Have you noticed that Matisse-inspired decor and accessories are all the rage these days? Maybe it’s the recent exhibition at MoMA of Matisse’s cut-outs that has everyone excited again about the sea-like designs and technicolor graphic symbols, but Matisse’s influence lives on, even over sixty years after his death.
Henri Matisse was born in France and was one of the founders of Fauvism. With a career that lasted until his death at the age of 84, Matisse dabbled in a variety of different mediums including painting, sculpture, graphic design, and paper cutting. All told, his paintings were magnetic to me with their use of color and were the ones I gravitated to most when I was an art student in Paris over ten years ago. The brilliantly unexpected paintings of the women in technicolor-hued spaces inspired similar (but poorly rendered!) versions of my own little Parisian apartment. I fell in love with his bold interiors in unusual color schemes. There is a ridiculous amount of inspiration to be had: women reclining on yellow sofas (velvet maybe?), goldfish swimming in bowls, patterned dhurrie rugs, and striped linens create a dizzying amount of texture and visual interest.
sources: Henri Matisse
So how does this translate to interiors? There are oodles of items to be found inspired by Matisse, especially the paper cut series. I recently picked up a roll of Kate Zaremba‘s gorgeous multi-hued wallpaper as shown above (also in black) and I couldn’t love it more. It’s currently pinned up on the wall in my studio, but imagine how stunning it would be in a powder bathroom. She also offers the same print in textiles such as these placemats.
Porthault offers this Matisse-inspired print in its luxury line of linens. If you want to keep from going overboard on the pattern, pair it with a solid hue and do pops of color on accent pillows to compliment the busy print.
If you’re of the DIY persuasion, check out this fun little egg created by Karuski’s Little Shop of Colours. It was made by attaching paper-cut shapes to a balloon with mod podge. So clever – I’m tempted to try this one with my 7 year old! I’m sure he’d love popping the balloon after the paper dried. (Oh, if you’re looking for more Matisse-inspired projects, check out this book over on Amazon.)
Finally, Karen Kimmel Studios offers this shape-shifter mobile in a couple of different colorways. It would be great to hang on a wall or in a child’s bedroom.
Ok, friends – tell me, are you inspired by Matisse? Share your fave finds in the comments!
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