limits of the patterns and showcased them to glorious effect.
To outfit his office, Fink designed high impact roman shades that show off the painterly quality of the large-scale prints, then slipcovered his desk chair with a graphic pattern to display how beautifully such geometric forms can be tailored. A luxe but durable cut velvet became the ideal cozy dog bed for beloved pups Elcy Jones and Totie. “Frank Lloyd Wright was truly one of our great American inventors,” Fink says, “with big ideas about architecture and form. To have that grand vision expressed in textiles is so unusual and compelling.”
Elcy Jones and Totie on their dog bed in Imperial Hotel Velvet; fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
Desk chair slipcovered in St. Marks Print; fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
Throw pillows in Imperial Hotel Velvet; fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
Detail of roman shade in Design 101; fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
Roman shade in Design 103, desk chair slipcovered in St. Marks Print; both fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
CHALLENGER: BARRIE BENSON
Francesco Lagnese
Known for crafting exuberant spaces that display a pitch-perfect mix of contemporary and traditional styles, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Barrie Benson transformed her own midcentury home’s master bedroom into a cossetting retreat that marries linear, masculine forms with a feminine penchant for whimsy and pattern.
“I love how these strong, vintage designs are reinvigorated by fresh of-the-moment hues,” Benson says, “and the range of fabrics–from toothier wovens to more delicate prints–provides endless options.” In a clever take on a classic more-is-more Tolie de Jouy application, Benson unleashed a single textile on the bedding, lampshade and upholstered walls, then layered in patterns of contrasting scales to keep things grounded (the chairs in our Citrus Garden fabric by Josef Frank are a nod to her husband’s Swedish roots).
Otto with curtains in Design 103; fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
Bedspread, bed pillows, lampshade and upholstered walls in St. Marks Print, with trim details in Ashwood Tape, throw pillows in Incomparable Moire and Gainsborough Velvet with gimp details in Eubie Lip Cord, armchairs in Citrus Garden, with gimp details in Eubie Lip Cord, and curtains in Design 103; all fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
Slipper chair in Design 107 with gimp details in Incomparable Moire; both fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
Lampshade and upholstered walls in St. Marks Print, with lampshade details in Eubie Lip Cord; both fschumacher.com. Francesco Lagnese
Benson used dark trim to create and underpinning geometry in the room, and designed the curtains so that the strong black line in the pattern served as the leading edge. Francesco Lagnese
