Dear reader, today I have a very special treat for you. Esteemed San Francisco interior designer Suzanne Tucker of Tucker & Marks is launching her new line of performance fabrics for chic indoor/outdoor living spaces and we all get a peek inside her exquisite new array of hard-working prints. In addition, she graciously agreed to answer a few questions regarding the art of decorating, finding inspiration and mastering the art of the color+pattern mix – topics I know we are all interested in.
Recognized today as one of the country’s leading interior designers, Suzanne Tucker and partner Timothy F. Marks founded Tucker & Marks in 1986, and the firm has long been considered one of the most respected and successful interior design firms in the U.S. Architectural Digest has repeatedly honored Tucker as one of the AD100 Top Designers of the World and her work has been featured in international magazines and numerous books including her own books Rooms to Remember: The Classic Interiors of Suzanne Tucker and Suzanne Tucker Interiors – The Romance of Design. Her style is luxurious, romantic, European in feel and Californian in scale.
With a degree in fine arts and a wealth of experience working on some of the world’s most exquisite homes, Tucker is often asked to lecture on her work incorporating antiques, textiles & the decorative arts, a beloved subject matter. She is passionate about architecture and design and strives to “create beauty and serenity” for every client. She finds that travel and the diversity of cultures enhance her passion and knowledge and inspire her in the creation of unforgettable rooms.
Founded in 2010, Suzanne Tucker Home is thrilled to announce the launch of its very first line of performance fabrics. Woven with 100% solution-dyed polypropylene, these fabrics are colorfast, easy care/washable, and they have a soil resistant finish. So think chic indoor/outdoor living spaces, stylish high-traffic area, and colorful kid and pet-friendly rooms. The collection is comprised of a focused set of patterns and a tight, coordinating color palette that fits beautifully with a variety of schemes.
Bali: The marriage of a hard-wearing high performance textile with a finely detailed embroidery, Bali is a match made in heaven. The tiny stitches make up an intricate vertical striped pattern that is exotic and alluring – for a truly elegant approach to indoor/outdoor living.
Palmetto: The forests and foliage of exotic destinations led to the creation of this organic woven pattern. The repetitive rhythm of the leaf layout is relaxing and uplifting – much like the faraway locales that served as a source of inspiration.
Kaleidoscope: Kaleidoscope is a complex geometric woven. Like its namesake, this all-over pattern is mesmerizing and captivating. It is the perfect go-anywhere textile offered in a wide range of colors, from exotic brights to tonal neutrals.
Mosaic: Mosaic is a two-tone jacquard woven with interlocking geometric tiles on a diamond layout – a perfectly balanced pattern of positive/negative space in a much-needed smaller scale.
Sandy: Sandy is a two-tone textured basic, with the look and feel of a chic couture tweed – and the resilience of a Mack truck. A tonal complement to the other patterns in this collection, Sandy’s pebbled weave is simple and elegant, and works within a wide range of design vocabularies.
Q & A with Suzanne Tucker
Café Design: You are a design icon known the world over for your timeless style, classic approach to design and great skill in working with textiles. What advice would you offer to someone who lacks the confidence to mix and match color & pattern? Is there a formula for success?
Suzanne Tucker: Most people are quite intimidated to work with color and pattern and retreat to the safety of neutrals. But even the quietest neutrals have complexities to them. Unfortunately, there are no easy shortcuts or secret formulas in design, but here are some things you should always keep in mind:
Colors can blend and harmonize, or they can crash and clash. A color wheel sounds simplistic but it’s a very good place to start to understand how colors oppose and complement one another.
Remember there are no bad colors, just bad color combinations! Start small with a basic color palette and build from there – stand back and trust your eye – does it blend? Is it slightly off? Does one make the other sing? Does it look too complicated? Take a similar approach to mixing patterns – start with your main pattern and build upon it with varying scales of patterns – large scale, medium size and a small print can work beautifully together alongside a stripe and a check. But one of each is enough!
The thoughtful edit is always a good approach as you learn to trust your instincts and develop your eye. Less isn’t always more, and more isn’t always better! The key is balance with colors, patterns and textures. Most importantly, have fun, take a fearless approach, and enjoy the creative process of expressing your personality and putting your individual stamp on a space.
CD: Collections are a wonderful way to express a feeling and a point of view and you have designed so many wonderful textiles over the years. What is the starting point when you assemble a collection?
ST: I have always had a great love for textiles. In getting my BFA in design, I studied textiles extensively, from the history and techniques to dyes and patterns. I always try to use antique pieces in my projects so I’m continuously on the lookout for the rare and unusual and have been collecting them for years. Those finds are often the starting point for a new textile or something completely obscure – an architectural detail from a building, an ancient floor pattern, the moss and leaves from a tree on a morning hike. I’m intrigued by pattern lay-outs, or a border treatment may trigger an idea for a new print… it could be the tiniest detail that gets the creative juices flowing. As designers, our eyes are always open and our minds are hungry for inspiration. Once my team and I are into the inspiration, the crucial process begins with collaborating with mills from all over the world to find just the right quality and craftsmanship to make our textile dreams come true. Should a concept be realized in a woven or a print? A linen or a silk? There are endless possibilities! In addition, we pay special attention to the finishing process, to enhance the overall feel, suppleness and “hand” of the textiles, a step that I feel is extremely important and too often overlooked.
CD: When you are working on a home and designing a space, where do you start, and at which point in the process do textiles come in? Do they lead the design, or support it?
ST: I take a rather holistic approach to design, and I always look at the “bones” of a room. I tend to focus on the big picture first: scale and proportion are crucial, and the function and “flow” of a room are equally important. It’s often said you should start with a rug but I don’t follow that rule simply because you could be inspired by something entirely different. The rug can be but isn’t necessarily always the spring point for a scheme as I find textiles – i.e., color, texture and pattern – often play an equally important part in supporting a vision. Though I will admit, that when I come across a vintage textile that is so dreamy, I just have to find a place for it and perhaps it will launch an entire room!
CD: Where do you find inspiration for a new collection?
ST: As I mentioned above, the inspiration for a single textile or even an entire collection can come from the most unexpected places. I’m always nursing a mild to strong case of wanderlust: travel energizes and inspires me more than anything else, and the key is to keep our eyes open and our minds curious. I find my most enduring design education in other countries and cultures. No matter where in the world I go, I always come back with a mental suitcase full of ideas and a camera loaded with images….
CD: Your Montecito cottage is a readers’ favorite on Café Design and it features so many beautiful fabrics of your own design. Is there a difference between designing your own home as opposed to designing for clients?
ST: Goodness yes! I am most definitely my own worst client and naturally, my harshest critic. It’s the classic cobbler’s son syndrome where I take care of everyone else to the nth degree, but my own homes are never 100% finished to my own eye. And I suppose typical of a decorator’s house, they are always a work in progress. I’m always bringing in pieces from dealers, auctions, show houses, flea markets, for my own version of musical chairs. As a friend observed, it’s my decorating laboratory where pieces come and go; I live with them, analyze them, conjure up new design ideas. But certain pieces are near and dear to my heart: family heirlooms, mementos of dear friends and colleagues. Given their sentimental provenance, those will always be staying while some are merely passing through for a short rest!
Thank you so much Suzanne!
I hope you enjoyed today’s post at least half as much as I enjoyed preparing it! To visit other inspiring Montecito homes, make sure to check the following Café Design stories:
A Montecito Home Designed by Mark D. Sikes
A Montecito Beach House by Mark D. Sikes
Take care!
