Kelly Harris Smith has designed a new collection for HBF Textiles that captures the energy of city life. The UP series was inspired by the beauty of everyday objects. Smith looked around her home city of Boston and found pattern in the unexpected - from the intricate chain of an iron fence to clean-lined telephone poles to intersecting paver stones. The interpretations of these designs create the playful geometrics found in UP.
"Living in the city, pattern is all around me," explained Smith. "I look up a lot. I'm an avid cloud watcher and architectural façade enthusiast, but I'm also looking down as I'm walking around, noticing brick patterns, seemingly unglamorous utility covers, and sewer grates. Witnessing the complete process - from photographing and sketching my inspiration, to seeing these designs translated by the mills to woven textiles - was truly special."
Smith used her experience as a trained architect to look at how pattern plays a role in modern interiors. The series showcases usable pattern scales and her signature, classic palette of fresh and vibrant hues. The collection encompasses five designs in a broad range of 41 colorways. Four of UP's five designs are bleach-cleanable, and each textile features recycled fibers.
UP also boasts an intense commitment to sustainability: all the collection's five designs feature post-consumer recycled polyester content in their construction. All of the textiles are woven in North America at employee- or family-owned mills, all serve a dual purpose for both upholstery and wrapped panel applications (meeting both flame code requirements), and all are third party certified SCS Indoor Advantage Gold.
Photography: Bob O'Connor, Courtesy of HBF Textiles