Sidewall, Baroque

A gift of five yards of the "Baroque" pattern selected from Frank Tjepkema’s new wallcovering collection called Tjep. Cubism. Each of the four designs in the collection are based on the cube format. "Baroque" contains stylized foliage that intermingles with this cube structure, the foliage hanging on the underlying structure much as ivy clings to a trellis. Where there are voids in the structure there are breaks in the foliage, which creates a strong verticality in the pattern. The design is printed on a Mylar ground, so while the pattern is printed in tone on tone reminiscent of damask, the strong geometry of the cube is highlighted by the reflective nature of the Mylar. The collection was introduced in Milan, then shown in part at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York, and the collection was released after a third showing at NeoCon in Chicago.

Tjepkema is a multi-disciplinary Dutch designer working in architecture, product design, and installation design. He creates designs for furniture and jewelry, and interiors for retail and restaurant establishments, as well as lounges at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. He studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven, Netherlands, and the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam. He founded his design studio Tjep. in 2001 and the firms client list includes Droog, Philips, Levi's, Heineken and British Airways, among others. Many of his designs contain a strong underlying geometry visible either in the underlying structure or the surface materials. A similar aesthetic also appears in this wallcovering collection. Works from Tjep. have been included in museum exhibitions around the world and pieces are owned by Rijks Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum of Art and Design in New York.

Baroque is delicately formated and creates a sense of mystery or intrigue in the way it appears to fade in and out, almost as if receding into a shadow. Contemporary wallcoverings by top designers are on the department wishlist. It would also complement designs printed on foil and Mylar, wallcoverings by architects and designers, as well as a contemporary take on the traditional floral and trellis pattern.

Sidewall, Baroque; Designed by Frank Tjepkema (Dutch, b. 1970); digital print on mylar; L x W: 457.2 × 121.9 cm (15 ft. × 48 in.); Gift of Wolf-Gordon Inc.; 2015-33-4