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Inspiration

Think big apple

Spacious rooms and a window front up to 6 meters high demand for a scale in interior design that suits their extraordinary dimensions.

Think big apple - Création Baumann - Inspiration
Think big apple - Création Baumann - Inspiration
In his projects, Erik Bruce usually is looking for a consistent approach to the windows, allowing the window treatments to be very architectural. But what if the rooms being furnished show such a big difference in scale that this is not an option? Erik Bruce’s «Carte Blanche» for Création Baumann in New York City offers an inspiring and astounding solution. For the living room and master bedroom of a modernized townhouse in Gramercy Park, the designer and creative director of Erik Bruce Fabrik developed an entirely different program for each. With a clear vision, sophisticated textiles and a little help of breaking the rules.

Erik Bruce

Erik Bruce has been designing, fabricating and installing distinctive custom window treatments for the past 19 years. He began working with Mary Bright Inc. developing designs for The Mercer Hotel in 1998 just a few years after graduating with his MFA in theatrical design from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. While designing for theatre and television in Los Angeles and New York, Erik developed a sensibility informed by both the variation in scale and the effects of dramatic lighting on the scenery and the tactile relationship of the costumes to the characters on stage. From his studio in Brooklyn, Erik continues to focus on originality as well as on the development and application of clean, modern aesthetics in contemporary window treatment design.

What inspired you to create Création Baumann’s «Carte Blanche»?
I’ve been working with Création Baumann for quite some time now. I appreciate their creative process and, having visited their facilities in Langenthal, I’m also very impressed by how they operate. Their textiles represent the same quality and innovation we at Erik Bruce Fabrik find so important in window treatment design. The fact that Création Baumann designs and makes their own products is directly aligned with our approach to design and manufacturing.

 

What is the characteristic element of the furnished object?
All the windows in this project are facing north, yielding low light. The spacious master bedroom has a very low, wide window. We chose to focus on the horizontal feeling of that space in a dark sophisticated colour palette. In the Living Room, we had a window that soared over 6 meters high. In this room, we wanted a sense of pattern in a scale appropriate for the room. We focused on the ombré effect of 5 different colourways creating our own pattern in the curtains. It’s a really beautiful effect.

 

What do you appreciate about the SILK & SPICES collection?
There is a richness and elegance in both the textures and colours. I also love the use of technology like the luxurious jacquard ARTEMISIA.

What style are the fabrics particularly useful for?
All the windows in this project are facing north, yielding low light. The spacious master bedroom has a very low, wide window. We chose to focus on the horizontal feeling of that space in a dark sophisticated colour palette. In the Living Room, we had a window that soared over 6 meters high. In this room, we wanted a sense of pattern in a scale appropriate for the room. We focused on the ombré effect of 5 different colourways creating our own pattern in the curtains. It’s a really beautiful effect.

 

What is your favourite fabric in the collection?
GINGER, the linen we used for the shades in the Master Bedroom. Because of the way it diffuses the light.

«What I appreciate about the SILK & SPICES collection is the richness and elegance in both the textures and colours. »
Erik Bruce
Think big apple - Création Baumann - Inspiration

And which are your top three favourite Création Baumann fabrics?
The three favourites off the top of my head are EPRISMA, a novelty, the very technical MALTA and PAMINA which represents classic luxury.

 

What does Création Baumann have that other brands do not have?
What sets Création Baumann apart is their ability to produce their own designs and offer their own guarantee of excellence and tested results.

 

How significant is the brand’s Swiss origin to you?
We think of the Swiss as reliable, timely, innovative, and inspiring creatively – all of these factors play a role in defining the Création Baumann brand for me.

 

What do you pay attention to when you first enter a room?
The first things I focus on are the light and how to frame, filter, or block it out. In other words, I ask the question «Why do we need window treatments in this room?»

Think big apple - Création Baumann - Inspiration

What roles do textiles play in interior design?
Textiles play both a decorative and a functional role in interior design. I focus on window treatment design because I appreciate textiles ability to block light, as well as filter light. But I also love the tactile nature of textiles.

 

Old building or modern architecture: What is more exciting, and why?
Modern glass architecture (i.e. Mies van der Rohe) created the need for functional curtains. I have a deep appreciation for architecture in general. But as it relates to what I do, I am passionate about modern glass spaces. The challenging part is mostly about making the window treatments disappear or add value to the space when not in use.

 

What do you love about your job?
The world-renowned architects I work with, but also the ability to work with textiles hands on. I try to let the material be what it is, free of the constraints of poor craftsmanship.

 

What is characteristic of Erik Bruce’s home environment?
Organized, minimal. No curtains yet – only roller shades.

Think big apple - Création Baumann - Inspiration
«The extra wide linen I find amazing. Creation Baumann has a long history of producing linen.»
Erik Bruce

Think big apple - Création Baumann - Inspiration

About Carte Blanche

«Carte Blanche» is Création Baumann’s invitation to select interior designers for interpreting a collection in a location of their choice in their own style – showcasing the range of possibilities for textile room design using fabrics from this traditional Swiss company.

Architecture: Lucho Marcial

Window Treatments and Accessories: Erik Bruce and Anna Marra for Erik Bruce Fabrik
www.erikbruce.com

Selected products for the Carte Blanche

  • TURMALIN II

  • VICTOR

  • DAPHNE

  • MAIRA

  • DALIA

To Textile Finder

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