Designing a new collection for 2018: A Thought Process

Sharing is one of my greatest joys. I work solo most of the time, so any chance I get to share the process with others is a treat. 

For the past few weeks I've been culling photos and swatches as inspiration for my next collection for the Spring of 2018, and this is hands down my favorite part of the process because once something clicks I love the spark of visualizing it as a chair instantly. The possibilities are endless, the imagination is limitless, and the energy is like a wild current. The mood board here shows a peek at the textures, patterns and colors that have been speaking to me lately. 

 

I'm still in my fascination period with jewel tones, particularly emerald green and sapphire blue juxtaposed with camel, white, and burnt oranges and yellows. But in terms of stitching and shapes I hope to push myself a bit further. Green is my favorite color, and I've gravitated towards being surrounded by it more in the past year through the plants in my home, the clothes I wear, the fabrics I use, the jewelry I buy, etc. A dream of mine has been to visit India because so many of those gloriously saturated, hand-dyed textiles would be incredible to use. I'm also lulled by using velvet and vinyl leather. The Malachite Settee I created this Fall was a personal vision to manifest a kind of energy I've felt throughout this early journey in upholstery. Being hard and soft with myself. Even if no one had purchased it, the fact it even existed in the world was enough for my spirit. 

  

A little secret about that settee and all of the pieces I created for the 'Stoned' collection at West Elm this Fall: I stripped each chair and redid the whole collection within 3 weeks of it being installed in-store. I have accepted--and quite like-that I can be a bit impulsive with my designs at times. The designs I spent months sketching and working on had stopped speaking to me after a while. The fabrics didn't match the tone or personality of the furniture, and they felt *gasps) boring. So 3 weeks before my collection was set to be in-store at West Elm I re-reupholstered all 6 six chairs I had spent four months designing. Of course the goal is to not repeat that next year! haha. 

I'm curious to hear about what you're in the process of designing, whether out of paper, wood, stone, fabric, or otherwise! Feel free to share below.