13 Design Giants on the Female Makers They Love Most
A custom-quilted headboard by Farm & Folk in a project by Reath Design.Photo: Laure JolietIt is true across many industries and disciplines that strong, talented women tend to celebrate and bolster other strong, talented women. For a little proof, the Instagram tag #womensupportingwomen has more than 15 million posts. And the design world provides further evidence pointing to this spirit of sisterhood. We asked a baker’s dozen of women on the current AD100 list to share the female artisans and makers they love the most to source for their interior design projects. Meet their diverse, dynamic, and innovative collaborators below.
Frances Merrill, Reath Design
“Sara from Farm & Folk is such an inspiring creative. We often commission her for custom quilts and, once, a custom-quilted headboard. She is a farmer in addition to being a quilter, and makes her own sustainable, small-batch natural dyes.”
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“[Another of my favorites] are the embroiderers from Kissweh, who craft beautiful textiles. Each one feels unique and so special—you can really sense the amount of time and care that goes into each piece. I also love that they are preserving a traditional art form, which is so important. And I like to feature Cressida Bell’s work in our projects. The hand of the artist is so present in her work, which really resonates with me because I believe in celebrating the handmade. She also mixes colors in a bold and inspiring way.”
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Kelly Wearstler, Kelly Wearstler
“Keti Toloraia and Nata Janberidze’s wildly sculptural and architectural designs [for their Tbilisi, Georgia studio, Rooms] display incredible command of materiality. One of my favorite of theirs, which I have in my living room, is the Triple Coffee table composed of a monolithic dark aged oak base and a slender brass top.”
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Kelly Behun, Kelly Behun | Studio
“There is so much to love about Sunshine Thacker—she’s a true artist, super talented, curious, and resourceful, with a keen eye for color and proportion and an abiding interest in how to push the boundaries of what is possible with clay. I have found, though, what sets her apart is her passion for collaboration, her utter devotion to every commission, and her determination to astonish you with the result.”
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Bunny Williams, Bunny Williams Interior Design
“Rosie Li, who is based in Brooklyn, makes beautiful light fixtures that are unique and sculptural. As a gardener I am drawn to anything that has a feeling of nature and reminds me of the outdoors, so naturally I love her foliage-inspired fixtures. We chose one of her Laurel Blossom chandeliers, which she custom-made from brass and milk glass, for a Kips Bay Show House room we did many years ago. It now lives in our office sample library, a room we use daily, so we can continue to admire it.”
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Pamela Shamshiri, Studio Shamshiri
“Born in Peru but based in California, Sandra Jordan has a deep appreciation for old-world craftsmanship; every textile is made so thoughtfully. She’s a real artisan, carefully sourcing fibers and hand-sorting materials before they are woven into her products. So much heart goes into each collection, and they add such a rich, fine, and warm finish to each project. The colors are just beyond.”
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Brigette Romanek, Romanek Design Studio
“I love the work of [the late] Charlotte Perriand. She created form and function, beauty, and her own style. Her work is strong, smart, timeless. She designed many pieces that have become classics for design lovers. She stated, ‘The extension of the art of dwelling is the art of living.’ Mic drop.”
Alexa Hampton, Mark Hampton
“Miriam Ellner is a NYC-based artist specializing in the field of verre églomisé with 30 years of experience. Glass and mirror are a given on any project, but Miriam is able to elevate those simple materials into something unique, luminous, and ethereal. She is a true artist versed in traditional and modern sensibilities—no pattern or design is unattainable, from tabletops to backsplashes to entire rooms clad in églomisé panelling.”
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Jan Showers, Jan Showers & Associates
“We have many female makers we love and admire. Two who come to mind are Marcelena Recatune at Larru Leathers in Dallas, and Sandra Jordan, who designs and manufactures amazing fabrics. The work that Marcie and her team create is handsome—they hand-tool leathers and produce pieces that look antique. Sandra is someone I admire as a person and [for her] business. What she produces from alpaca is unmatched, and she is continually developing new and unusual fabrics that I know my clients will love and buy.”
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Amy Lau, Amy Lau Design, Inc.
“When it comes to luxurious, sensuous, and richly tactile textiles, the person I go to is Rosemary Hallgarten. Rosemary has an incredible wealth of textile knowledge. We’ve collaborated on [everything] from silk ombré rugs and beautifully shorn, architecturally carved rugs made from Peruvian alpaca wool to divine and cozy pillows and uniquely woven throws. It’s very rare to find someone who appreciates and applies ancient crafts with such a modern sensibility.”
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“And I have known Nancy Lorenz for almost as long as I have been in NYC. I was so intrigued by her training that combined old-world craftsmanship, such as lacquering from Japan and gold leafing from Italy, with an almost alchemic abstract undertone that blurred the lines between craft and art. Our first site-specific commission together was a beautiful jewel-like powder bathroom. This precious little room had a celestial quality to it because Nancy used natural materials like mother of pearl, and created liquid-like drops of water that continued to flow throughout the space as if you were in some kind of lunar landscape.”
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Joy Moyler, Joy Moyler Interiors
“Sheila Bridges has such a wide breadth of lifestyle products. I always have to use something from her never-ending ranges. They are great decorative elements that are welcomed and add color, and sometimes wit, and always make the clients feel good. I will use her plates, glasses, pillows, or even a pair of her Harlem Toile sneakers in a room for fun. I love supporting Sheila because of her quality product, work ethic, and because she’s just an all-out great human being.”
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Michelle Nussbaumer, Ceylon et Cie
“I love the work of Carolina Sardi. We just installed a sculpture of hers in a California project. I love that she is an Argentinian woman working in metal, bringing masculine and feminine forces together, and creating something unique.”
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Christine Gachot, Gachot Studios
“Robin Standefer of Roman and Williams is a tour de force, an inspiration, and a friend. She truly embodies the word maker—not only does she make things, but she makes things happen. These days she’s also making beautiful furniture and home goods via RW Guild. She clearly has an obsession with creating things that have integrity and heirloom quality. You see it, you feel it, and they last.”
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Nicole Hollis, Nicolehollis
“I find Sabine Marcelis’s resin furniture particularly striking, as she harnesses light in such a captivating way. I admire the materiality in Ingrid Donat’s work, and especially her reverence for sculpture elements in bronze, leather, and wood. We share a love of rich materials, and I like to commission large-scale, immersive work from her. Pae White’s Smoke Tapestries are a personal favorite, and we have also commissioned her plaster sculptural lighting. Her work is so commanding in an interior space.”
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Originally posted on: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/design-giants-female-makers-they-love-most