Light Moves

A rising-star designer’s new window-shade collection brings nuanced pattern, color, and handcraft to light

Well-dressed designer in a formal designed room.

Above Image: Interior designer Amy Meier.

By ROBYN WISE

Amy Meier, a breakout talent based in Southern California who increasingly operates on the national stage, works in a modern classical style that infuses a nature-inflected sensibility with a dash of eclecticism. “I find inspiration in the land a home is built on, in spaces that are very intentional,” says the Parsons-trained interior designer. Her approach is holistic, more focused on discovery than on precise outcome, and it relies mainly on organic materials and neutral color palettes that complement, not compete with, a home’s interior architecture. Meier also has a knack for orchestrating light. “Californian light is especially beautiful. I take great care in manipulating the way it filters into a room,” she says. Fittingly, her latest project is a suite of handwoven window shades—rendered in silk, ramie, and banana fibers—that give full expression to the interplay of transparency and texture.

Formal living room with views of Golden Gate Bridge.

An elegant San Francisco residence designed by Meier.

Debuting this spring with Hartmann & Forbes, maker of sustainable, all-natural textiles and wallcoverings, Meier’s shade collection incorporates elements of Japanese minimalism, Bauhaus-era material reverence, and traditional Korean patchwork. “It’s about the synergy of multiple textures and the tension between formal structure and looser, organic variations in pattern that naturally emerge in the weaving process,” she says. Hartmann & Forbes director of product development Rebecca Welch describes the line as “clean and artful.”

Among the collection’s seven grass-weave designs is Stipple, a monochrome jacquard with subtle geometry influenced by the tapestries of midcentury textile artist Anni Albers. Its intricate arrangement of cubes and rectangles pushed the production team’s technical capabilities. “A two-pedal loom wasn’t quite right, so we developed a three-pedal loom just for this project to get the beautiful texture I wanted,” says Meier of the “super pure,” reversible pattern.

Three images: Closeup of woven fabric with square bumpy weave. Closeup of fabric with semi sheer effect of light color grasscloth pattern. The grasscloth pattern in a roman shade on a window with chair and table in front.

A detail of Meier’s Stipple pattern reveals its exquisite texture and subtle gradients, which are inspired by the quiet beauty of Bauhaus textiles. “On the face side, it’s all about monochrome purity. When you reverse it, the design comes out in textured relief and becomes more of a color play,” says Meier.

(L and R) The Dapple Parchment shade.

Framework, which features a windowpane motif made in handloomed banana fiber, is inspired by a style of Korean quilting called bojagi. “When not utilized as gift wrapping, these patchwork cloths would hang in windows and glow with differing opacities,” Meier explains (The collection also includes a grass-cloth version of Framework that brings a similar effect to the wall.).

Stylish reading corner with a sheer Roman shade with subtle vertical pattern on window.

Gossamer becomes increasingly translucent over time. “The silk ramie gets more beautiful the more you use the shades,” says Meier.

Next up for Meier? Her exploration of light and space continues in partnership with acclaimed Chicago lighting and furniture designer Jonathan Nesci, who tapped her to bring a touch of sophisticated texture and tonal interest to his latest lighting collection. “I really wanted to do lampshades,” Meier says. “Like windows, they’re transparent canvases with flexible personalities that can either lay low or steal the spotlight.”

The collection in its range of shades translucent and opaque.

The Amy Meier collection for Hartmann & Forbes available through Shears & Window

Light Moves

By ROBYN WISE

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