by studiotullia | Jun 19, 2021 | DESIGN TRENDS, INTERIOR DESIGN, NEWS FROM THE STUDIO
NEWS FROM THE STUDIO:
STUDIO TULLIA has a new collection of mostly vintage, hand dyed, batik fabric from Indonesia, India and Guatemala. There is only so much available in this collection, so get it while it lasts. It works with high and low design.
SHOP THE INDIGO BLUES COLLECTION
SHOP THE GLOBAL TEXTILES COLLECTION
The beauty of indigo endures.
I am a big fan of indigo denim, I’ll tell you that much.
Indigo pigment – a bit of History
“Indigo pigment is actually one of the oldest natural dye; ancient civilizations such as the Maya, the Egyptian, the Japanese and the Indian already used the blue dye derived from the Indigofera Tinctoria plants to dye their clothes. When it started to get exported in trade routes around 300 BC, the Greek named it indikon meaning ‘from India’; due to its’ high demand, Indigo soon became a luxury item, symbol of wealth and power, gaining the name of “blue gold” for its strong value as trading commodity.
“There is not consensus about when Indigo arrived in Africa, but at some point around the Fourteenth century, in the village of Kano, in northern Nigeria, many dyeing pits appeared, most of which are still visible and in use. Since then and for centuries, from the Tuareg nomads of the Sahara to the grassland kingdoms of Cameroon, Indigo has been the foundation of a rich and varied textile tradition that still persists today. “- ItalianBark.com
This is an exquisitely detailed batik floral, available in this blue and silver gray colorway.
This faux shibori pattern is versatile, and will not bleed in the wash.
The textiles below were given a vinegar soak to set the dye although I would still hand wash them in cold water just in case.
I am a big fan of this fabric below – it is a sturdy cotton fabric that is a great coordinate. I have it on our bed and it would make a great comforter also.
I make these catchall bags up every once in awhile. They are great to travel with as you can put all your random electronics, phone, jewelry, etc. They also are great for planters with a plastic lid in the bottom or to fill with random gifts for a friend.
This is East African Indigo below, which looks beautiful.
Sure looks great for a beach getaway.
A few fun companions would be:
This is a gorgeous linen sheer fabric from SCHUMACHER if you want curtains made. Please email me for details. All we need are your window dimensions!
I recently came across these African baskets. Beautiful, eh?
Thanks for following along !
by studiotullia | Mar 14, 2019 | DESIGN TRENDS, INTERIOR DESIGN
PORTLAND: DESIGNER MAX HUMPHREY & PDX STYLE
SPOTLIGHT ON THE NORTHWEST:
INTERIOR DESIGNER MAX HUMPHREY
I wanted to share the work of Portland local MAX HUMPHREY. His contemporary style is whimsical, vibrant and regional in the sense that I recognize Portland’s STYLE, inevitably influenced by our unique local resources and small businesses. I have always been drawn to the space featured below: the use of red, graphic art, refreshed vintage and retro accessories. It is well balanced in an assymetrical way and just fun.
Portland loves bohemian touches which you find in his use of colorful middle eastern rugs and textiles. There are some great resources here for Turkish kilims, rugs, and poufs at places like WILD SHAMAN and KUSH RUGS .
.Given our close proximity to the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascade Mountains, the forest/outdoor/woodland themes are also prominent in the use of vintage art, topography maps, army cots, wood stoves, etc. Great vintage finds can be found at URBANITE and MONTICELLO MARKETPLACE.
Eclectic mix of fabrics and colors. No rules as far as styles. He stages a lot of his room shots with whimsical props like bicycles, leopard shoes and kids’ sneakers as well as spirits, vintage objects, lots of books and potted plants.
Crafts have always been strong in Portland, as evidenced by the volume of vintage crafts at estate sales, and it is making its way into retail outlets like THE CRAFT BAR, ASSEMBLY and COLLAGE, just in my little corner of SE Portland. The winters are long in the Northwest.
I enjoy the rich mix of texture and colors in his choice of textiles, retro lamps, the plants, the Pendleton plaids, and vintage, mid century and more contemporary cleaned lined pieces.
Some of the images shown here are also on the CITY HOME website, featuring their products. I’m going to guess many of these items come from places like
CITY HOME furnishings, LEGACY MODERN, PENDLETON, and CARGO
I’m going to a conference in a couple weeks (https://www.altitudesummit.com/) and wanted to have some fresh business cards and marketing materials.
My assistant and I have switched out the pillows on this countless times, but alas, I actually put this version in the MOO cart today and bought it! Hoping to give prospective customers a sense of the offerings available via STUDIO TULLIA. I am always on the hunt for one of a kind, vintage textiles as well as an evolving assortment of designer textiles. I love to help curate specific looks and collections, whatever your project.
We also freshened up my business card. The logo we already had, but I wanted something new for Spring. We used a remnant fabric that I had and incorporated that into the design.
The fabric is called “Bavier” au “Esprit de France” design by Greeff. Greef was bought out by SCHUMACHER awhile back and still reproduces a lot of their patterns. I found a bolt of this in my grandmother’s basement when I was a design student. It belonged to my great uncle who was also a designer in NYC in the 40’s and 50’s. He was an inspiration to me even though I never met him. My grandmother shared his journals, letters and fabrics with me, which I still treasure. I reupholstered a large wing chair in this fabric like 20 years ago in what is now my son’s favorite chair. It is pretty worn to shreds, but I am glad it was loved and enjoyed for so many years in our home.
LEGACY MODERN POP-UP at URBANITE
If you live in Portland you might know about URBANITE, a warehouse and curated designers’ collective, always chock full of interesting finds.
One of my partners, LEGACY MODERN, has a pop-up shop there right now. Go check it out if you haven’t been before. Owner Mike Albino has a great eye for quality Danish Mid Century Modern and Industrial Furniture. He also supports the talents of many local artists as you’ll see in the ceramics, glassware, lighting, prints, paintings and STUDIO TULLIA soft goods!
LATEST PRODUCTS FROM STUDIO TULLIA
My neighbor is an antiques dealer and she has great estate sales very Summer. I got this there and I believe it was intended to be a very lovely hand towel. I pieced some cotton to the sides to make it into a very large euro sham. I am a sucker for embroidery work, and this is a fine example. You know many hours went into this.
(PLEASE NOTE: This above piece is SOLD, going to a fine home in Portland)
I always have random pieces left over when I use Josef Frank’s CITRUS GARDEN from Schumacher. I use it to make all kinds of things including random sized accent pillows, which have become quite popular.
I was thrilled to come across this fabric below by SISTER PARISH DESIGN. I was drawn to it at the MILL END STORE in Portland and was so thrilled to read in the selvage that it was from Sister Parish.
Per the website…Resembling an American quilt, Campobello is a print that symbolizes Sister Parish’s love for American Craft and most specifically quilting. Parish Hadley worked with quilters from Selma Alabama in the late 1960s to develop patchwork quilted yard goods and also collaborated with the Freedom Quilting Bee from 1967 to 1969, bringing old-fashioned quilts to high end publications. The primitive tree border along the side enhances the sophistication of Campobello.
Eleanor & Franklin Roosevelt were married at Mr. & Mrs. Henry Parish’s house in New York City. Campobello was their country house in Canada.
Here is the grand dame herself. I love this quote from her as it very much resonates with my approach to design:
“Some think a decorator should change a house… I try to give permanence to a house to bring out the experiences, the memories, the feelings that make it a home.”
Here is a picture of her great granddaughter below, Eliza Crater, who is the creative director of the Sister Parish Studio and has carried on the family tradition with her own personal style, along with her mother. I can see the resemblance for sure. She is shown here in their family home, where her grandmother now lives, which once was Sister Parish’s. And look what’s on the walls!
by studiotullia | Nov 3, 2016 | DIY, INTERIOR DESIGN
I finally got the orange walls covered with three coats of MOUNTAIN SNOW white paint from METRO PAINT. Now everything is looking very white.
This is where we were last week:
And this is where we are this week:
I’ve finished most of the trim in a GLOSSY WHITE from MILLER PAINT and hung up this VINTAGE MIRROR.
I’ve installed this 28″ Round Mirror from TARGET. I wanted a bigger one, but for $49 I went with this one.
We had to stop and sand the glue and carpet remnants off the stairs and side molding before we painted anymore of the stairs.
The WEST ELM ASHIK WOOL RUNNER arrived and while I wasn’t so sure about it initially, I think I can make it work.
It looked like this on the website: 
And this is what it looks like in person. This is a close up of the rug. The palette is lighter and the fibers are more coarse than the original photo, with a lot of the salmony orange pink.
I started to panic and look for another rug, with this inspo photo of a space by ASHE + LEANDRO in mind:
This is what I came up with two different woven Indian rugs from a local store, CARGO
and
but in the end, I opted for the WEST ELM rug after all. The colors seemed too busy for the hallway and the size was not really right.
MY FOCUS this last week is all about CONTRAST in this WHITE HALLWAY and a NEW LIGHT FIXTURE to replace this existing one, which is nice, but too small:
So, here’s my final check list:
- Paint semi gloss CHARCOAL black paint on stair rail and tops of stairs
- Paint all four doors semi gloss SILVER GRAY
- Paint office door to my office semi gloss CHARCOAL
- Paint stoop at base of stairs white and apply the STENCIL from HEIRLOOM142 from Canada below for fun:
5. Hang all my NEWLY MATTED AND FRAMED PHOTOS in the stairwell.
(For you Portland locals) Seth at I’VE BEEN FRAMED, was a dream to work with; along with some pre-cut double mattes that I found, he matted and assembled “frame kits” for me that made it super easy and affordable. I went in there with ten or so frames and was worried how much that was going to cost. It cost me about $50!
6. Install the custom cushions and lumbar for the new antique bench I scored at GOODWILL for $40:
I thought about painting this bench but I have decided to leave the natural wood and cane work. I am making a seat cushion and lumbar pillow to give it a more modern look and hide the missing cane work until I can get it fixed. Overall its pretty sturdy though.
6. And lastly, there is the matter off the antique DRESSER, which I am planning to also paint MILK PAINT CHARCOAL. 
I’ve got my work cut out for me, which might have something to do with why I am getting so little sleep lately…I’m worried.
See you next week for the FINAL REVEAL.
Don’t forget to check in with the FEATURED DESIGNERS:
As well as the GUEST PARTICIPANTS:
:
See you soon! Thanks for following along.
Best,
Suzanne
