In Mai 2018 I undertook the Design Direction for British interior textile brand Hodsoll McKenzie under the roof of textile editor Zimmer & Rohde. This is my first collection.

My very first step was to define what the brand stands for. Hodsoll McKenzie has always built a bridge between ratio and temper, sophistication and a down-to-earth-attitude, Great Britain and USA as well as between British history and international zeitgeist. With this collection we refocus on these roots, these strong and just seemingly contradictory characteristics of Hodsoll McKenzie.

Hence my first collection ‘Brigde’, goes back to the Great Britain of the 1930s when artists and designer have been driven by the pervasive impact of the industrialisation which has radically changed means, esthetics and possibilities but also has threatened slow handicraft processes. A new simplicity has arosen, function was no longer just a bothering obligation but a source of beauty. These times were full of contradiction: serial production versus manufacturing, rediscovering nature while urbanizing, appreciating tradition and seeking for innovation. All is about decoration against pureness and hard materials combined with soft ones. Using gentle colors and forms to create cosyness in the straight interiors of that time. A style that is more up-to-date than ever and build the common base of contemporary taste and meaningful design of the new century.

It is the times when artists like British sculpturist Barbara Hepworth and graphic designer Marion Dorn created one-of-a-kind textiledesigns for Edinburgh Weavers and Warner.

Meanwhile US-artists like Milton Avery, who is said to be the American Matisse, as well as artist Mark Rothko have evolved a radically new understanding of colors.

Brigde transfers this field of tension betweentradition and innovation on todays interior lifestyle.

The colors of the collection remain true to theclassic Hodsoll McKenzie palette – soft andlight watery tones, blue hues and elegantearthy, neutral tones. But they are going to be accentuated by bold and warm colors such as mustard, terracotta and a bright agave green –all inspired by the landscape paintings of Milton Avery and the urban field painting of Mark Rothko.

This is why this collection bridges the gap between yesterday and tomorrow in every respect as well as between cosy British country houses and sophisticated living spaces of todays metropolises. Adorable but quiet, not on stage but creating the set of it, the collection provides confidence of style and refinement.