Luum Textiles introduces Fabric of Space, a collection designed by Suzanne Tick. From constellations of stars, to the vibrational qualities of sound and light, and the geological layers of the earth, these five textiles embody all of the elements that surround us.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
When Tick began to work on the collection, she thought about the landscapes of space and the mind — and their parallels. “Everything that is internal in our system is also external, and what’s happening on a human level is also happening in the universe. It’s fascinating when you start to recognize the connection between things.”
As Tick and her team compared notes on color and design direction, a galactic thread was readily apparent. “We review art, architecture, scientific studies, and what’s happening around the world. When we did our initial charrette, we were looking at these images from the Hubble Space Telescope and pictures of the surface of Mars that had just come out. And these crystalized surfaces and iridescent, anodized metals mimic celestial shine. So that quickly became one of the overarching themes.”
The project became even more personal for Tick when she realized the same words were used to describe fabric and space. “In all of our research we found textile terminology like ‘the fabric of space’ and ‘the fringe of the universe.’ We started talking about how space is limitless and without boundaries, it is just this molten multitude of galaxies. We wanted to create fabrics like that.”
Tick noted that designed Fabric of Space as a cohesive collection, which appeals to specifiers looking at interiors and exteriors holistically. “These fabrics go together. We look at the unified field, which is our entire collection, and see how it plays with our draperies and wallcoverings. We are thinking about the outdoors and indoors equally.
Photo courtesy of Luum Textiles
Emergent
Renewable and recycled yarns are blended to create this new hybrid upholstery fabric. Equal parts wool-blend and cotton, a needle-punch process creates a unique and tactile surface when color contrasting bouclé cotton loops emerge through the surface of the wool-blend face. “This fabric took more than two years to perfect. These thin loops pop through and give Emergent this atmospheric quality that reminds me of star clusters or a galaxy. That’s exactly how we wanted it to look,” Tick explained.
Formwork
Formwork is a modern take on a classic jacquard twill, carefully designed with a subtle, organic pattern within its linear weave structure. The iridescence seen in the dozen colorways activates the pattern at all angles. Celestial objects and planetary surfaces served as inspiration. “We all love to stargaze and look at the constellations in the night sky, and that was what really informed us. This material looks like the Milky Way or the Happy Face crater on Mars. It is a multipurpose fabric that can be used as upholstery or to wrap walls or panels. It’s such a versatile material,” Tick noted.
Photo courtesy of Luum Textiles
Spectral Array
Countless studies have shown that mental health plays a pivotal part in our emotional experience in a space. A 100% UV polyester, Spectral Array’s large-scale pattern references spectrograms. These diagrams map the amplitude of light and sound waves emitted during a physical event, such as the firing of neurons in the brain. “We looked at the patterns of the brain waves, and tried to recreate them using slub and chenille yarns,” Tick explained.
Welded
Welded is an upholstery fabric that brings the art of woven textiles to coated form using a new fusing technology. Polyester fibers are woven into a ground cloth to create a color-and-weave effect. A clear thermoplastic elastomer barrier, or TPE, is then applied, making the material ink- and stain- resistant, as well as bleach cleanable. “Welded is really emulating the earth’s core and crust, where there is layer upon layer. And that’s what we tried to do here, add layers but keep the structural integrity,” Tick said.
Graviton
Graviton is a multipurpose textile made of 100% cationic and disperse recycled polyester. By utilizing innovative fiber and yarn spinning technology, a new and differentiated surface is achieved. Once cross dyed, the darker and lighter components appear and disappear at random in the weave structure, which creates a chunky, variegated surface. “We always do a lot of fiber work and you see that with Graviton. It actually has a heftier structure, but it looks like a linen and it feels great,” Tick noted.
