UPHOLSTERY - GROUNDBREAKING NEW VELVET

 O'BRIEN'S FORAY INTO BEDDING

A New Format

With a fresh new year, we've began a brand new monthly blog format! This is a Newsletter that we are actually mailing into the physical world. However, for those of you who are more tech-friendly here is our e-version. It's chock-full of our latest news to keep you on your toes for the next best thing. Enjoy!

As seen in Home & Textiles Today

KOBS for Capel
A Brief History

We all spend a lot more time looking down than we realize.  It has nothing to do with our mood, it's just a good idea to see where your feet are from time to time.  And that is why what's on the floor is so important, we need something uplifting! This is why we have always wanted to make floor coverings and that opportunity finally came up three years ago when we began creating a line for Capel Rugs.  

A view of our line in Capel's showroom

Our Award-winning Rug from our Tuscan Sun Series with Capel Rugs

Capel is a 100-year-old family owned rug company based in North Carolina that manufactures rugs in their own factory as well as various countries overseas. Their commitment to a family-run, American-made product was top priority to us, and now with their experience and expertise they have been able to guide the design team at KOBS to create standout collections each year since 2011. The line has even been recognized as a winner of the Best New Carpet Award in Atlanta this past spring.

Hanging out with the award

Kevin having some fun on set for a photoshoot

Like most of Kevin's designs, the rugs are based on natural patterns that have been tweaked with a modern sensibility. Taking our aesthetic into a new format such as rugs requires a lot of modifications in a new process. Kevin’s artwork maintains its painterly feel while appealing to a new market. These provide a great platform for our beloved silk velvet home accessories.  

Sarah, one of our designers, enjoying working on a new color palette 

Capel is famous for their traditional braided technique, which we have adored since before partnering with them. This is something we would love to work further on, creating a modern version of such a masterpiece. It’s a challenge that we’re willing to tackle!

Don't forget to stop by at Capel's showroom in High Point Market 18-23rd!

From Silk to Cotton

A New Velvet Experiment

One of our newest collections is our “Glazed” cotton velvet that we’ve been developing for the past year here in the studio. We wanted to introduce something that has a more casual feel while still maintaining the integrity of our signature hand-painted technique.

Kevin experiments with various color tests, he won't stop until it's right!

"Just keep piling on the work, guys"

This collection adds a new depth to our line with a textured printing technique. Our printing process creates a resist print that also leaves a crackled effect when we paint our dyes. This is where the collection gets the name “Glazed” as it appears to look similar to a cracked glazed ceramic. 

This fabric not only offers a different style of products, but it also has the ability to serve as upholstery-weight fabric. This collection is currently available in six colors including: Black, Caramel, Chartreuse, Dusty Blue, Ocean, and Sangria. 

Top: Ombre in Sangria / Bottom: Lovebirds in Caramel & Ombre Medallion in Dusty Blue

(left to right) Tapestry in Chartreuse, Tapestry in Ocean, Lovebirds in Black

Best of NYNOW

               

The orders counted and the verdict is in, we’re back today to give you a taste of our most popular colors and patterns this season. We showed you the process of setting up our booth, and now we’re going to give you a glimpse of our most sought-after products.

New Gun Metal Colorway

This season we introduced three new colors: Gun Metal, Cobalt Black, and Desert Rose. Each of these colors have (as always) been hand mixed and conceived right here in our studio with trends in mind. We'll definitely be busy the next few months painting a lot of these deep blues!

New Colors: Desert Rose (top left and bottom right) and Cobalt Black (top right and bottom left)

This season we’ve also introduced some new metallic velvets that are printed onto a long-haired velvet giving them an embossed look. Not only are these metallic, but we've come up with a whole new range of colors specifically for this new line!

(From left to right) Moroccan Metallic in Eucalyptus, Lovebirds Metallic in Violet Silver, Ombre Medallion in Ruby

New Mohair Tufted pillow with Silk/Velvet button and cording in (from left to right) Bark/Rust, Black/Charcoal, Purple/Amethyst

We've developed a new tufted style of our mohair pillows that have been well received thus far. These go well with our silk velvet decorative pillows and add depth with a more matte texture.

Be on the lookout for our next post about the making of our new cotton velvet line!

NYNOW

A Very Velvet Story

How many Kevins can you spot?

It’s been a crazy few weeks here at KOBS! We even had to make clones of Kevin to cope (see above image).  We’re just settling into our orders from NYNOW as we begin our busiest season, and we wanted to share a bit of the behind the scenes with you. When it comes to trade shows, we pack up about 200 of our prettiest plush pillows and put them on display for buyers and designers alike.

This year we introduced a lot of new products including three new colorways, new metallic designs, and new cotton velvet designs as well as our new scarves. We were thrilled to have our best show to date! Here’s a bit of our process  from start to finish:

From our studio to the Javits!

The Javits!

Oh how far we've come

As you can see, there is a lot that goes into making our velvets look good. We hope that you enjoy seeing them as much as we enjoy showing them! Stay tuned for our best sellers coming to you next week.

"See y'all in High Point!" - Kevin

Do It Yourshelf
Our ABC Home Boutique

Our ABC Boutique is one of our most coveted spaces. We like to treat this space like a velvet oasis, and recently we’ve given our shop a bit of a makeover. When the elevator doors open onto the third floor, you will be hynotized by our radiating velvets. Our salesperson, Sue, exudes the eclectic and energetic nature of our work to a T. It's always a fun surprise to see what colors and patterns she combines to adorn our beds.

As a former architect, Kevin is constantly thinking of new ideas to improve spatial relationships, continuously influencing his surroundings. Kevin worked closely with his carpenter friend in upstate NY to create a honeycomb-inspired design to display our products in the boutique.

Come see for yourself and indulge in all of your velvet fantasies!

Sumptuous Scarves
A Very Velvet Wonderland

We are very happy that both velvet and scarves are back in fashion! Twenty-two years ago, we started as scarf makers because it was the simplest thing to make out of fabric besides napkins. Now that we are fully engaged in our bedding and pillow business, we like to go back to the scarves so we can play with a different set of colors. We can be bolder, use more luscious colors, and wilder combinations. We are glad to see deep rich velvets in use by designers such as John Rocha, Donna Karan, and Josie Natori.

Photo Credit: Accessories Magazine via Vogue

We've noticed big fur on trend this year while at the same time we have recently found the deepest pile velvet available. It is so lush it's nearly faux fur and just in time for what is on the runway! Since we dye each piece of fabric in our studio we can capture color depth and variation like no one else. Put one of these scarves on and feel the cozy comfort in the most luxurious style.

Left to Right: Panne Velvet Loop in Raspberry, Dove, Midnight

Along with these new deeper piled velvets, we’ve added colors to our shibori line. This technique continues to be utilized in home furnishings as well as fashion. Shibori can look natural and organic while still forming a repetitive and structural pattern. In keeping with the watercolor print trend from designers such as Galliano and in-trend colors, we've added a gray color called Sterling. However, we couldn’t resist taking on some more challenging colors as well (see below). Our new Patina colorway takes color to a new level!

Galliano - Photo Credit: Vogue (Kim Weston Arnold/Indigitalimages.com)

Left to Right: Rorschach Copper, Rorschach Sterling, Rorschach Patina

We've transformed some of our more popular patterns into scarves. The Vines pattern is a large-scale bold pattern with layered colors that makes the velvet feel like a magical forest. Op Art is our take on the optical art of the 1960's that creates the illusions using geometric shapes. Our Leopard print, a timeless pattern is updated in luxe velvet.

Left to Right: Vines Cobalt/Black, Op Art Smoke, Leopard Plum

GETTING DREAMY

New Linen Bedding Line

Last week here at KOBS we were busy prepping some photos of our new product, and we wanted to share some behind the scenes photos to debut our new linen bedding line!

Behind the scenes at KOBS 

If velvet represents richness, depth, and timelessness, then linen stands for airy, lighthearted ease. Both fabrics have origins in Medieval Europe and have been refined and perfected in many ways. As different as they are, they were coveted from the very beginning and usually used in combination with one another - linen blouse with a velvet jacket or linen bed dressing with a velvet coverlet. We wondered: can they be combined in a modern way to create a luxurious yet casual bed? Take a look and tell us what you think!

Our linens are as beautiful as our velvets, but they each have a different appeal. If the velvet is like a deep forest, then the linen is like a sunny meadow. These are the makings of a beautiful landscape and this is the way we conceive our bedding ensembles. This new linen bedding is hand painted with soft colors that ombre from head to foot and has a more casual feel.  The euro shams, a more textural linen, are painted in mottled colors to coordinate with both the linen and the velvet.  

Aurora Bedding in Lilac

Aurora Bedding in Blue

One of our favorite velvets to pair with this collection for this winter is our Quilted Patchwork blanket measuring in at 95x95". These are a mosaic of patterns and colors that combine to make a luxe bohemian-inspired look. Each patchwork is unique in that it is made from our many remnants that would ordinarily go to waste. This allows us to give new life to leftover fragments that weren't large enough to create a pillow.

Patchwork Velvet Coverlet in Dove colorway

Remnants before their transformation

Patchwork Velvet Coverlet after their transformation - Colors (from top left): Gold Beige, Shark, Dove, Iris, White, Dusk

WE'RE BACK!

Too busy to write? Well, in fact, we were! Since our last post in 2012, we've built a new building (sort of- more on that later), nearly doubled our staff,  started making even better products (they really should come with a new and improved sticker), and have developed an upholstery fabric line that we expect to show you soon.

Here's a taste of some of our most recent adventures: a book signing for Jane Gershon Weitzman's (one of the two brains behind Stuart Weitzman shoes) new book, Art & Sole. The event, benefiting the AIDS Fund, drew 150 people and not only raised awareness, but significantly added to the AIDS Fund's ability to reach out to those in need.  

Later that same week, Kevin and his wife, Myoshin, were in attendance at the exciting and long awaited reopening of Tavern on the Green in NYC. Make sure to check back for the story and photos from producing the fabrics that are now installed at the fabled eatery.

The crew enjoying the Art & Sole event

We’ve got a lot in store for all of you, and we are excited to create full posts about these events and give you a peek into what we're up to in the studio!