2010, A new decade, a new decadence - Great Launch

By Victoria Larocca - GreatDesign.com

If you run in décor circles, you've probably noticed every year around this time savvy designers growing kind of restless. Heaven knows, in this industry it's not bored-restless. No, it's more eagerness -- to get a glimpse of what Joseph Noble has been up to for the last 11 months. Equally telling, their über-discerning style cronies -- interior designers, architects, editors, demanding clients -- are also standing by on straight pins and upholstery needles, anticipating that whatever he's been doing will have been worth the wait.
Fortunately for all, the 2010 Joseph Noble Collection is just that.
"I loved doing it," Mr. Noble says, shrugging as if it were effortless. "Pulling off the combinations of colors, weaves and finishes took some behind-the-scenes diplomacy. But with some calculated coddling, everyone ended up getting along famously."
As for the overall impact of the collection, you really have to give Mr. Noble a supple hand. The unexpected-yet-long-awaited touchability of each engineered product clearly demonstrates -- like a sentimental old cigarette campaign -- they've "come a long way, baby." And color? This year's color palette is so progressive, he describes it as off the charts.

The Collection

Historical references abound in all five signature patterns. But don't be fooled -- these are not your Granny Gert's fabrics.

Take for instance DAMN CHIC. The tiny cubes of cut velvet are positively playful. Against a backdrop of what looks like micro-petit point, they're arranged like a variegated 3-D checkerboard waiting only for the addition of some tiny gold-plated checkers. Added bonus: DC wears like a whip and nets out at less than 40 bucks a yard, signifying that it's also a damn bargain. (DAMN CHIC, $39.50)

Another cut velvet beauty, not-so-coincidentally named BEAUTY, is also making its debut. Interpreted in an engaging Japanese palette of limes and pinks, at first glance it feels a bit superficial. But go a little deeper and you'll see behind every burst of color a fair amount of engineering.
"Every workhorse has a bit of showhorse in him, ready to strut its stuff," Mr. Noble says. "Here it is."
And while it's true, BEAUTY couldn't have been executed without technology, let's not forget to give credit where it's due: pure design and color. (BEAUTY, $79.50)

The aptly-named solid AMAZING is a subtle twill with a loose, enchanting hand. As if it needed an endorsement beyond its moniker, Mr. Noble just incorporated AMAZING into his recently renovated New York apartment, using it on all the window treatments, then matching the walls in the same color.
"It's almost mono-dull. But at the same time quite multifarious," he says. "It makes the perfect backdrop for some kickass art."
Finished with the most up-to-the-nanosecond nanotechnology, AMAZING continues to earn its name by exceeding 100,000 double rubs, and more importantly, does so while wholesaling at less than $25 a yard. Not sure what else he could have called it. (AMAZING $24.50)

Rounding out the calm, cool Collection are two new Technology Leathers, SOFT and FRANKENSTEIN. Both of them are non-PVC alternatives that could fool even a seasoned saddle maker. What used to be called vinyl has now sobered up to be a responsible product all on its own. SOFT is, well, pretty self-explanatory. FRANKENSTEIN is a nod to Mary Shelley, Austrian machine embroidery and, just for fun, aggressive European plastic surgery.
"Our Technology Leathers continue to be a 'right place, right time, right price, right look' product. They're not for everyone -- either you like them or you don't," he says with no trace of arrogance or hard feelings. (SOFT, $29.50 and FRANKENSTEIN, $39.50)

Standing here looking back over the Collection's evolution, you can see Mr. Noble has been busy working outside of categories such as "contemporary," "modern" and "classic." Yet still staying focused in this amusing industry of "dry goods," as he likes to call them. He also refuses to be burdened with the past.
"We're still being over-patterned by the mature textiles houses," he says. "It's not surprising then that young designers are shying away from serious interiors that get awfully soggy awfully fast."
"I design and sell product that is a component item," he concludes, "so I am constantly obligated to think like a craftsman. You know, how it works."
In this case, we do know. But only because he shows us.

Visit Joseph Noble's web-site