This week we are featuring a favorite designer and textile extraordinaire! We love Marika Meyer and her beautiful textiles. Her fabrics speak to the very core of the Cape Cod style. The block prints especially we are crushing on right now! Plus, we love the bright colors, and that her lines are customizable in terms of the color scheme! We’ve listed some of our favorite patterns below. She even offers pillows for purchase in these yummy fabrics!!. There are so many options to choose from on her website! Check out all of the pillow selections here.

Tree of Life

Marika's Tree of Life fabric is available in various colorways. You can read the interview below to find out about her new limited edition collection. But as she describes it:

The Tree of Life is a metaphor for the cycle of life and the connection between all living things, the role we play in our community, and our impact on the planet. It brings a powerful and relevant message to today's world.

This fabric is inspired by 19th-century prints with an interpretation that is translated with a Folk Art style. We love the colorwork's simplicity and the contrast in the colors that bring so many rooms together!

Beatrix

Beatrix Potter was a beloved children’s book author. But did you know she was also an accomplished botanical illustrator? Beatrix had already started studying the characteristics of animals, birds, and insects by the age of eight! She loved insects so much that she became an amateur entomologist. She also loved flower painting. If you read any of her books, you’ll see her prettiest flowers drawn: carnations, fuchsias, water lilies, foxgloves, lilies, pansies, roses, and the list goes on.

This floral print below is inspired by both her whimsical drawings and her enchanting tales.

San Michele

I’ve traveled to Italy, and it is simply amazing. One of the things I had always dreamed of seeing (as an architecture buff) was the cathedrals in Rome and Florence. (I adore Brunelleschi!) I love this pattern because it is inspired by an architectural rendering of a Roman Cathedral ceiling pattern. We love how Marika uses classic motifs in her designs!

OUR INTERVIEW WITH MARIKA MEYER

We got a chance to talk to Marika and ask her some of our burning questions:

Q: When did you first notice that you loved doing design work? Was there an "aha" moment that you knew this is what you wanted to do?

A: My mother and my grandmother both had exquisite taste and spent a lot of time designing their spaces. My ah ha moment was when I was 10. I started drawing house plans and elevating them with furniture, lighting and window treatments. I think I knew then that I had found a passion!

Q: What is one thing that you wish everyone knew about the design industry?

A: There is a belief that what we do is all fun and fast. I'm sure you know this all too well! Our job is 90% project management, organization and problem solving. It takes time to develop a well thought out design, work out the details, and implement it.

Q: What's your proudest moment as a designer?

A: Launching my own line of rugs and textiles! It was something that required a lot of research, which I really enjoy. When we launched I was as proud of the product as I was of the process to get it to release!

Q: What made you decide to design textiles?

A: After working in the design industry for close to 15 years I had a creative itch. I wanted a new challenge and was really craving the experience of being in a studio. I have a Fine Arts degree and missed the creative process of putting pencil to paper to bring something to life.

Q: Were there any moments when you had doubts?

A: Were there? The answer is , there still are!! I always tell our team, the bar is raised when we all question and think about how we can improve and learn.

Q: Is your house just as gorgeous as we think it is?? What frustrates you about your own space? What do you love about your own space?

A: Everyone always asks me this and I laugh. My house is never really done, and I use it as a safe space to experiment with ideas and vendors. I like to try out new things, but I also try not to be too attached to any one item. Oftentimes a client will see something that I have in my own home and want it, so my husband jokes that he can come home on any given day and the sofa may be missing!

Q: Who are some of your idols in design?

A: My grandmother is my number one design idol and inspiration. She was fearless and bold in her approach to design. To this day, her red lacquered library is one of my favorite rooms. Modern day designers that I really enjoy are Miles Redd (talk about bold), Sheila Bridges (pattern, color, fun, Oh My!), Mary McDonald (just wow).

Q: Do you have any new products that you're excited about coming up? What can we look forward to from Marika Meyer Textiles?

A: We are launching a new limited edition, sustainable collaboration that we are very excited about! We asked three interior designers around the country to create their own unique versions of our Tree of Life, which we're calling the "Local Variety." The sales of these three designs will go to support FABSCRAP, INC. a charity dedicated to reducing waste in the textile industry!

There you have it! Check out ALL of Marika’s beautiful designs here! And comment below if you have any other questions you want to ask Marika!

Truth Bee Told Series: An Interview With Marika Meyer