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Occasionally, we get asked to create a design that requires the skills of a decorative painter, rather than those of a stencil artist. In this case, the client was looking for a fruit bowl still life as the centerpiece of her floorcloth.
This pattern was inspired by Armstrong's Spatter linoleum c1950s. The client's grandmother had the red version in her kitchen. We decided to make a looser spatter pattern and add rustic star overlays.
This pattern is a German interlocking circle design with a somewhat Victorian feel and lots of nice detailing. Depending on the palette used, the overall effect can be that of a field of color, or a more distinct pattern of interlocking circles. This pattern has been explored in many different colorways.
This pattern is based on two different wallpaper designs from the Robert Graves Co. Wallpaper Company, c. 1880s. The interior motifs with their whimsical circles of leaves and berries are from Bolling & Company's remarkable wallpaper archive. The border pattern is based on a depiction of a ceiling border in a Graves wallpaper catalog. The two patterns combine beautifully to create stunning floorcloths.
This design is based on a ceiling pattern in the 1889 Robert Graves Co. Wallpaper Catalog. Ceiling patterns are often great rug patterns as they are non-directional and have solved the “corner problem”. Often when adapting designs from other sources, how the design turns a 90-degree angle was not figured out as it did not need to be. With ceiling designs, it has and often the corners are the most elaborate part of the design, as in this case. This is one of the loveliest ceiling patterns we have come across.
Another visionary Dresser design. This one has a decidedly deco form and creates a marvelous tiled effect, with many layers that allow for multiple opportunities for palette exploration. The combination of elements results in stars, squares, rays of light, wings, and fleur de lis.
This pattern masterfully integrates Greek Key, geometric floral and stylized Fleur de Lis motifs into a compelling design. It is rare to have a Greek Key element that is not part of a border design, or, occasionally, an all-over design. This one treats the Greek Key as an individual motif.
The effect of this pattern when repeated is to create a series of connected diamonds, with flowers at their points or the pattern can be read such that the flowers are in the center of the diamond pattern, depending on how the palette is employed. We have explored several different custom floorcloth shapes and sizes with this pattern and look forward to additional palette exploration.
Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, and political philosopher moved into the Hamilton Grange in 1802.
A five-year restoration project was completed in 2011 and as part of this effort, three floorcloths were commissioned by John G. Waite and Associates, the architectural firm working on the restoration. The floorcloth pattern is based on a remnant from the architect’s archives, which followed a John Carwitham design.
This pattern was loosely inspired by tin ceiling designs. We look forward to exploring this wonderful design in other palettes.
This pattern is a classic Harlequin design, with an elongated diamond - often used in traditional floorcloth making.
The Hay House is a National Historic Landmark owned by the Georgia Historic Trust. The exterior of the house was completed in 1860 and the furnishing of the interior was complete by about 1870, after the civil war. Known as The Palace of the South, the 18,000 square foot mansion is capped by a cupola 80 feet above the ground that provides sweeping views of the city of Macon. Please visit the Hay House website to learn about this remarkable home and see a virtual tour of parts of its interior.
In 2010, Gracewood Design created a new version of the original floor covering in the dining room, a floorcloth from about 1870. Pieces of this floorcloth had been discovered under built-in bookcases that were being removed as part of a dining room renovation.
The original floorcloth remnant and Gracewood's interpretation are shown here. The original floorcloth was burlap-based, and the design was probably applied either by stamping or some sort of printing/rolling process that deposited a thick, textured application of the heavy oil-based paint products used at the time. The pattern has an 8” repeat, with each red ”cross” and black “star” measuring 8”.
This pattern is based on original linoleum found in a bathroom of the Hindry House in Pasadena, c1910. The Hindry House is an exceptional example of the work of master architects Arthur and Alfred Heineman, who were influential in the development of the Craftsman style in California, and across the country.
The linoleum pattern was found in many catalogs of the era, although this pattern differs from all available records in that the motifs are spaced at seven diamonds apart, vs. the standard of four, and three colors are used in the pattern, vs. two.
We did several takes on the pattern for the three bathrooms in this authentically restored house on the National Register of Historic Places.
This pattern was originally developed for Portland, OR, clients and is based on both the leaded glass design adorning some of the original windows in their 1907 home and the "bee and dot" fabric used in their kitchen nook upholstery.
This Early American pattern is from the Esther Brazer Stevens Collection at the Museum of American Folk Art. Brazer Stevens recorded authentic stencil patterns, including this one from the Humphries House in Dorchester, MA, c.1800.
Interlocking circle patterns are found in historical artifacts from the 7th century BC onwards – one of the most enduring decorative forms found in almost all cultures throughout history. This pattern was found on a painted floor in the Isaac Buck House in Hanover, Massachusetts, c1800, and is a wonderful example of a timeless version of interlocking circles.