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"Mother Nature really is the best designer of all, and I take a lot of my inspiration from the beauty of the natural world"
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I love to be outside in nature as much as possible. The stunning and diverse landscapes, and dazzling array of shapes and hues here in Canada are the source of much of my inspiration. That's why a love of nature, combined with the spirit of collaboration, is at the heart of the Kate Thornley-Hall Collection. I'm pleased to share the story of three nature-inspired patterns.
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When I saw Toronto artist Deborah Farquharson's wood carving (above, right) depicting the larch and spruce trees of Fogo Island, off the coast of Newfoundland, it drew me in and I immediately knew it would make a gorgeous rug. Our collaboration on the Fogo rug followed soon after. Pictured here at work in her studio, Deb is a multidisciplinary artist who finds creative inspiration in natural subjects. I am thrilled to be working with her.
deborahfarquharsonart.com ; photos: Shannon Laliberte
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The Fogo rug features a rhythmic, soothing pattern of trees scattered across the dark, hard surface of the Newfoundland shore. Deb's almost folk art representation gives the design a charming illustrative character. It's truly art you can walk on! Fogo is hand woven of pure New Zealand wool and available in custom sizes and colours.
Photo: Patrick Biller
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Twigs, my own design pictured above, is a lively abstraction of tree branch shapes inspired by the traditional motifs of Japanese washi paper. It features a dense repeat that creates the impression of a forest walk. Twigs is hand woven of pure New Zealand wool and available in custom colours and sizes. The custom iteration shown features an ivory ground colour with twigs in medium grey, black and bright red.
Photo: Patrick Biller, Room design: Colette van den Thillart
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Cedar trees of the Pacific Northwest rainforest are the inspiration for the Cedar rug, a design I commissioned from British Columbia-based artist Lisa Turner, founder and creative director of Quake Studio. Lisa founded Quake Studio in 2013 after a 25-year career in interior design. Her studio designs and produces small batches of functional art pieces, furniture and objects inspired by nature and developed in collaboration. The Cedar rug marks Quake Studio's foray into textile design and represents our shared love of the rough coastal landscape.
quakestudio.com; photos: Janis Nicolay (portrait), Lisa Turner (landscape)
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Lisa's stylized rendering of the iconic cedar tree is translated into a luxurious hand woven wool and silk rug. Custom sizes and colours available.
Photo: Christopher Flett
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Cedar takes on a different character in each colourway and lends itself well to modern spaces as well as cabin, chalet and cottage interiors.
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