Real designers never stop designing. Textile and furniture designer Kerry Joyce proves that maxim, notably with his latest Woodlands and Ground Cover Botanicals. MILIEU’s Style and Market Editor, Lucy Bamman, was so impressed with the new patterns that she was determined to meet with Kerry to learn more about what inspired him.

MILIEU has been following your designs for years, and while we’re always thrilled by what you create, we were especially surprised by your new  collection, Woodlands and Ground Cover Botanicals. They seem to be a bit of a departure for you. Tell us how and why you created these new patterns.

My new botanicals designs were a surprise to many people who follow me. It was seen as a departure, but I have always loved working in different styles in both my product and interior design. Even though I have a fabric company I could not find the perfect fabric for my living room sofas. So of course, I had to design it. It was my quest to design the perfect fabric that would make the room complete.

What is it about your house that made your quest so…difficult?

I live in the Hollywood Hills not too far from the iconic Hollywood sign in a fantastical English cottage complete with a thatched style roof made of steam bent cedar shingles. It was designed in 1923 by a movie art director for his aunt and his mother. I know it is not what most people think of me for, but I love it.  It is surrounded by topiary gardens, the front informal and loose, the rear is manicured and somewhat formal but with a touch of whimsey. It is my oasis. 

So, your actual home and how you live in it proved to be the inspiration. What did you want these patterns to accomplish—both in your home and in other peoples’?

To complete my cottage living room It was my goal to create a new fabric inspired by midcentury Scandinavian botanicals. I wanted it to be fresh and happy but not cute. I was delighted with the final product and the nuanced colorways I created. This botanical collection has two designs—the parent is called Woodlands and its child is called Ground Cover a smaller sized print. They make me smile. When I design fabrics my team and I look for classic inspiration from the past. I want to create fabrics that are somewhat timeless when possible, but fresh and valid for today with a quiet sense of history. My colorways have always set me apart in the marketplace. They have created a cohesion in my collection that designers have embraced. I am known for my nuanced colorways. The colors I choose, even my brighter colors are always softened by being slightly grayed.

Apart from your residence in the Hollywood Hills, tell us about your other homes.

I have a riverfront home in Litchfield, Connecticut, and a lovely pied-à-terre in New York City overlooking Central Park. Each home is a different style: Connecticut celebrates my love of the Colonial spirit and New York has a timeless, warm modern vibe with a touch of Paris.  I have never been fond of a cookie cutter look.

What excites you as a designer?

I love so many different genres and I am delighted and inspired when a design client brings me a new project in a style I have not done before. My fabric company is little over ten years old and brings me joy and has been extremely satisfying. I am crazy for textiles! In the last year I am proud to say I have taken my furniture manufacturing in-house. The collection is available in custom woods, finishes, and sizes, with every detail produced, by hand, in our California workshops. My classic furniture designs with bench-made quality have culminated into Kerry Joyce Atelier, the umbrella company that houses both my furniture collection as well as my textile company.

For more information on the Woodlands collection, click here.

For more information on the Ground Cover collection, click here.

For more Industry Profiles, click here.

INTERVIEW BY LUCY BAMMAN

Images courtesy of Kerry Joyce Textiles