Old Is New Again
The contemporary designs of today’s art, interior design, and fashion are almost always rooted in historic origins. The old styles are reinvented with a twist of the current moment.
We recently attended a lecture at the Museum of Fine Arts addressing this topic, titled “Quote? Copy? Update?” In examining three different works of art— Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Andy Warhol’s Mona Lisa and the Starm Twins’ Mona Lisa—the lecturer stressed that all three artists defined their work through their own interpretation.
The same observation can be applied to trends in the interior design industry. In my travels throughout the wings of fabrics and wall coverings at the Boston Design Center, I found three distinct motifs that have been reinterpreted for today’s market:
Paisley: What was often dull and formal is now fresh and vibrant. An example is Link’s blue and white fabric, “Palm,” in ocean #44.
Little Print: The sweet, small “filler” print used in country rooms, which nearly vanished from most fabric lines, has resurfaced as a more striking geometric and contemporary pattern, as is evidenced in Mally Skok’s fabric, Roh Flora-multi. Remember when shopping for little prints to look for bold.
Velvet Flock: As hard as it is to believe, velvet flock, a dark and dreary wall covering from the Victorian era, has been reproduced by Osborne & Little. Their version (Fontette W6012-01) looks new because of the vibrant color and pattern. Using this type of pattern on an accent wall with contemporary minimalist furniture looks very modern.
