Arriving in March, Huddle, Bind, and Swathe are the first of two residential upholstery introductions intended for 2018. While diverse in appearance, the three qualities underscore the Maharam Design Studio’s commitment to offering a differentiated point of view emphasizing purity and substantiality of materials without the need for embellishment.

Woven in Belgium, Huddle pairs a simple construction with exceptional materials. A hefty boucle wool yarn blooms over a fine, plain-woven cotton-and-rayon ground. Like Monk’s Wool, Chroma by Hella Jongerius, and Superweave by Alexander Girard, this lofty and supremely soft textile celebrates a density of wool more commonly seen in handmade or couture items. At this scale, the yarn magnifies the woven structure to the point of graphicness, in this case producing a highly dimensional and irregularly polka-dotted surface. The understated palette serves Huddle’s construction well with classic duotone combinations of white, ivory, taupe, and black progressing from subtle monochrome to high contrast.

A pure expression of woven wool originating in the United Kingdom, Bind interlaces two identical sets of heathered yarn in both directions. This homogeneity is deceptive, however, as one of the yarns is finely twisted from three others. A melange of colors is scattered across a pressed, tweedy surface with a randomized, stepped twill texture. Cream is speckled with hints of carnelian and periwinkle, ecru with peach and olive, charcoal with cerulean and black, and midnight with beige and indigo.

Like Bind, Swathe pairs two of the same yarns in warp and weft. Offering the cool hand and fluid drape of linen, Swathe is an atypical epingle woven on specialized wire looms in Germany. When one of the yarns, spun alternately tight and slack, is allowed to float over wires temporarily inserted during the weaving process, the loose bits unfurl, introducing soft punctuations of linen to an otherwise evenly gridded surface. A pressed finish compacts the epingle loops and adds sheen, while a fine binder yarn ensures structural integrity. Shades of pearl, plaster, graphite, army green, and navy form a tailored  and concise palette.

Huddle
Introduction: March 2018
Content: 41% Wool, 31% Rayon, 27% Cotton, 1% Nylon
Colors: 3

Bind
Introduction: March 2018
Content: 100% Wool
Colors: 4

Swathe
Introduction: March 2018
Content:55% Rayon, 23% Linen, 15% Polyester, 7% Acrylic
Colors: 5