Designer Nadia Watts drew on her family’s history as founders of the jeweler Tiffany and Co. to create her new Gem collection with Kravet.
New York – Home furnishings company Kravet has introduced its debut fabric collection with Denver-based interior designer Nadia Watts. The new Gem Collection draws its inspiration from the iconic colored glass of Watts’ family heritage.
Nadia Watts
Watts’ great-great-grandfather, Louis Comfort Tiffany, founded the iconic stained-glass studio in New York City: Tiffany Studios. Son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of quintessential American jewelry brand Tiffany and Co., Louis began working with glass around 1880, creating inventive sheets of multi-colored glass for his stained-glass windows and later making artistic glass vases and lamps, which are now renowned collector’s items.
“This collection began five years ago with a visit to the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass where I was inspired by the depth, quantity and dimension of color before my very eyes,” said Watts. “With this glass as my Northstar and using watercolors and markers, I created a series of designs and patterns that would eventually become the Gem collection. I am grateful that Kravet could see my vision and supported bringing it to life.”
The brightly colored fabrics feature modern embroideries, prints, velvets, bouclé’s and textures, “offering versatility and a beautiful design aesthetic,” according to the company.
Inspired by the intricate nature of Tiffany’s Favrile glass, the collection highlights the brilliant and rich colors – pops of chartreuse, fuchsia and teal – intended to mirror the shimmering hues found in stained-glass.
Watts has taken this influence and transformed it into an exciting collection of textiles in a range of designs and textures, such as Somersault, a printed chevron on a textured ground cloth; Cozy Up, a luxurious and lofty boucle; Antiparos, a printed batik-inspired diamond pattern; and Hoopla, a hand-cut embroidered fabric resembling streamers of beads.
“I love that I can take my great-great-grandfather’s Tiffany glass from more than 140 years ago and have it be the foundation for a fabric collection that can be used today for furniture, draperies, pillows, headboards and more,” Watts said.
The Gem Collection is now available in Kravet showrooms.
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