When it comes to classicalists and maximalists, textiles are the name of the game. Upholstery, drapes, and walls are all vehicles for delivering designers’ favorite fabrics, whether sumptuously textured or eye-catchingly patterned. For pattern-loving designers like Kit Kemp, trying to pick one favorite, however, is a nearly impossible task. “It’s the dynamism created when fabrics interact that I love,” the British designer and hotelier tells AD PRO. “There is something thrilling about the interplay between different textiles, their materiality, scale, color, and patterns working together in a scheme to create magic.”
Kemp and fellow pattern enthusiasts, including Timothy Corrigan and Joy Moyler, divulge their tried-and-true favorite fabrics, from luxe velvets to whimsical florals. As these designers prove, there’s nothing better than a classic pattern with a distinctive twist.
Sarafane by Décors Barbares
Favored by Adam Charlap Hyman
“My favorite fabric of all time is Sarafane (in the Ink colorway) by Nathalie Farman-Farma for her studio Décors Barbares. Sarafane is a fine cotton fabric, printed with a black ground and little red berries. The entire line of fabrics is just amazing—a lot of the patterns are inspired by Persian, Central Asian, and Russian folklore. Sarafane has always reminded me of a fabric Marella Agnelli used. It can go anywhere. We’ve used it in modern interiors and in very old-world interiors, and there’s almost something a little punk about it. It has proven especially useful when a space requires a shot of black—it has this sharpness to it, a real depth, without being somber. The berries bring this lightheartedness, yet they are presented in such a dense, Victorian-style pattern, and I love that combination.”—Charlap Hyman
Toile de Nantes by Pierre Frey
Favored by Mark D. Sikes
“My favorite fabric ever is Toile de Nantes by Pierre Frey in the original blue color. I love it for so many reasons. It feels graphic like a stripe, but there is movement and an ikat element to it too, making it feel like a geometric but also a pattern. It is universally appealing—not too feminine or masculine. I cannot think of a room I wouldn’t use it in. I used it in my library at home, I’ve used it in bedrooms, entryways, bathrooms, you name it. You can use it on just a few things, or you can use it on everything. One of my favorite applications of this fabric was when Mark Hampton used it in Estée Lauder’s bedroom in Southampton. Pierre Frey recently introduced new colorways of this iconic pattern, and I’ve already used a few in my projects.”—Sikes
