TEXTILES ARE TIME STAMPS RENDERED IN FIBER. WHETHER RAW THREADS OR FINISHED FABRICS, THEY ANCHOR A WORK OF ART IN ITS MOMENT OF CREATION, DEFINE THE TONE OF AN INTERIOR, LEND WARMTH AND CHARACTER TO EXTERIOR SPACES AND KNIT THE WORLD AROUND US INTO A UNIQUE TAPESTRY OF PATTERNS, COLORS AND TEXTURES—A TACTILE REMNANT OF A TEMPORAL EXPRESSION.
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SOLID BRASS EMBOSSING DIE ZUBER & CIE — RIXHEIM, FRANCE THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021 3:44PM
BETTY SHADED PENDANT ANTIQUE GILT FINISH ANTIQUE GILT ACCENTS CUSTOM FABRIC SHADE TRANSLUCENT ANTIQUE MIRROR ON CLEAR GLASS BEN ANTIQUE BRASS FINISH FARROW & BALL NO. 43 EATING ROOM RED PAINTED WOOD INLAY CUSTOM FABRIC SHADE INTERIORS BY PAMELA BLACK INTERIORS / SLD INTERIORS PHOTOGRAPHY BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG
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REX TABLE HEWN BRASS LACQUERED FINISH WITH POLISHED BRASS LACQUERED ACCENTS INTERIORS BY ANGIE HRANOWSKY, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIA LYNN
HUNTLEY ANTIQUE BRASS FINISH CLEAR INTERIORSGLASSBY
SAMANTHA
TODHUNTER DESIGN ARCHITECTURE BY HOLDEN HARPER PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN BOND
REX FLUSHMOUNT POLISHED BRASS UNLACQUERED FINISH POLISHED BRASS UNLACQUERED ACCENTS BELLE MEADE POLISHED BRASS UNLACQUERED FINISH WHITE PAPER SHADE INTERIORS BY REATH DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURE JOLIET
THADDEUS POLISHED BRASS UNLACQUERED FINISH CLEAR INTERIORSGLASSBY ELIZABETH COOPER INTERIOR DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY BY READ MCKENDREE / JBSA
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CHP ANTIQUE BRASS FINISH WITH ANTIQUE BRASS ACCENTS AND TRANSLUCENT ANTIQUE MIRROR ON CLEAR GLASS SYMON POLISHED BRASS UNLACQUERED FINISH WITH ANTIQUE BRASS ACCENTS AND WHITE PAPER SHADE INTERIORS BY AMIE CORLEY INTERIORS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHLEY GIESEKING
On a remote barrier island off Georgia’s Gold Coast, a Gilded Age estate harbors a century-old mystery—and all of the clues to solving it point to a set of historic monuments beneath one of France’s fabled wallpaper houses.
A journey from PLUM ORCHARD to ZUBER and back again.
Thousands of miles off of Cumberland’s pristine beaches, across the Atlantic Ocean in a picturesque town along the border of France and Switzerland, is a place equally steeped in tradition, equally unmarred by the passage of time. And the link between these two worlds is the stuff of both legend and lore, and a mystery we, and they, are only beginning to
What followed was a chain of events that revealed more than just the connection between two legacy institutions. Beyond setting out to solve “The Mystery of the Wallpaper,” our year-long, bi-continental tale of two landmarks took on deeper resonance, revealing how the human story behind buildings and places and the traditional handcrafts that emanate from them shapes history in unforeseen ways. Like that relic of wallpaper, it leaves an enduring imprint of artistry and craftsmanship.
Our curiosity was first piqued on a tour of Plum Orchard, the Island...CumberlandfamilyCarnegieseaton
umberland Island is the kind of place that feels neither old nor new, just present. Like Cuba, with its retro cars and mid-century aesthetic, it’s as if time has been suspended and the trappings of life and landscape that date a place have been crystallized in an amber-like resin, a spell from these enchanting oaks. In many ways, this is true. This Georgia barrier island is a protected National Seashore, its lush wilderness accessible only by ferry. Here, the only traffic is day-tripping hikers and bikers and the island’s packs of wild horses; the only buildings are the homes of the extended branches of the storied Carnegie family, who first owned and later entrusted the island to be used for public education and enjoyment. The preserved landmarks of glory days gone by reflect a liminal moment, when development and much of the impact of outside influence ceased to breach these shores.
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Ourunravel.curiosity
Though this generational lore certainly seemed credible given the wallpaper’s aesthetic hallmarks and the fact that it was frequently used in the great houses of the time, it had yet to be confirmed, and furthermore, Zuber and its team of archivists halfway across the world had yet to weigh in on the matter. The possibility of linking these iconic places together was too irresistible–we had to at least try to verify the source.
was first piqued on a tour of Plum Orchard, the Carnegie family seat on Cumberland Island, now overseen by the Department of Natural Resources. Gesturing toward a wall just inside the main entrance, which served as an office and library, a tour guide recited a litany of design details cobbled together through the years; the wallpaper, he said, is suspected to be from a fabled French house called Zuber & Cie, the oldest surviving wallpaper manufacturer in the world, a master of the craft since 1797. The wall covering’s surface contains signature aspects of the company’s work, which in the absence of formal documentation of the origins, he believed, served as evidence of its provenance.
The wallpaper in the parlor at Plum Orchard on Cumberland Island that began the journey to Zuber.
Moss-draped oaks punctuate the remnants of a brick covered walkway that once connected Greyfield, the island's main inn, to a series of outbuildings.
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The main entrance to Zuber's headquarters in the French countryside.
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GUILLAUME TREGOUET.
More than just a company treasure, Zuber’s blocks
Passing through the arched entry of the disarmingly picturesque stone-clad structure, a former knight’s commandery in medieval times, we began our tour. We were led through four floors filled with craftsmen, all wielding highly specialized tools and fixtures, employing hypnotizing techniques—a symphony of dozens of patterned layers are pressed in one corner, synchronized brushstrokes are applied in unison in another—culminating in the gallery-like scene of mid-process sheets of drying wallpaper on Butdisplay.evenamidst all of this beauty, including the public
Rixheim, France
THE LEGENDARY ELDORADO PATTERN.
museum featuring murals of Zuber’s legendary designs, scenes of iconic historical pastorals, what we were really searching for—and hoping for a rare opportunity to see first-hand—was behind the scenes and largely inaccessible to the public: The cellar housing the company’s archive of 150,000 hand-carved wooden blocks.
“There is a layer of pine, but the real magic is in the top layer which is pear wood.” Guillaume said of the sculpted plates that are prized for their fine grain structure. “It holds designs of endless intricacy.” Unrivaled in their detailed approach, many of the company’s signature depictions can utilize over a thousand individual blocks and take up to a year to produce.
he day after arriving in Basel, we set out to meet Guillaume Tregouet, Zuber’s Burgundyborn, Paris-based creative director at the workshop slash factory in Rixheim, France.
“Though they date back to the 18th century,” Guillaume explained, “they are made for more than just castles or châteaux in Europe. The scenes of Zuber go anywhere.”
Across the courtyard, another private space within the museum contains similarly impressive catalogs meticulously documenting where this work ended up. One look and it’s easy to see why Zuber has only just begun updating these archives in a more modern organizational system. (At the time of our visit, an intern, who had been working continuously for months, had only made it through the early 1820s.) Within these binders and reams of paper is a veritable history lesson in America’s obsession with wallcoverings, which hit a fever pitch in the 19th century.
ZUBER WATERMARK WOODBLOCK.
is dizzying. That these blocks endure, and in this immense volume, is a marvel. It’s hard to fully comprehend that these time-worn wooden blocks bear not only the indelible workmanship of the human hands that carved them centuries ago, but also of the craftsmen who continue to deploy them daily today.
were recently designated a historic monument by the government of France. And they are unparalleled; no one who has glimpsed the wallpaper or maintains even the most superficial knowledge of the craft can fail to appreciate the commitment and craftsmanship represented in this collection. But seeing them up close, stacked floor to ceiling and wall to wall—well, it’s truly awe-inspiring.
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Each block is numbered and stored on metal shelves marked only by hand-lettered labels denoting the contents of each stack. Contrary to the basement’s relatively small square footage, it feels vast up close. There’s not much room to move between the aisles, and it’s dimly lit toward the outer rock walls enclosing the entirety of the cellar, but the walkway in between the left and right shelving units runs the length of the space (from an ancient, now defunct door at one end to the opposite wall, bare save for a small fire extinguisher). From this central path, it’s possible to take in everything at
STENCILED TYPOGRAPHY ORGANIZES THE WOODBLOCK CATALOG.
Theonce.effect
To begin each new commission, the artists pull the blocks required to render their designs from the inventory and carry them by hand up the spiral staircase connecting the subterranean hold with the floor above.
Because of such artistry, it’s easy to understand why Zuber’s workmanship was prized among the prominent and wealthy and adorned stately homes in early America, from New York to New Orleans.
Dozens of rows of individually numbered shelves contain the 150,000-piece woodblock collection.
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Panels of a panorama: Decor Chinois, a pattern originally createdin1832.
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) AN ARTISAN PREPARING PANELS. STEP-BY-STEP WORK INSTRUCTIONS. EMBOSSING USING ZUBER'S PATENTED GAUFRAGE TECHNIQUE. EACH LAYER IS APPLIED BY HAND.
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An island path. Aside from a few authorized vehicles, Cumberland is almost entirely pedestrian.
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CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GEORGIA
“Oh, we just loved everything about it, mostly being together,” Nancy recalled. “By then, the family was large and spread
THE FRONT PORCH AT PLUM ORCHARD.
FAMILY MATRIARCH, NANCY COPP, IN HER SITTING ROOM.
hich brings us back to Plum Orchard. With the family’s support and hospitality, we returned to the island, embarking from the mainland aboard the Cumberland Queen
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Nancy’s passion for the island is shared among her extended family who return often for family gatherings and to experience the sense of adventure and seclusion such a special place can provide. For Carnegie descendants now scattered in various cities across the country, it offers a respite and refuge from otherwise fast-paced lives and an opportunity to appreciate the stillness of nature. Exactly the kind of thing these original dwellings were intended for.
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Our first stop, under the stewardship of Hannah SayreThomas, a jewelry designer and Carnegie descendant who served as our tour guide, was a visit to Nancy Copp, granddaughter of Plum Orchard’s champion, Thomas Carnegie. She grew up visiting her grandparents at Plum Orchard and has fond memories of days spent visiting the estate when it was still exclusively a family home.
out and Plum Orchard is where we would all reunite. I remember spending so many days, usually in summertime, playing crazy made-up games with my cousins on the porch. This is the place of my childhood.”
Built in 1898, Plum Orchard was conceived as a winter residence with an emphasis on sporting pursuits from
Neither Nancy nor any of the other family members we met on Cumberland could verify the wallpaper’s origins directly, but they all knew the story of suspected Zuber provenance and believed it to be true. Still, despite a day and a half of touring multiple Carnegie family compounds—and seeing a half-dozen other wallpaper remnants that could likely also be linked back to Zuber—we were left with only our suspicions. And then, just when we thought the trail had cooled and our mystery remained unresolved, a fresh clue suddenly emerged.
THE SWIMMING DECK AT PLUM ORCHARD.
A product of its time, an air of formality pervades thanks to preserved period furnishings first procured when Tiffany lamps reigned (some of the era’s finest examples can still be seen throughout). Intricate carved woodwork and parquet floors were de rigueur, and embellished, imported wallpaper was a dominant design feature.
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So this is where the mystery remains…for now. Unsolved, yet ever compelling. In fact, as we learned in our crosscontinental treks to try to unravel remnant clues, the satisfaction lies not in verification, but in appreciation. In being awed by the craftsmanship of the Zuber artisans, whose work is of such enduring beauty that it mesmerizes, centuries later, in dusty stretches on a sea island wall. We discovered in the overlap of these two worlds a shared philosophy: Preservation and protection, both of man-made and natural imprints, define a way of life across oceans and generations. This story is far from over. There is always another clue waiting to be discovered, another lead to pursue—and the next one could very well shed light on the true origins of the legacy that endures.
“I think I’ve found a lead,” Gogo Ferguson, Hannah’s mother, exclaimed during a phone call shortly after our visit.
There was an aunt, she said, in Paris! Who might have an unused roll from Plum Orchard that we could examine. For weeks we waited anxiously, imagining the beautiful irony of finding the missing puzzle piece in an attic in France, just a scant hundred miles from the fabled workshop from where it was created. Then the news came: The wallpaper was in the flat…but the flat no longer belonged to the family. The aunt had sold it years ago, and there was no immediate way to communicate with the current owners.
A FOYER AT A FAMILY HOME ON CUMBERLAND ISLAND AND WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE ZUBER WALLPAPER.
hunting to horseback riding. Later additions included an indoor swimming pool and an early version of a squash court.
A portrait of Lucy Carnegie Ferguson in the wood-paneled parlor of The Greyfield Inn, the island's only public lodging.
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(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) OYSTER BUCKETS AWAIT THEIR CATCH ON THE CUMBERLAND SHORE. THE ELDORADO SCENE, REPRESENTING THE IDEALIZED LANDSCAPE OF FOUR CONTINENTS, USES 1554 INDIVIDUAL WOODBLOCKS AND 210 UNIQUE COLORS. WILD HORSES ROAM FREE ON CUMBERLAND. GUILLAUME IN ZUBER'S ON-SITE BRAND MUSEUM.
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) HANNAH SAYRE-THOMAS. SEARCHING FOR THE PATTERN. PLUM WALLPAPER IN PLUM ORCHARD. WOODBLOCK FAMILY.
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Zuber's cataloged archive of patterns.
WHITBY POLISHED BRASS LACQUERED FINISH BENJAMIN MOORE KONA AF-165 PAINTED SHADE INTERIORS BY GRIFFITH BLYTHE INTERIORS PHOTOGRAPHY BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG
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NEEDLES HANG DARKENED COPPER FINISH WITH ANTIQUE GILT ACCENTS AND SEEDED GLASS INTERIORS BY SEES DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN SCHRODER
POSY DOUBLE FOUND BRASS FINISH A CREATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE URBAN ELECTRIC CO., ALLISON ABNEY INTERIORS, DANIEL BECK ARCHITECTURE AND GROSSMAN BUILDING GROUP.
POSY DOUBLE FOUND BRASS FINISH A CREATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE URBAN ELECTRIC CO., ALLISON ABNEY INTERIORS, DANIEL BECK ARCHITECTURE AND GROSSMAN BUILDING GROUP.
An enamelled box with an Asian motiff from Sylvie’s inspiration library.
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Paris through s y lvie’s eyes: i N h er b e l oved city, she fi N ds i N s P i ratio N i N both the commo N (the fold of a N a P k i N at a favorite cafe) a N d t he P r ofou N d (the gra N d iosity of the louvre P a lace com P l ex).
POSY DOUBLE FOUND BRASS FINISH A CREATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE URBAN ELECTRIC CO., ALLISON ABNEY INTERIORS, DANIEL BECK ARCHITECTURE AND GROSSMAN BUILDING GROUP.
dark a N d light sylvie sees P a tter N all arou N d
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SYLVIE JOHNSON PARIS
“Everything—wheredestinations.welive,what
The Artistic Director since 2017 of Merida, the high-design rug manufacturer whose floor coverings are prized for their quality and texture, Sylvie was born in Dakar from a Ghanaian father and Senegalese mother and grew up between Senegal and France. Like her global roots, Sylvie’s tastes are universal in that they are anchored in quality, care and artistic intention.
“Beauty is not a place,” Sylvie says. “Beauty, especially as I see it—through the slant of a fiber angled just so in order to capture the best of the light in a room, for instance—that kind of beauty is fundamental. Essential. That’s what I’m focusing on…or, maybe, it’s focusing on me.”
Likewise, her love of Paris, where she has lived since she was seventeen, is as deep and true as that of anyone raised solely in the City of Light.
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“FOR ME, LIFE AND WORK ARE AN EXTENSION OF THE SAME FORCE: THE CHAIN OF EXCELLENCE,” SAYS SYLVIE JOHNSON. “THE SAME STANDARDS THAT GO INTO MAKING ART GO INTO MAKING RUGS, MAINTAINING A FAMILY HEIRLOOM, PRESERVING CULTURE, EVEN REMAINING TRUE TO ONE’S AUTHENTIC SENSE OF PERSONAL WORTH AND CHARACTER. IT IS ALL PART OF A COMMON THREAD, BEGINNING IN ANTIQUITY AND CONTINUING STILL TODAY.”
“Paris speaks to me in so many ways—both quietly and loudly,” Sylvie says. She channels that creative energy fueled by Paris’s many whispers, many exclamations, into the designs she creates in her impeccably clean, organized and intimate workspace located on Rue Jacob, mere blocks from Boulevard Saint Germain in the Sixth Arrondissement on the Left Bank where she spends most of her time.
What better way to get a sense of what Sylvie sees and is focused on, and as a result, what drives Merida’s singular vision, than a tour of some of her go-to inspiration
we love, how we think, why we create—is bigger than each of us,” she says. “It must be. The definition of perfection doesn’t exist…but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth chasing wherever it leads.”
CHAIN EXCELLENCEOF
“I love this place. Such a hidden gem. The light, the illustrations and texts that include Shakespeare and Byron—it’s just so elementally amazing. The workshop is dark while the garden is open, and the relationship between inside and outside, between settings that are natural and man-made, walls and windows, it’s just so, so incredible. My work is a similar kind of meditation, whether it’s the Saga collection, which was inspired by the music of Chopin, or the textiles displayed in one of Delacroix’s paintings, which perfectly situates you into a place and time.”
POSY DOUBLE FOUND BRASS FINISH A CREATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE URBAN ELECTRIC CO., ALLISON ABNEY INTERIORS, DANIEL BECK ARCHITECTURE AND GROSSMAN BUILDING GROUP.
MUSÉE DELACROIX
MÉMORIAL DES MARTYRS DE DÉPORTATIONLA
“Most people don’t come to Paris to visit the Holocaust Museum, but for me this is the most amazing place. Even to stand outside of it is a lesson. The architect, Georges-Henri Pingusson, was a modernist, a master of form, and the way the design of this building creates and makes use of shadows is incredible. I am constantly studying light and the perception of light, looking at the way it falls and how natural light plays against texture, and shadow is part of that, too. The fact that the museum is on the water is also important and adds another symbolic layer of meaning. It is a metaphor in many ways: Even in darkness, there can be beauty in reflection and that feels very powerful and apparent in Pingusson’s approach.”
“Everybody [who knows me] knows about my love for Japan, as an inspiration and as a great culture. It is the epitome of savoir faire. The Guimet not only celebrates Japanese culture but also the art that this culture made and makes possible: art by makers. These aren’t pieces you’re going to find in most museums around the world, and the work and the artists are not necessarily ‘famous’ in a traditional sense but they are just fantastic. I love a lot of artists, contemporary artists, but my principal focus is to go back to what textile was and what it means.
It is truly the first art, and I think about the tradition of artisan artists—the weaver, the canvas maker, the person finishing a piece of stitching by hand. Even if it was done hundreds of years ago, it touches us now because it was done well, with a commitment to craft, which is something more spiritual. And this is what inspires me about Japan and this art. It’s about elevating yourself, creating for the sake of something bigger than one person or moment in time.”
POSY DOUBLE FOUND BRASS FINISH A CREATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE URBAN ELECTRIC CO., ALLISON ABNEY INTERIORS, DANIEL BECK ARCHITECTURE AND GROSSMAN BUILDING GROUP.
MUSÉE GUIMET
“This is Paris’s public garden. I spent a lot of time here when a friend of mine had a restaurant nearby, often on my way to the Louvre. The two are very connected for me—the inspiration I get from the play of light and dark, movement in nature vs. works on paper, the juxtaposition of shadow and pigment— is such a resource. I love the arcades and the trees’ dialogue. It's a design of its own.”
LE CAFÉ MARLY
“I love to stop here for tea because it is a chance to properly view and appreciate Pei’s pyramid, which you can see from the terrace. When you are inside you can see the sculpture gallery of the Louvre. I love Egypt—my daughter and I went to Cairo in December—and it feels important to pay tribute to the pyramid (which is itself a form of architectural tribute!). Egypt is very inspiring to me. Without the ancient Egyptians—the way they worked the linen, cultivated pigments and acid—there would be no textile industry.”
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JARDIN DU PALAIS ROYAL
SYLVIE'S STUDIO
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POSY DOUBLE FOUND BRASS FINISH A CREATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE URBAN ELECTRIC CO., ALLISON ABNEY INTERIORS, DANIEL BECK ARCHITECTURE AND GROSSMAN BUILDING GROUP. 2
“I’ve been here for 17, maybe 18 years, and my company is 19 years old. The building is special to me for that reason, yes, and it is a classic from the 19th century, but it’s really the St. Germain neighborhood as a cultural center that inspires me. So many creative people have passed through here, from Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir to Picasso, and it remains incredibly vibrant still. I love the vibe of being able to go outside and walk into an antiques dealer, see an exhibit, experience the energy of a museum. My work exists inside my studio, but I also spend time every week just exploring. This area has history and layers and is, at this point, core to my work.”
Colonnes de Buren by the French artist Daniel Buren, just after a rain shower, located in the inner courtyard of the Palais Royal, just outside of the Louvre.
POSY DOUBLE FOUND BRASS FINISH A CREATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE URBAN ELECTRIC CO., ALLISON ABNEY INTERIORS, DANIEL BECK ARCHITECTURE AND GROSSMAN BUILDING GROUP. 2 THE CURRENT, VOL.4
GRAYFOY POLISHED NICKEL FINISH BLACKENED PEWTER ACCENTS LILAC INTERIORSGLASSBY SUMMER THORNTON DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOMAS LOOF
PENCOMBE FLOOR HEWN BRASS UNLACQUERED FINISH WITH FARROW & BALL NO. 289 INCHYRA BLUE ACCENTS AND SHADE HOCKNEY HEWN BRASS UNLACQUERED FINISH WITH FARROW & BALL NO. 30 HAGUE BLUE ACCENTS AND CUSTOM FABRIC SHADE INTERIORS BY PAMELA BLACK INTERIORS / SLD INTERIORS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG
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“MARBLING MESMERIZES BECAUSE IT TAPS INTO AN ENDURING AND UNIVERSAL INSTINCT TO TAME THE ELEMENTS.”
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CLEVELAND
GIFTED WITH AN INNATE SENSE OF COLOR AND PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED DURING A DECADE SPENT WORKING IN THE GRAPHIC AND FASHION DESIGN INDUSTRIES, THE ETERNALLY CURIOUS AND FEARLESSLY EXPERIMENTAL LOS ANGELES-BASED ARTIST IS APPLYING HER TALENTS TO TEXTILES AND EVOLVING THE TRADITION OF MARBLING IN THE PROCESS.
PAIGE
02 01 03
As evident in the wallcoverings and fabrics produced by Rule of Three, the art form’s appeal is both ageless and timeless. And the tradition continues to find fresh expression precisely because it is so deeply personal and satisfying. Or, as Paige explains, “Marbling mesmerizes because it taps into an enduring and universal instinct to tame the elements.”
hen Paige Cleveland attended a workshop in Los Angeles, to learn the ancient technique of marbling, she embraced the opportunity as an outlet for creative rejuicing at best and a meditative experience at least. After the first demonstration, however, the California-raised, Downtown L.A.-based designer knew she had initiated something much more profound: a complete personal and professional transformation.
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Operating from within a spacious, secondfloor studio in the Arts District, Paige’s team of three (naturally)—comprised of Paige herself, plus Rule of Three’s longtime designers Emma Neill and Tina Cruz, who not only have mastered the technique but also run all of production in the studio—approach each new product launch, emerging collection or individual
She is also an aesthetic savant when it comes to engineering the materials and tools that facilitate and aid in production: shelves for cataloging the dyes she customizes, trough tables for swirling, ceiling suspension systems (complete with pulleys and rigs) for hanging and processing pieces post-marbling.
Marbling’s allure spans centuries, from primitive cultures to the modern era. Though its official origins are disputed, the genesis of marbling and the techniques that inform Cleveland’s studio approach at Rule of Three can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, around the 14th century. The process uses dyes, solutions of different permeability and solubility and traditional tools and hand movements to conjure intricate and organic patterns that are then applied to everything from paper, to textiles, to leather.
commission as a fresh chance to coax a wild swirl of colors and dyes into an indelible imprint that speaks to a larger vision. To capture, in other words, a moment of free-flowing artistry and then freeze it in time.
Given her background in graphic design, it seems natural that Paige would be drawn to marbling. Her uncanny eye for color and palette creation is fully realized as she takes inspiration from art history and the natural world, using traditional artistry to translate that into modern fabrics.
Yet despite the specificity and precision with which Paige and her team approach their craft—and the volume of projects for clients both domestic and global—there is, at heart, one overarching and guiding principle: Bring nature—organic, human, or otherwise spontaneously derived—to vibrant, fluid and authentic life.
Silks hanging in the studio awaiting their next step in the process.
05 Marble wallpaper adorns Paige’s dining room.
TOUR DE FORCE
02 Tina mixing ink in the color lab.
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In Paige’s loft-style studio space, the artistry extends far beyond the marbling tank to every aspect of the production process, from the custom colors that are mixed using high concentrations of pigment to achieve richly saturated hues, to the hand-tied paint brushes made from bundles of broom bristles, to the intricate hanging systems and drying racks suspended from the ceiling.
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07 01 Gently lifting a finished piece of fabric from the dye tank to dry.
03 Paint-splattered clogs that the team all wears, formerly white Danskos.
04 Lou Lou Wall sconce shades covered in Rule of Three's Stone Plume fabric in Starlight Night. Interiors by Chassity Evans. Photography by Marni Durlach.
06 Clipboard-style fabric racks of their own invention.
07 Broom bristle paint brushes.
What does the future look like for us? Exciting and wide open! I want to build on our momentum to continue to grow this business. I want to get a bigger studio, travel for inspiration and to expand my knowledge, bring in people to support Emma and Tina so that they can move up and continue to evolve professionally, too—I want it all! There are no limits to what we can do and how we can innovate.
Whether we are launching our own line, hosting friends for a bit of experimentation on a Friday afternoon, develop ing the creative vision for a textile collection that will pay tribute to a flight of fancy or an overdue creative homage or what have you, we are always starting, always stopping, always creating and installing, and always imagining how to observe the Rule of Three when there are so many rules left to both break and establish today.
PAIGE CLEVELAND AS TOLD TO THE URBAN ELECTRIC Co.
The name Rule of Three comes from the idea of the mar riage of color, pattern and ‘ground,’ or material, that gets marbled. I love descriptors. I love threes. I love the way the power of three gets highlighted and magnified in writing, in design, in photography. It’s a theme that feels very suited to the technique-driven nature of what we do and how each component blends together to express something bigger and different but still cohesive and intentional. At its core, marbling in general—and certainly the way we approach it—is all about storytelling.
arbling was truly the last thing I’d planned on pursuing, but even from day one, when I had zero idea about how to actually launch a marbling studio, I knew I had found my calling. I made it official in 2013 and have been exploring and pushing the limits of this studio ever since.
It’s a technique that requires focus and hours and hours of training your muscles to do unnatural things naturally— and repetitively. So much of the magic lies in things you can’t see—the motion of the wrist; the willingness to step back and see the pattern emerging and then recognize what’s
We translate the beauty of nature and the sincerity of the human hand into exquisite objects and surfaces. It’s like science and magic mixed into one beautiful art form. And, really, is there anything better than that?
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There is an element of excitement and pride in sharing with our clients and collaborators how intricate our process is and what goes into the collection we have created and what ever new pieces we add to the line. Marbling is transfixing and meditative and addictive, but it is also work and we take our process super seriously.
missing; the ability to then toss just the right amount of paint to land in just the right spot in order to take a design to the next level or finish it off. There’s real power in the subtleties of a craft like this.
My team consists of two other people—Emma and Tina— and they both learned marbling from me. But even though they had no previous experience, they are both artists and creative powerhouses in their own right and brought their own instincts and vision and palettes and ideas to bear. Emma is a painter who also has an incredible engineering mind—she designed and built most of the racks and rigs we use to treat and dry and finish the pieces in our collec tion. Tina has a background in product design and is an amazing photographer, and her eye for color and mixing— the alchemy side of the process—is incredible. We literally produce every color and make every tool we use, plus all of the equipment we require, right here in the studio, with our own hands. Our space is part design studio, part chemistry lab, part hardware store and workshop.
And that’s why marbling can be deceptive, at least in terms of its expression as an art form. It can be easy to underestimate the complexities, which leads to a gap in recognition and respect that we hope to remedy as we take on and educate new clients and design partners. When people observe us working, they see a very fluid, very coordinated, almost dance-like, process, and it can appear “chill” or effortless to the observer. There is a lot to master, though, when it comes to the fundamentals; you have to first feel comfortable and confident in executing the actual technique of marbling and then master the skills and knowledge required to ap ply the color and patterns to varying materials—leather, paper, cloth. And even though we are always evolving and modernizing and playing with form and approach and experimenting, we still rely on a very precise set of principles to ground what we do. Experimentation can only happen with a foundation of experience.
We take inspiration from nature, from shapes and curves, from a beautiful view, from emotions and memories, from colors I respond to in the moment or might have loved in childhood. There are obviously established patterns and styles, and we study those, but we also invent our own sig natures just as often. Marbling is a perfect balance of the personal and subjective on the one hand and time-honored and established on the other. It’s an ancient craft, after all, and we are just part of a long line of practitioners carrying those traditions through history and filtering them through our individual points of view. Pretty amazing and hum bling when you stop and think about it.
LEATHER IN THE MARBLING TANK RULE OF THREE STUDIO — ARTS DISTRICT, LOS ANGELES FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2021 12:54PM
80 THE CURRENT, VOL. 4 | TEXTILE
THE HAND SCONCE HEIRLOOM FINISH INTERIORS BY SWOON, THE STUDIO, PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AUBERGE RESORTS COLLECTION THE VANDERBILT, NEWPORT, RI
THADD BLACK FINISH MILK GLASS LANESBOROUGH ANTIQUE BRASS FINISH TRANSLUCENT ANTIQUE MIRROR ON MILK GLASS TRANSLUCENT ANTIQUE MIRROR ON COBALT BLUE GLASS ACCENTS INTERIORS BY KATI CURTIS DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOMAS LOOF
CHILTERN ROUND ANTIQUE BRASS FINISH ANTIQUE BRASS ACCENTS UECO. SIGNATURE COLOR STORM GRAY PAINTED SHADES WITH HEWN BRASS UNLACQUERED INTERIOR INTERIORS BY CAROLINA DESIGN ASSOCIATES BUILD BY GERRARD BUILDERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUSTIN PECK
