Just as we welcome new growth with the changing of the seasons, artist and designer Sarah Von Dreele is channeling the beauty of transformation with her new collection, Metamorphosis. Read on to hear Sarah discuss how the new fabric and wallpaper line came to be.
Raymond Paul Schneider: When did you first start to develop this new collection?
Sarah Von Dreele: The paintings used for the patterns in this collection were developed between 2022 and early 2023. This time period was full of transition as I was in the process of leaving Manhattan which involved selling my apartment, finding a new school for my daughter, and moving my business. When I lived in the city, we would leave for the summer, moving to our seaside cottage for a few months. It gave me a quieter space to work. Now that I live in the countryside, I’m looking forward to having more stillness all year round.
RPS: What was the overall timeline from conception to achieving the final design?
SVD: To allow time for product development, I begin painting new collections about 18 months in advance of the launch. I work with a team of production designers who then craft the paintings into manufacturable repeats. This part of the process is very technical and time-consuming, so I try to allow about 12 months from paint brushes down to finished samples.
RPS: What was your initial inspiration, and where did the idea(s) come from?
SVD: After twenty-two years living in Manhattan, I moved my family and business to the countryside in 2022. Serendipitously, we landed in the northwest corner of Connecticut. Similar to how I landed in this industry, I followed the breadcrumbs to a landscape that felt right. Much like when you visit a new country or city, everything is viewed through a fresh lens. I have this heightened awareness of the stillness and simple beauty of the rural landscape. It is only natural that my work has begun to shift towards fluid botanical iconography. This collection only scratches the surface of what I want to explore from my new context.
RPS: Please describe your overall creative and design process.
SVD: I don’t put too much pressure on myself to paint, and usually I go through painting bursts. The transition into (and out of) the painted moment is important and cannot be forced, otherwise you just get mud. To enter that moment, I often like to identify color palettes that I want to explore. The page is just white, and I start making marks, much like warming up for a run. Those marks can be something familiar which takes the pressure off to be Da Vinci right out of the gate. Other times, I might see a floral form whose identity serves as a springboard for finding something new, seeking abstractions or reinterpretations.
RPS: Did you have a specific audience or theme in mind?
SVD: This is where my left and right brain are in constant conversation. I get lost in the painted moments but am aware of what my clients are using across the country, how that varies, and what they need more of. I remind my showroom partners that I want their input, sharing what they need (or don’t need). I’m thoughtful about how I expand the collection moving forward, looking for opportunities to expand on an idea or fill a void. I joke that this collection should be named the Madeline, after one of my outside sales reps who wanted an expansion of florals from my very first collection. I love that my colleagues have opinions and are cheering me on.
RPS: Please describe the methods, tools, and materials you used to develop and prototype this design.
SVD: I order hot press watercolor paper from Legion Paper, a New York-based supplier, by the palett. (Not really, but it seems like it!) All of my patterns are developed from hand-painted works on paper, painted exclusively in gouache, although I am starting to integrate pencil now which might show up in 2025. Sometimes I do quick doodles on smaller sheets, but, typically, I like the scale of 22” x 30”. That size is large enough that I feel free to move across the page but small enough for my wingspan to maintain connection.
RPS: Did you utilize a new technique or technology to conceptualize or create this product? If yes, please share the details.
SVD: This new collection is applied to both fabric and wallpaper. We are trying something new with our grasscloth, printing with white ink, which I like to call “Chalk”. It brings a whole new dimension to my paintings and creates this soft family of neutrals.
RPS: Please describe any challenges that affected the design and perhaps steered you to an entirely new final design?
SVD: Much of my work is painted at a large scale which allows me to physically move freely with brush and paint. When I paint small, everything gets really fussy and tight. Some of the original repeats that were developed were so large that it was going to be very difficult to sample, and I didn’t want to limit a few of the SKUs to only drapery panels. We had these beautiful color transitions across 3 yards, but it just wasn’t practical on so many levels. Our technical design team brought the color stories back by reverting to some of the original paintings in their purest form. The first round of repeats were a departure from where the work originated. That sense of hand is what makes the collection special, and I want to always preserve that spirit.
RPS: Describe your overall brand DNA and Ethos.
SVD: Forward. Change always. It doesn’t have to be perfect. That’s where the magic happens, when things aren’t so preconceived. That doesn’t mean I’m not strategic or adverse to tidy spreadsheets or operational systems…. It just means that I am aware that I got to this wonderful place by taking some risks. And in order to keep moving forward, there is something exhilarating about throwing 20 balls up in the air and seeing what happens.
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