{Mid Century Dream} Hand Printed Fabric

I have embarked on a dream job- an on-going custom project to be exact. My love of collaboration, art, hand printed textiles, mid century design, research, full circle connections and friendship have all collided- and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.


I have a friend from high school that moved back to Mount Vernon with his family a few years ago. He has an appreciation for art, architecture, local artists, small business, and friendship- his name is Andy. When Andy was in grade school he had a friend that lived in a very cool house and he remembers falling in love with that house during the many birthday parties and playdates that he attended there. That house is the Brotherton House designed by the well-known artist, Tony Smith in 1944. Tony Smith has an artistic background that is as vast as it is eclectic. From his early days studying at the Arts Student League, immersing himself in the Abstract Expressionist art scene and hanging out with the likes of Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, he then decided to pursue his love of architecture and found himself working for Frank Lloyd Wright. Smith went on to become an architect designer & completed the Brotherton House in 1944. As a complete side note: artist Kiki Smith is Tony’s daughter (but that is a different blog post).

Back to my friend, Andy. He and his family just recently bought the Brotherton house! The minute Andy learned it was going on the market, he & his wife, Bonnie snatched it up. Understanding the rich artistic history of this house, and the fact that it has tons of windows, they commissioned me to hand print fabric for window coverings throughout. The KLT mod shapes pattern in yellow was chosen by their daughter, Hannah, who is currently in NYC (& graduated from college today). Juliana, their other daughter who is also away at college, chose the KLT raven pattern for their guest house doors.



This project has been a labor of love for all involved. I feel so lucky to be able to contribute a bit of my artistic vision to this iconic house – Andy’s childhood dream house. I can’t wait to see what KLT patterns they choose for other rooms.

But wait, I didn’t introduce Vivian. I’m pretty smitten with her & felt she needed a scarf out of the extra fabric leftover from Hannah’s yellow room. I think it’s safe to say that she’ll be overseeing all of the future house projects.