From Bloomingdale’s Book of Home Interiors, 1973, by Barbara D’Arcy. Interior styled by the author.
It seems that we’re hitting a fever pitch of 1960s-inspired style all across the board these days! Music has been slowly and surely picking out some good old DIY, garage-rock, and experimental sounds since its original ’60s inception. Pointedly, the last few years have seen the growing popularity of Psych Rock. Austin even has dedicated a festival to this genre for the past five years called Psych Fest, a multimedia homage to the movement. In fashion, Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2013 collection featured a mod-inspired, space-age collection, featuring streamlined shapes in bold, optical checkerboard. Funky!
We can never fully contain all that was the Sixties, though we will continue to glean and revisit the brightest points of that revolutionary generation: its experiments in music, recreation, love, design, and social change. In design, we will habitually reference trippy, melting patterns, optical illusions, acid florals, and supergraphics. (Never forget that those of the original generation were rediscovering Art Nouveau and early Americana!) Thus, the recycling continues. Let me show you what’s been cropping up from the textile houses that are a sure nod to the swinging Sixties!
A couple of optical kaleidoscopes from Designers Guild, Robert Allen, and Norbar Fabrics are shown below.
Christian Lacroix’s Riviera in colors Jais and Garance for Designers Guild.
I love this Robert Allen woven fabric below. It reminds me of experimental films from the era where video feedback reigned supreme. A skewed and technicolor view of a landscape, perhaps. Beacon Hill has a cool pattern reminiscent of a flame stitch velvet just below.
In the floral department, Designers Guild and Beacon Hill have the corner on the cosmic and large, graphic botanical print market.
Come on down if you want to get happy this summer! Spruce will help you infuse your endless summer with the best of the spirit of the Sixties in our awesome textiles. Peace!