Tillet's rough-edged marble table top
photo: courtesy of tillett and rauscher inc

We were instantly smitten with this kitchen, for its spareness and simplicity (on the upper East side of Manhattan no less), but especially for the marble slab table with a rough, unfinished edge. Such a simple detail to leave undone, yet the effect is bold and surprising. It could be done with any stone surface.

It is the vision of D.D. and Leslie Tillett, influential post-war textile designers whose townhouse on the Upper East side of Manhattan served both as family space and workspace for the textile design and printing. They are the subject of a retrospective that has  just opened at the Museum of the City of New York“D.D. liked surfaces to have broken edges. She had a ‘Wabi-sabi’ aesthetic,” says her son Seth in a recent New York Magazine interview.

We’re going to run over and see it as the house appears to be full of adventurous design ideas. In addition to rough-edged table tops…

D.D. had the floors covered in the same material used for landing strips on aircraft carriers. “Your feet were always warm,” recalls Seth, the youngest member of the Tillett family. — New York Magazine

photo: samuel h. gottscho/courtesy of tillett and rauscher inc

Brilliant!

via NY Magazine

Related posts: voyeur: suzanne shaker’s interiors
hubert le gall house tour: dig the fireplace!
color lessons from the homes of 10 famous architects
constantino nivola’s yellow tractor paint floor
wabi sabi, the perfection of imperfection

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

Support Improvised Life ♥

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *