Designer Joanna Buchanan, a purveyor of covetable, heirloom-quality tabletop, home décor and accessories, joins us this week to discuss the design process behind her summer 2022 collection. Recently featured in Isabel Ladd’s Kips Bay Dallas design “La Terraza Tropical”, the series is all about color and texture, and the feeling of an entertaining re-birth.
Raymond Paul Schneider: What was the overall timeline from conception to achieving the final design?
Joanna Buchanan: It takes a long time to develop a concept. I noodle things for several months in my head even before I start to sketch, absorbing all the various influences and thoughts I am having. Once I start conceiving and sketching, I usually have a clear idea of where I want the collection to go. I will sit on the designs for a couple of weeks more to be sure I am in love with everything before I sample. Once we move to sampling, we feel confident the piece will make it into the collection. (I hate to see wasteful sampling and because I have such long-standing relationships with our factories, we are really able to avoid that.)
RPS: What was your initial inspiration, and where did the idea(s) come from?
JB: I am also very inspired by the materials that I am working with, the different ways you can hand fringe an abaca placemat, different embroidery techniques, or the way the stone colors play together. I am very hands-on with everything I design and I work directly with the artisans to ensure we stay close to the sketch and brief.
RPS: Please describe your overall creative and design process.
JB: It’s always really important that a new collection sits seamlessly with our existing pieces. We very rarely mark things down, as I truly believe in longevity and buying with care.
I have a lot of the very first designs in my studio, which is helpful in keeping everything cohesive. Those days spent tidying my studio are often the most productive, as I am touching product and have some brain space to start imagining. I also like to build on ideas from season to season; how can I take a successful icon and translate it into a new medium and what additional colors would be interesting in an existing collection?
RPS: Did you have a specific audience or theme that you had in mind?
JB: I dislike too much of a ‘theme’. I love the mash-up of visuals that are related by color or contrast. Because I design everything myself, the pairings make sense to me. While sometimes I have to be a little more literal when we showcase to the customers, I believe in an eclectic mix for sure and love to showcase it!
I like imagining myself in other people’s homes, figuring out what type of tablescape they would set in their dining room or what type of china or glassware they may have. It’s really fun to design for a Milan loft one day and an English country house the next!
RPS: Please describe the methods, tools, and materials you used to develop and prototype this design?
JB: Our brushstroke napkins are a cool direct translation of artwork to final product. I was actually painting something else and the brushstrokes are what was left BEHIND on the paper I had used as a protector. I loved the pattern so much that we literally sent that paper to India to have the screen developed. I love being that spontaneous in the development sometimes. When you know, you know!
RPS: Did you utilize a new technique or technology to conceptualize this product?
JB: One of the striped Capiz trays used in the showhouse took a very long time to develop, as I wanted to have the underlay of a hand-pieced Capiz pattern and then have hand-painted stripes on top to mimic the idea of tie-dye. Working with our artisans took some time as it is a meticulous process and we wanted to get it right, but we got there and this is now one of our best-selling pieces.
RPS: Describe your overall brand DNA and Ethos
JB: Having traveled so much over the years, I have a vast visual library in my brain. I work very much from instinct and memory with color and pattern and even mood. Sometimes, I feel more for hard jewel pieces and other seasons, it’s all about textiles. I have the luxury of being able to explore so many different mediums. I personally love a layered look in interiors. Texture and surface pattern are things I love to work with.
I don’t take myself too seriously and I hope that comes through in the pieces. Everything has an underlying required level of quality, but what we do is whimsical and chic and meant to be used! I don’t believe in keeping things so cherished that they are never lived with and enjoyed.
I also believe that a little sparkle, like our bee straw in your everyday iced coffee, can make an occasion of anything, and why shouldn’t we be celebrating those small moments!
Click here to see more of our “Anatomy of a Design” series.
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