KnollTextiles

has launched its first collection of interior fabrics by textile designer Alejandro Cardenas. 

Characterized by its lively colors and graphic, modern imagery, Alejandro Cardenas’s collection consists of three upholstery designs called Soon, Glider and Biscayne.

Although each design has its own point of reference, all three patterns are rooted in Cardenas’s admiration for early modernist design principles.

Biscayne, shown above, is named after Key Biscayne in Florida. Cardenas was inspired by the island's native tropical vegetation. Large in scale, joyful yet sophisticated, this woven fabric combines a circular motif within a geometric grid. "This fabric has a stained glass effect, but one where sliced oranges meet palm trees," says the designer. It is made in the US of 46% polyester, 28% nylon and 26% cotton, and exceeds 100,000 double Wyzeenbeek rubs. It comes in eight colorways. For extreme durability, this fabric has been approved for a Nano-Tex® with Durablock application providing exceptional soil and stain resistance and liquid barrier to protect the cushion.

Glider's repeating lines and shapes represent the feeling of gliding over a landscape. "As one flies quietly over the terrain, new patterns emerge," Cardenas explains. "From the right vantage point, even cities can become art." Woven in the US with a deeply color saturated cotton boucle ground and stitch-like infill, Glider is made of 73% cotton, 15% polyester and 12% nylon. It comes in eight colors and exceeds 100,000 double Wyzenbeek rubs.

Soon, shown above, was inspired by a song of the same name by one of Cardenas' favorite bands – My Bloody Valentine. "The song is interesting to me because it uses rhythm and noise in an unexpectedly harmonious way," he says, "A strong beat shrouded in an instrumental haze creates a textured field where the instruments all blend into each other."

The pattern, a mosaic of colorful quadrangles evocative of residential fabrics from the 1950s, is equally boisterous up close. When viewed from a distance, it reads as an impressionistic landscape of color. Soon is digitally printed on 100% cotton sateen and comes in four colorways. Exceeds 60,000 double Wyzenbeek rubs.

The KnollTextiles collection is available for purchase on the website www.knolltextiles.com. For additional distribution and customer information, call 866-565-KTKT

About the manufacturer: Founded by Florence Knoll in 1947, KnollTextiles is a division of Knoll, Inc., and maintains a marketing and design studio at 76 Ninth Avenue, 11th floor, New York, NY 10011. Intended for commercial application and cross over residential use, KnollTextiles is currently under the creative direction of Dorothy Cosonas who combines clean, clear color with modern, elegant patterns and textures. Influenced by a passion for fine art and international fashion, Cosonas is the recipient of numerous awards, including Gold at Best of NeoCon. Her work was a major part of KnollTextiles 2011 retrospective exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center and has been accepted into the permanent collection of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.