Time Honored Design for the Modern Home.
When the Robert Allen Group was founded in 1938, the United States was in the throes of World War II. Luxury fabrics and home decor were not part of the day-to-day conversation. Whether you lived in a small rural Midwest town or a large city on the East Coast, it was an era of “make do with what you have” or “make it yourself.” A pragmatic couple, Robert Allen Founders Benjamin and Esther Weissman developed ways to make fabric more accessible and easy to work with. The entrepreneurial couple mass marketed fabric books and developed a system of cataloging fabric by color, giving birth to the renowned Robert Allen Color Library.
Fast forward to today, Robert Allen Design unveils 51 gorgeous Ikat fabrics across three brands that embody the essence of color, construction, and fine art design: Robert Allen, Robert Allen Contract, and Beacon Hill. Although often compared to tie-dye, Ikat is actually the result of wrapping and hand dying individual threads, over and over to attain the proper color result, then sorting and assembling the threads to form intricate patterns which are then woven into fabric. These one-of-a-kind designs have begun to light up the home decor market with colors and patterns that work across contemporary and traditional lines.
Two thousand years ago, Ikats were so highly regarded that they were used as currency along the legendary Silk Road trade route between China and Turkey. Ikats have become popular today because of their rich color palettes and handcrafted feel. Robert Allen Ikats are so earthy and lush, they practically tell you a story as they roll off the bolt. Imagine how they will look and feel in your family room?
The three Robert Allen brands—Beacon Hill, Robert Allen Contract and Robert Allen—all incorporate Ikat fabrics throughout their collections. Blocks, trellis, satin, and damask Ikats test the limitations of actual texture through the use of color and soft-edge designs; in addition, there are outdoor Ikats such as Ona, Mirim, and Sabina that are made using 100-percent Sunbrella fabric, satisfying practical needs and stylish concerns. Find the full collection of Robert Allen Ikat fabrics at Patio Lane.
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