Faye Toogood X Maison Matisse at Milan Design Week 2023
Maison Matisse, a design studio founded by Henri Matisse’s great-grandson, has teamed up with London-based designer Faye Toogood to create a new collection of furniture and rugs for Milan Design Week 2023. Unlike previous designers enlisted by Maison Matisse, who focused on the vibrant colours that defined the French artist’s most iconic works, Toogood has instead turned to Matisse’s black and white drawings, particularly his 1943 collection Dessins: Thèmes et Variations.
Toogood adopted Matisse’s fluidity and momentum of gestures and liberty of lines, using black Chinese ink on white paper to create her own library of shapes. The result is the ‘Esquisses’ collection, which includes flat patterns on soft wool blankets and hand-knotted rugs, as well as three-dimensional furniture. Toogood’s ‘Assemblage 5’ collection, which was inspired by Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, was a significant inspiration for the designer, leading to an enduring connection with Matisse’s legacy.
The ‘Esquisses’ collection features a hand-upholstered boucle armchair that evokes the equilibrium and elegance of still-life. Its curved sides arch like Matisse’s balanced lines, creating voids that echo the negative space in his life drawings. The wood and metal used in the coffee table and stool are tempered and mattified to instil a sense of easy comfort, while undyed yarn from Cc-tapis lends the thick, hand-tufted rugs. The pieces harness artisanal craftsmanship to gather value, history and design, bringing joy to both present and future generations.
The collaboration marks the first formal collaboration between Toogood and Maison Matisse, but Matisse’s work has been a source of inspiration for the London-based designer for years. The designer’s ‘Assemblage 5’ collection, which was inspired by Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, led to an enduring connection with Matisse’s legacy.
Toogood’s collection is inspired by Matisse’s line, shape and gesture, responding to motifs in his sketches. She created a library of more than one hundred sketches, choosing the best 24 for the concertina book that suggested rugs and a blanket. The rug is made from natural wools, and the collaboration is kept in a palette of neutral shades. The upholstered armchair, stool, and coffee table all have the energy and slight irregularity of a drawing.
Esquisses, Faye Toogood X Maison Matisse
Location: Studio Nerino, Via Santa Marta 21
Duration: April 17th – April 23rd, 2023