Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1215372
By REBECCA SHERMAN T he massive neo-Mayan hacienda Michelle Nussbaumer built in the Dallas Design District is a sight to behold. An almost Brutalist facade conceals a feverish interior packed with pattern, color, and materials that pushes creative limits around every corner. For Nussbaumer, who just landed on Architectural Digest's prestigious AD100 List, the house is also a laboratory of design ideas, where collaborative efforts flourish. The window treatments she conceived for the kitchen, for example, kick-started her new textiles collection for Clarence House. "I couldn't find what I was looking for, so I designed what I wished I had," says Nussbaumer, who received the 2019 House Beautiful Kitchen of the year honors for the project. "I was inspired by the amazing archives of textiles I've been collecting, like old Fez embroidered pieces from Morocco." The collection debuted in Paris at Deco Off, with Fez-style embroideries on Belgian linen and velvet, woven Mexican serape-style stripes, printed florals, and a Venetian-style damask on linen and silk. A garden print is based on 17th-century Verdure tapestries while parrots, crazy-quilt patterns, and motifs from Mexican horse blankets and Mayan art are also lavishly represented. Nussbaumer designed trims based on Portuguese and Arabian horse bridles, such as a casual raffia fringe and big, fun pompoms. "It's a worldly collection that all works together," she says. "We've made it simple to mix patterns and colors, and create maximalist moments." Nussbaumer has her hand in a flurry of collaborations on lighting, tiles, and range hoods, and she's not done yet: "I'm already talking to Clarence House about a wallpaper line," she says. Michelle Nussbaumer for Clarence House, to the trade at Culp Associates, Dallas Design Center, 1025 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 500, culpassociates.com. MICHELLE IN MAxIMAL WONDERLAND DALLAS DESIgNER MICHELLE NuSSBAuMER'S NEW TExTILE COLLECTION FOR CLARENCE HOuSE IS A TRIP. Michelle Nussbaumer Michelle Nussbaumer for Clarence House fabrics