Upholstery maker Zoffany has partnered with designer Michael S. Smith for a new indoor-outdoor fabric collection designed to create seamless transitions between interior and exterior spaces.
Smith selected original documents from Zoffany’s archive as blueprints, introducing new palettes, patterns and textures inspired by sources ranging from French chintz to Japanese silk. The collection also includes unexpected details such as print marks and ink bleeds, added to bring authenticity while offering a fresh interpretation of timeless designs.
“I have long found that there is a missing component in the interiors offering. I’ve always loved vintage fabric and the patina of its prints … but it doesn’t last,” Smith said. “This collection combines two things that I love: technical design and the ability to print indoor and outdoor fabric in a way that recalls vintage fabric, has a sense of history to it, but also endures.”
The collection includes 13 designs, with stripes, florals and plains in a color palette and scale created to allow the fabrics to be layered in spaces.
“Coordination is everything,” Smith said. “In interiors, you want an aesthetic that’s grounded and is reflective of the surroundings. The palette was important. We used colors that sit beautifully inside and look beautiful in outdoor light, anywhere in the world.”
Peter Gomez, lead designer at Zoffany said the collaboration with Smith — who redesigned the White House Oval Office for President Barack Obama and previously designed furnishings for Brown Jordan — brought a new perspective to the fabric maker and its archive.
“It’s interesting to explore how to build a collection and bring it together with a clear purpose — having someone view the archive through a fresh lens and curate how things will be used in practice,” he said. “The result is a lovely combination of Michael’s expertise in interior design and product with our knowledge of design history and manufacturing — bringing all of that together to create something unique.”
The Zoffany x Michael S. Smith line will be on display in Zoffany’s space in the Sanderson Design Group showroom at High Point Market. The showroom is located in 200 Steele, Floor 3, Showroom 301.
