Today we have the privilege of sharing the workspace of our fabulous friend and textile designer extraordinaire, Katie Leede of Katie Leede & Company who has agreed to guest edit the column! Sidebar - if you’re an interior designer, we also represent Katie’s line in our boutique to-the-trade showroom which you should totally check out.
There is something absolutely magical about the discovery of an antique piece with an elaborate history. The story of Ormolu, a method of gilding that dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries, helps uncover the rich narrative of beloved furnishings and objects of art. Derived from “or”, french for “gold”, and “molu”, french for “ground”, the Ormolu technique is also sometimes referred to by the French as Bronze Doré.
None of us would have wished for the mandatory global shutdown of our lives as we formerly knew them, and yet so much good has already come from it. A slower pace. Renewed focus on what really matters after all of the BS and busywork is stripped away. Creativity bubbling up in surprising ways. Connecting with old friends (#virtualcocktailhour, anyone?) But perhaps most importantly, a redefined sense of the significance of home, and an ever-growing, fierce love for the people we’re now spending more time with than ever before within these walls. One thing has never been truer - our homes are our havens.
We often find ourselves drawn to certain shapes, forms, or motifs from nature for no apparent reason other than it literally calls to us. As art imitates life, the lotus flower, ripe with the symbolism of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration, and rebirth, has found its way into creative expression in all manner of ways and it is one of our favorites.
What is your idea of perfect design happiness?
COLOR BLOCK MINIMALISM & SLATE SWIMMING POOLS.
What is your greatest fear in design?
OBJECTS / FURNITURE DEPICTING HUMAN BODY PARTS.
Which historical design figure do you most identify with?
HAVING STUDIED (AND CONTINUE TO STUDY) FINE ART, I NEED TO CHOOSE FROM THIS FIELD. JOHN COHEN IS A PHOTOGRAPHER, FILMMAKER, MUSICIAN, AND ARTIST WHO I WAS PRIVILEGED TO STUDY UNDER AT ART SCHOOL. I STILL HEAR HIS VOICE IN MY HEAD WHEN I’M ENDEAVORING TO WORK.
Which living designer do you most admire?
What profession other than design would you like to attempt?
RETIREMENT.
What is your greatest design extravagance?
WE RECENTLY PURCHASED OUR DREAM HOME.
When and where were you happiest with your design?
THE SERENBE TEXTILE LOFTS PROJECT WITH CLOTH & KIND.
THIS COLLABORATION HAD EVERYTHING AND ALLOWED ME GREAT FREEDOM TO JUST DRAW AND CARVE AND PRINT. IT WAS A TRUE SHOWCASE OF MY PERSONAL SKILL SETS AS DIRECTED BY KRISTA & TAMI.
What do you consider your greatest achievement in design?
HAVING THE GUTS TO START THIS COMPANY AND TO STICK WITH IT
THROUGH THICK AND THIN.
If you died and came back as another designer or design object,
who or what do you think it would be?
I’D LOVE THE ANSWER TO BE A FERRARI OR RAY BANS OR SOMETHING,
BUT HONESTLY IF I WER REINCARNATED I’D PROBABLY COME BACK AS
A METAL FOLDING CHAIR.
What specific design related talent are you lacking that you would you most like to have?
MARKETING AND ANY KIND OF OUTREACH THAT REQUIRES
ME TO LEAVE MY STUDIO.
What is your most treasured design related possession?
MY HANDS THAT MAKE THINGS.
What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design?
STEALING FROM OTHERS.
What curse word do you most frequently use?
WHAT THE FUCK.
What is your favorite design-related word?
BOLD GRAPHIC PATTERN.
What is your least favorite design-related word?
‘CAN WE HAVE THIS IN TYPE II VINYL?’
What turns you on in design?
SIMPLICITY. BEAUTIFUL COLORS. THINGS THAT ARE HAND MADE.
What turns you off in design?
BEIGE STRIPES.
What is your motto in design?
WORK HARD. BE HONEST. TRUST YOUR GUT.
WHERE TO PURCHASE // Paper Mills is represented in CLOTH & KIND’s to-the-trade showroom. If you are an interior designer, please contact us to learn more about this extraordinary artisanal line.
ABOUT PROUST ON DESIGN // Answered by our design icons, these must-ask questions come from a 19th century parlor game made popular by Marcel Proust, the French novelist, essayist & critic. Proust believed the direct questions and honest responses that they elicited revealed the true nature of the individual. For this column, we have put a design related spin on the traditional questions. While this method has been used by many journalists throughout the years, we were primarily inspired by The Proust Questionnaire, which appears monthly on the back page of one of our all time favorite magazines, Vanity Fair (also Krista’s alma mater). Read all of the previous Proust on Design questionnaires here.
For those of you who know me, I am not one to wear a lot of makeup, not because I don't like it or am an au naturel devotee but mainly because I am allergic to almost all makeup, even many hypoallergenic ones. When I do wear makeup it is super basic and easy to apply because I never developed the habit of gussying up my face and generally just resort to applying some sunscreen and Bob's your uncle!
