MONDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2021

We are excited to announce we will be joining Janine and Jay Guerin in their new showroom, RUE IV, as they inherit the J. Lambeth location at the Washington Design Center.

On November 1, the Lambeth family will pass their baton to Janine and Jay Guerin, industry veterans who will launch RUE IV. RUE IV will continue the great tradition of providing this talented industry with incredible products supported by stellar staff. Janine and Jay look forward to being champions and supporters of designers and design students in the DC market and the Mid-Atlantic region – in the same fashion as the Lambeths.

RUE IV (named for the Guerin’s love of wandering the streets of Paris, and their three-year-old daughter, Ivy) will be a multiline showroom anchored by Fabricut and featuring many other luxury brands including Hartmann&Forbes. Janine and Jay are thrilled by the opportunity to be a premiere agent showroom.

RUE IV
1099 14th St. NW #220
Washington DC 20005
202.646.1774
www.ruefour.com

MONDAY OCTOBER 25, 2021


In Conversation With Designer Max Humphrey

Recognized as a design change-maker, Max Humphrey is a Portland-based interior designer, art director, product designer, and author.  His trademark lived-in, layered look has earned accolades, including being named a “Next Wave” designer by House Beautiful and one of Country Living’s 100 most creative people. Join us for a conversation with Humphrey and Sophie Donelson, author and design journalist, as they discuss the inspiration behind his collaboration with Hartmann&Forbes and his new collection of handwoven natural windowcoverings.

WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 10TH | 1PM ET/10AM PT

MONDAY OCTOBER 18, 2021

Inspired by nature, a natural pairing is conceived. Introducing two new soothing series that evoke the senses with a calm, serene feel to enhance health and wellbeing – Unity Papyrusweave Woven-to-Size Windowcovering and Beachfront Handcrafted Wallcovering. We also have exciting updates to timeless favorites in our Tailored-to-Size Grassweave & Papyrusweave collections, along with new color updates to our Performance Fabric collection.

EXPLORE ALL NEW ARRIVALS

install-WL425-18-bandon-PE608-03-peaceful-white-H-web.jpg

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 13, 2021

A classic weaving technique in which pattern and color are woven directly into the textile with a visible reverse pattern is known as jacquard. In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard invented the jacquard loom, simplifying the method for producing complex, consistent textiles. Offering a maximum width of 100 inches, our loom features an attachment of punch cards that correspond to textile patterns, controlling which warp threads are raised so the weft thread can be hand passed under them. By incorporating the use of a jacquard loom, Hartmann&Forbes can now realize a broader range of looks, including the graphic and creative designs of the new Max Humphrey collection.

EXPLORE THE COLLECTION

Hand weaving on Jacquard loom - close up

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

Celebrating its 16th year, INTERIOR DESIGN Magazine’s Best of Year Awards is now open for voting! Hartmann&Forbes has submitted for consideration the Max Humphrey Collection in “Window Treatments” and the J. Randall Powers Collection in “Wall Covering: Fabric.” Please show your support by voting in these categories. 

Adding to Hartmann&Forbes vast and diverse line of handwoven designs for the window, the Max Humphrey Collection reveals the artisanal quality of Hartmann&Forbes combined with Humphrey’s trademark lived-in layered look. Featuring five Woven-to-Size Grassweave windowcoverings, Humphrey celebrates modern Americana with a nod to nostalgia and a fresh take on classic prints and patterns —gingham, quilt and cable knit—rendered in Hartmann&Forbes’ handwoven natural textiles. Explore the Collection.

The J. Randall Powers Collection reveals the artisanal quality of Hartmann&Forbes’ handwoven textiles combined with Powers’ penchant for tailored patterns with a twist. The result includes handcrafted wallcoverings that portray the confidence of a structured pattern that is a bit playful and invigorating.  Explore the Collection.

Voting is live on the Interior Design Best of Year voting site through October 11th. We encourage you to vote in each category once per day.

CAST YOUR VOTE FOR WINDOW TREATMENT

CAST YOUR VOTE FOR WALL COVERING

Thank you for your continued support.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE FALL SEASON that is especially suited for a bout of nostalgia. Maybe it’s childhood memories of going back to school in your favorite autumn sweater. Or perhaps it’s sitting in front of a cozy fire with your family under an heirloom quilt. Reflections of autumn’s past seem to creep up on us with that first touch of chill in the air and that first leaf turning orange-red and dropping. Nostalgia, defined as a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations, is the cornerstone of Max Humphrey’s design philosophy and his new Fall21 Collection by Hartmann&Forbes.

We sat down with Humphrey to discuss his process, inspiration, and what it was like designing his first collection with Hartmann&Forbes.

H&F: What’s your design process? What inspires you?
MH: I’m inspired by things I remember about my childhood growing up in New England. In my case, it was plaid sofas in the living room, antique stores on the weekends with my parents, and a sort of New England country preppy look. My aesthetic life has been about creating that as an adult. For my creative process, a lot of it is product-based; I like to go shopping to get the juices flowing. It could be finding a little vintage paint-by-numbers painting that inspires the color palette of a room. 

H&F: What inspired you to want to do a window covering collection? 
MH: There is such a disparity between good and bad quality window coverings. I think it’s a category where you get what you pay for – invest in quality, and you’ll see a return on that investment. It’s also something that has a real mix between aesthetic and function. They serve a function to block the light because it's a TV room or a kid’s bedroom but also have to look great. 
I wanted to design a product that wasn’t out there in the market already. Which is an interesting pattern and design that isn't boring but can be layered into other parts of the room. And made by a locally owned company using sustainable materials.

H&F: How would you describe your style?
MH: Modern Americana. 

H&F: How would you describe modern Americana?
MH: Design rooted in nostalgia. It’s something that’s left open a little bit for people to interpret in their own way, but for me, it’s ginghams, plaids, vintage quilts, things that you remember from growing up but maybe can be made modern in new ways but still rooted in the past. 

H&F: Are there particular colors or patterns in your designs that you find yourself returning to often?
MH: Blue is my favorite color. I think it’s everybody’s favorite color. I think a lot about clothing when I think about design – it’s all about blue jeans. Forever in Blue Jeans. And black and white goes with everything; modern, traditional, glamour, deco, farmhouse. It’s a color palette that can be applied in different ways.

H&F: What was it like working on a collaboration with H&F?
MH: A lot of the original inspiration was based on things like blankets and old sweaters and random vintage textiles.  I’m very visual and initially, I had no idea how my little sketches and swatches of fabrics and cut-out pieces of graph paper would translate into a grassweave. It was so exciting to see the first round of actual samples come back from the weaver.

H&F: How important was it to use natural fibers to create the design versus doing something like a screenprint? 
MH: Super important. It’s all about texture. These are patterns, but the most important thing is that they all have texture, giving a softness to them. These could look very harsh if they were screen-printed fabrics. You can find similar designs in the screen-printed fabric world, and I’m not interested in that. But you can’t find these in a grassweave world. Product design for me is developing things that aren’t there – that you want.

H&F: How did you feel when you saw the designs for the first time?
MH: Instantly like, "this is exactly right." It felt very easy. From the first set of samples, it was “yep, even if nothing changes, this is great.” This collaboration just clicked and it never felt like work.

H&F: How did you decide which designs you wanted to use for this first collection? 
MH: I wanted everything to be immediately recognizable. For people to see it and associate it with me and be like, “yes, of course, he’s going to do that.” Like music, I wanted to play my greatest hits.

H&F: What is great about these designs is that anyone can look at them and have some sort of connection to them – a grandmother’s well-loved quilt, a favorite gingham check shirt, a favorite cable knit sweater. 
MH: Yes! Yes, there’s something comfortable and comforting about them. And it’s also really well made and custom. Really high-end, high quality. If I had to define luxury, it’s not the stuff you can’t touch; it’s stuff that’s well made that gets better with time. Timeless.

H&F: How important are window coverings in the overall design of a room?
MH: Window coverings are always the first thing I pick for a room along with the rug. They go hand-in-hand and have to talk to each other. If they’re bold, they can set the tone, or if everything else is bold, they can sort of be worked in. You’ll notice there are no solids in my collection – Hartmann & Forbes didn’t need me for that. But some of these subtle patterns can work as solids. The Gingham can be used as a neutral, Quilt is a solid to me, Cableknit is a solid.

H&F: You have specified projects with other window covering companies in the past. Why did you decide to work with Hartmann&Forbes?
MH: A big part of my design philosophy is working local and shopping local, supporting local businesses and communities. There are artistic aspects of what an interior designer does, but the bottom line is that it’s a service industry. I rely heavily on customer service from the brands and manufacturers that I work with. That’s why it’s super important to work with a local company that is design trade-focused, just from an industry standpoint that’s not retail-focused or direct to consumer. It ensures quality and makes things more special and unique. It encourages people to respect the process, which is you hire an interior designer who then provides the service and materials and works with the showrooms. I’m old school in that way.

Published this year, Humphrey’s first design book is called Modern Americana.

The Max Humphrey Collection by Hartmann&Forbes features five Woven-to-Size Grassweave Windowcovering series.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2021


A Complimentary Concierge Service for the Interior Design Community

The best-designed interiors offer more than a comfortable or beautiful place to live – they enhance the experience of living. They are designed with an expectation to simplify life with effortless and intelligent functionality. It is for these refined interiors that Hartmann&Forbes automates handwoven natural windowcoverings.

The H&F offering has evolved naturally with the advancement of available motor technology and is designed to accommodate all levels of control and project complexity. Our Automation Specialists are available to collaborate with your team of architects, builders, installers, and integrators to help you design, specify and manage your automated windowcovering projects to ensure successful specification and installation.

 

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

Recognized as a design change-maker, Max Humphrey is a Portland-based interior designer, art director, product designer, and author. His trademark lived-in, layered look has earned accolades, including being named a “Next Wave” designer by House Beautiful and one of Country Living’s 100 most creative people. Humphrey’s new collection celebrates modern Americana with a nod to nostalgia and a fresh take on classic prints and patterns rendered in Hartmann&Forbes’ handwoven natural textiles.

“For me, design is nostalgia. I’m inspired by things from my New England childhood like gingham, plaids, vintage quilts, cable knit sweaters, and old grain sacks,” explains Humphrey. “Collaborating with Hartmann&Forbes, allowed me the freedom to reinterpret these designs in a modern, natural way.”

The Max Humphrey Collection by Hartmann&Forbes features five Woven-to-Size Grassweave Windowcovering designs. 

 

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Welcoming JAB as our new representative showroom at the D&D Building in New York City. With a display space of roughly 2600 square feet, their stylish NY showroom presents the most exciting trends from the discriminating world of furnishing textiles. We’re excited to be partnering with this leading showroom, whose values and commitment to sustainability aligns so well with ours. 

JAB Anstoetz
979 Third Ave.
D&D Building, Suite 102
New York, NY 10022
212-486-1500
JAB Anstoetz New York

MONDAY AUGUST 9, 2021

Coinciding with the ever-increasing interest in environmental issues is a significant new design trend: biophilia, a Greek term meaning the love of nature. Based on the idea that humans are innately drawn to living things, biophilic design aims to connect our built environment more closely to the natural world. Spaces that feature such elements as plant walls, scenic vistas and natural materials, for instance, have been scientifically proven to reduce stress and enhance health and wellbeing.

With an abiding belief in the restorative effects of organic materials, Hartmann&Forbes embodies many of the concepts in biophilic design. The finest sustainable fibers from the natural world provide the foundation for our brand’s designs, making it easy to bring the outdoors in. We reimagine nature’s raw beauty in exquisite window, wall, and textile collections, transforming a home into a soothing sanctuary.

Learn More About the Making of a Natural Shade

Explore Our Bespoke Natural Windowcoverings

Explore Our Bespoke Natural Wallcoverings

Pages

b