Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Occupation: Designers.
Instagram: @coldpicnic
Hometown: Potomac, Maryland (Phoebe). Brighton, England (Peter).
Studio location: Ridgewood, New York.
Describe what you make: We design home textiles—rugs, bathmats, blankets, and pillows—and recently branched into wallpaper and upholstery. (Peter)
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: We try to design pieces that allow people to express themselves and connect to their spaces. I don’t know that they’re important to own, but ideally come together with other objects and choices to create an atmosphere. I know this may sound cheesy or evasive, but the things we make are really only important to the people who find meaning in them! (Phoebe)
Describe the problem your work solves: They can add a bit of color or help create a mood—sometimes that’s all you need. The one rug category we have that specifically solves a problem is our deadstock collection. The artisans we work with in India dye yarn for all their partners in small batches, and there’s often some leftover. We’ve started using this leftover yarn for small capsule collections. They’re kind of like a puzzle to solve, because they’re often a mix of all different colors and yarns we ordinarily might not use. And they take a lot of math to use up a color completely, which is a challenge we set for ourselves with varying levels of success. But it’s a fun project and a reminder to use what’s available before reaching for something new. (Phoebe)
Describe the project you are working on now: We are about to re-release bath mats—including a few new styles, one of which is round—after a year without any new stock. So we’re very excited to get back in people’s bathrooms! (Peter)
We are working on upholstery now using some of the prints we’ve done for our Motif rugs. We’ve also been slowly collecting vintage furniture to pair the new upholstery with. The thought of matching a rug to a wall to an armchair probably would have horrified us a decade ago, but now it feels very fresh. (Phoebe)
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: We are slowly building a kitchen category, starting with printed cotton linen napkins and tea towels launching early summer. (Peter)
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Voluntarily: water, coffee, music when we remember, open windows (weather permitting). Involuntarily: there are always two dogs and at least one baby lurking about. (Phoebe)
What you do when you’re not working: We used to make everything we sold. So sometimes I still want to make things. I started making papier-mâché furniture and lamps recently. I also love to cook. (Phoebe)
Watching football (English) and singing Karaoke with the kids. I recently taught myself to use a tufting gun and started tufting rugs to use for various projects. It’s fun but it’s done a number on my back. (Peter)
Sources of creative envy: I envy people with time to follow through with all their creative ideas and schemes. Maybe that’s no one! (Phoebe)
The distraction you want to eliminate: Anxiety is a distraction I could happily live without. My phone too. Maybe they’re tied to each other. (Phoebe) Definitely my phone. (Peter)
Concrete or marble? Marble (Phoebe). Concrete (Peter).
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts (Phoebe). Aliens (Peter).
Dark or light? Light.
