Inspired.talk

Thomas O’Brien for Groundworks

In his fourth collection for Groundworks, renowned designer Thomas O’Brien brings his signature masculine, tailored look to an assortment of lush and saturated silks and velvets. O’Brien’s fresh take on classic patterns conjures images of a sleek Manhattan townhouse or a posh bachelor pad, where layered texture and tone create a look that is rich and sophisticated.

To provide some context for the collection, we’ve included a few shots from the 2011 Hearst Designer Visions show house, which O’Brien designed for Veranda magazine. Taking inspiration from the film Someone to Watch Over Me, his design, inspired by the character Claire, exudes the classic and timeless glamour that is his signature.

In the new fabric collection, hues of ivory and bisque, dove and taupe, and his signature misty blues work in harmony with deep saturated claret and viridian. These fabrics will add a touch of flair and originality to the rooms that O’Brien’s engaging vision has already helped to create. The collection includes refined chenille with a retro flare, rich and decadent velvets with classic motifs and elegant silks offered in varying tones of rich spices to cool neutrals. For more information, visit www.leejofa.com.

Chair: Corby Straight Back - H4323-20. Fabric: Matthew Velvet in Grey - GWF-3224-11

Fabrics top to bottom: Mylene Silk in Viridian - GWF-3225-53, Thomas Velvet in Bog - GWF-3230-316, Roberto Velvet in Mist - GWF-3228-15, Bresson Velvet in Latte - GWF-3223-116, Hugo Velvet in Bisque - GWF-2586-611, Fiona Chenille in Cocoa - GWF-3222-68, Matthew Velvet in Camel - GWF-3224-16, Parris Velvet in Blue/Brown - GWF-3227-568.

Room images via Veranda, product credits here.

Fabric credits for top photo: Left row top to bottom: Thomas Velvet in Pewter - GWF-3230-311; Welt: Mylene Silk in Slate - GWF-3225-5. Bresson Velvet in Onyx - GWF-3223-8; Trim: Olivia CD W/Flange in Blk - TL10047-8. Matthew Velvet in Grey - GWF-3224-11; Trim: Olivia CD W/Flange in Blk - TL10047-8. Right row top to bottom: Vivian Silk in Mist - GWF-3226-13; Trim: Mylene Silk in Dove - GWF-3225-11. Parris Velvet in Taupe/Grey - GWF-3227-11; Trim: Olivia Cut. FR in Ice - TL10039-515. Ground fabric: Mylene Silk in Mist - GWF-3225-13

Lee Jofa Designer Icons Holiday Book Signing

 

Next week in our New York City showroom, we’re kicking off the holiday shopping season in style with Luxe magazine. We’re hosting a book signing at Lee Jofa in New York City's D&D Building featuring some of the biggest names in interior design. Meet these iconic designers in person, listen to some of their personal accounts and share in a festive holiday toast with designers Anthony Baratta, David Easton, Eric Cohler, Suzanne Kasler, Suzanne Rheinstein and Thomas O’Brien. All will all be on hand to sign copies of his or her book, which will also be for sale. These wonderful books will make great holiday gifts, so bring along your holiday gift list! Click the link below each book title to purchase the book in advance from Amazon.com.

Anthony Baratta All American

David Easton Timeless Elegance: The Houses of David Easton

Eric Cohler Cohler on Design

Suzanne Kasler Inspired Interiors

Suzanne Rheinstein At Home: A Style for Today with Things from the Past

Thomas O’Brien American Modern

Sip cocktails and stock up on unique and personalized gifts for friends and family, and be sure to grab a few copies for yourself as well. The event will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 5 from 4 – 6 p.m. at the D&D Building in Manhattan. If you’d like to attend, please email us events@leejofa.com or call 800.648.5728x2396 to RSVP.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Thomas O’Brien and Veranda at Designer Visions: Cinema Style

Every year, Hearst shelter magazines Veranda, House Beautiful and Town & Country partner with prominent designers for Designer Visions: Cinema Style. Designers work with his or her magazine partner to interpret a movie through interior design. For example, in 2009, Thom Filicia worked with House Beautiful to create a beautiful space at Soho Mews based on The Big Chill.

This year, based on the film Someone to Watch Over Me, Thomas O’Brien and Veranda collaborated to create a beautiful interior at 1212 Fifth Avenue. “There's something about the production and cinematography that reflects a modern era, even as the story and mood are more traditional," O'Brien told the Wall Street Journal. "That film also offers a glimpse of this kind of elegant, composed modern woman living a glamorous New York life.” Inspired by the character Claire from the film, O’Brien created a space that is refined but not overly formal.

This apartment, along with apartments from House Beautiful and Town & Country, are open to the public for tours at selected times through October 16. Proceeds benefit the Art of Elysium, a nonprofit group that pairs actors, artists and musicians with arts programs designed to benefit children battling serious medical conditions. For tickets and hours, visit www.theartofelysium.org.

Above photo: Club chair features Thomas O'Brien for Groundworks Morocco Chenille in Mocha (GWF-2749-168), draperies are Kravet Smart 30672-116.

Draperies are Kravet Smart 30672-116. Sofa features Thomas O'Brien for Groundworks Fiona Chenille in Smoke (GWF-2582-11). Benches feature Thomas O'Brien for Groundworks Orlando Chenille in Brick (GWF-2754-916). 

Shade features Kelly Wearstler for Groundworks Sand Strie in Beige (GWF-2813-116). Bench features Thomas O'Brien for Groundworks Tahira Ottoman in Birch (GWF-2753-101). 

Photos courtesy of Veranda.

Lee Jofa Pays Tribute to Hand Blocking with Heritage Collection

The window display at the D&D Building in New York City.

Hand-blocked textiles are among some of the most intricate and unique on the market today. The origins of hand blocking date back centuries, and artisans around the world continue the tradition to this day.

Hand blocking remains an integral piece of Lee Jofa’s history. Iconic designs like Treyes, Nympheus and Rosebank, among others, have continued to evolve with the times and remain relevant to designers. In fact, these designs were among six chosen for the Heritage collection, Lee Jofa’s tribute to the past, in which designers reinterpreted a classic Lee Jofa fabric in his or her own style.

Nympheus, recolored by Thomas O’Brien, is a striking example of a rich, intricate hand blocked pattern. O’Brien features the reverse side of the fabric, where the image is softer and more muted.

To commemorate the Heritage collection, a large window at the D&D Building in New York City pays tribute to the hand blocking process with a series of actual wooden blocks that were once used to create beautiful textiles. If you are in the New York area, be sure to stop by the window to see the detail of the hand blocks. Heritage is now available in Lee Jofa showrooms across the country.

 Hand blocked fabrics use dozens, sometimes hundreds of individual blocks to create the pattern. 

A vignette designed by Thomas O'Brien features the reverse side of Nympheus, his Heritage hand block fabric.

 
The D&D Building in NYC.

Lee Jofa and Traditional Home Celebrate Heritage Launch at Blogfest 2011

 

To celebrate the launch of the Heritage collection for Lee Jofa, Traditional Home and Lee Jofa invited bloggers from the Blogfest 2011 event to preview six styled vignettes featuring the fabrics each designer chose to recolor for the collection. Designers were in attendance to answer questions and sign copies of Inspired Styles (Assouline) a beautiful book featuring many prominent Kravet and Lee Jofa designers.

The Heritage collection features classic fabrics from the Lee Jofa archive that have been reimagined and reinterpreted by the designers, who sought to update the designs for today’s market. Designers David Easton, Diamond & Baratta, Eric Cohler, Suzanne Kasler, Suzanne Rheinstein and Thomas O’Brien each brought his or her own unique aesthetic to the project, creating a beautiful juxtaposition and a tribute to the past.

 

David Easton selected Gaddesden, a screen adaptation of a Jacobean tree of life block dating from the 1920s, with the intent of adding texture to the background and softening the look for today’s market. “Gaddesden utilized the typical vine pattern current to its era that I have always liked, said Easton. “I wanted to make an older, historic pattern fresh and new and I thought this specific design leant itself to this.”

 

William Diamond and Anthony Baratta of Diamond & Baratta selected Rosebank, which originated in the 1850s during the heyday of Victorian floral design. The handblocked pattern was introduced to Lee Jofa in 1913 and remains in the line to this day as a screen print. Diamond and Baratta love classic floral English chintzes and jumped at the opportunity to recolor this classic print for today’s market.

 

Eric Cohler was inspired by the Treyes Handblock pattern, printed with 20 handblocks, which was first introduced to Lee Jofa in 1963. Inspired by an Indian tree of life design dating back to the 1920s, the original documentary version was on linen union, but Eric Cohler felt that it would be beautifully presented on glazed cotton as a true English country house chintz.

 

Suzanne Kasler chose to reimagine the Shiraz print, a popular multicolored floral inspired by an antique rug design, which was developed by Lee Jofa in 1996. “In reworking the color palette, I continued to go back to the basic pattern and how it translated into two colors,” said Kasler. By tracing the outline of the design and recoloring it with one color on white and natural linen, she transformed the pattern and gave it an entirely new look.

 

Suzanne Rheinstein chose to recolor the classic English documentary floral Clarendon, which was created in the 19^th century when the Victorians delighted in bringing the outdoors in. “One of the things I love in my design work is the chance to use things from the past in ways that are suited for the way we live now,” she said. Rheinstein updated the classic design on linen.

 

Thomas O’Brien chose to work with a favorite handblock, called Nympheus, which dates back to 1915. He added signature elements of deep indigo to the coloration of the classic design. Says O’Brien of his preference for featuring the reverse side of the print, “The rich bleed-through is more abstract on the reverse side, and the pattern is softer. It takes on the feeling of a watercolor.”

These updated and transformed fabrics are now available in Lee Jofa showrooms throughout the country. Thank you to Traditional Home for giving our blogging friends the opportunity to many of their design idols!