Pillows!

Years ago, my dear friend Saara had a small pillow-making operation with a clever name: Get Down. I was lucky enough to receive a pair of pillows made with a vintage floral silk on one side and a lovely blue taffeta on the other for on my birthday one year. I am sad to say that the floral silk has faded terribly over the years, and the blue taffeta has simply worn away on the corners.

 

I love this quilt, too. I bough it from Lesley Vance and Ricky Swallow at a yard sale. This beautiful floral print is actually the back side. The front is a patchwork of navy blue, oxblood, and cream wool gabardine squares. But I was ready for a change, and I figured I'd better do something to protect the pillows before it was too late.

My family gave me a wonderful Pendleton blanket last year at Christmastime, so I wanted to use it on my bed. I made some pillow covers out of a red calico with little blue and brown flowers, and my bedroom suddenly felt like a new place.

We will make custom pillow covers for you with the fabric and closure of your choice. Covers start at $40 per pair for ones like the calico ones pictured above. Please contact us to place an order: friendsandrelations@gmail.com

Available: Eyelet & Ikat Table Linens

Currently available from the Friends & Relations studio: Eyelet & Ikat placemats and napkins.

This set of placemats and napkins can be used with or without the black cotton eyelet overlay and with or without the terra cotta hued cotton backing. The cotton ikat napkins are extraordinarily soft.

One set of four: $140.

If you have questions or would like to make a purchase, please contact us at friendsandrelations@gmail.com.

Available: Bows & Balls Table Linens

Currently available from the Friends & Relations studio: Placemats and napkins in sets of two or four. If you have questions or would like to make a purchase, please contact us at friendsandrelations@gmail.com.

Bows and Balls: These placemats are made with a vintage (likely 1930s) patterned cotton on one side and a solid light yellow cotton on the other. The teal cotton napkins are made from fabric left over from a project my mother made in the early 1980s, and the calico floral cotton napkins are made with fabric from Jill's grandmother's collection.

Available: One set of four with floral napkins, one set of four with teal napkins, one set of two with floral napkins.
Set of 4 placemats and napkins: $120
Set of 2 placemats and napkins: $60

Les Figues Table Linens

For the last auction to benefit Les Figues Press, Friends & Relations contributed an open proposition: The winning bidder would receive a work made specially for her after a consultation with us. To our delight, the winning bidders were the publishers themselves. After a visit to their home, we began to design a set of table linens that can also be a wall hanging or valance for the bay window in their dining room. The fabric swatches above show the colors we are using for a graphic applique on the canvas table cloth. The napkins will be made from the gingham.

Salon, December 2010

In December 2010, we held the first in a series of salons, an open studio to share our projects with our friends and to offer our wares and services. At this inaugural salon, we also showed decorative flags by Amanda Law and vases made by Bret Nicely.

Untitled, 2011 for LACE Auction

A couple of months ago, Stephanie Taylor came to our studio. She was struck by how, even though our individual styles are so different, they come together to form a third thing that is strong and unique. We talked with her about how we literally see things differently. For instance, one of us might call a color "red" while the other might call the same color "rust". When Lisa Mark invited us to participate in this year's auction to benefit LACE, we decided to explore these ideas to make a new work. 

We felt it was important that we didn't influence one another's approach to the project, so our first rule was to use the same constraints but to work independently without discussing our projects or showing them to one another. The guidelines we set were as follows: Make a patchwork measuring thirty by twenty-two inches using as much (hopefully all) of the fabric allotted. We assembled remnants from all of the projects we've done since our founding in 2008, divided them equally, and got to work.

Jill approached her half of the piece in a very additive, sculptural way, and I (Corrina) approached my half in a conceptual way. The work is double-sided; Jill's half shows all of the seams as well as some extra detail, and my half continues in the same way on both sides, the fabrics appearing in the order in which they were originally used. We love the result of this experiment because it says so much about each of us as individual artists and also about our collaboration. 

Pillows!

Jill made this pillow as a gift to celebrate the birth of a friend's first child. The insert is covered and pegged like upholstery. The slipcover is a patchwork that is open on one side so that the fabric on the insert is always visible.

Wigutow Office: In Progress

When we first consulted with the writers about re-thinking their office layout and furnishings, it was clear to us that they really wanted to get rid of the built in reception desk that remained from the former tenants. We thought it was worth considering the potential of the desk to maybe find an innovative use for it. In the end, they were right: The desk was unnecessary and its presence was disruptive to the overall feeling we ultimately want to achieve in the room. Task one: Demo the desk.

We kept the built in shelves as storage space for books and DVDs and added a few plants to bring a little extra life into the space.

The main goal of the project is to make the room more comfortable for two things: watching movies and having meals or coffee. Because the room is sort of an "L" shape with a small alcove and a lot of windows, it was a challenge to determine a good placement for the flat screen television and to maximize seating potential for movie viewing. Once we removed the built in desk, it became clear that the remaining long wall was perfect for the television and that a large, comfortable sofa for the corner of the room would add a lot of comfortable seating for movie viewing, reading, napping...

The alcove where the television had been is the perfect size for a small, simple kitchen. We kept the table and water cooler that they already had and added matching director's chairs, a small refrigerator, and a low hutch with a chopping block top.

Wigutow Office: Before

We were hired to help three screen writers revise their space so that they will feel more inclined to use the common area in their office suite. Each of the three writers have their own offices, and a narrow corridor leads to a sunny, open room. The writers realized that they often went out for coffee and lunch when they had the space right there to settle in and feel at home, if only it were a little more comfortable. 

The writers told us they wanted to use the space for movie screenings and presentations on their big, flat screen television with surround sound, not only for their own research but for friends and clients. While the sunny atmosphere is a great environment for reading or eating lunch, it isn't ideal for movie screenings.

The condition of the furnishings and the layout of the space is also not conducive to entertaining. A reception desk remains from the previous occupants of the suite, and it isn't useful for these three writers.

Our goal is to make the most of what the occupants already have in the space, using some of the assets of the architecture and pieces of furniture that have good character and quality.

Sarah Stifler's Day Bed

Our friend Sarah found some cut up pieces of a tree trunk by the side of the road one day, and she had the great foresight to use them as the foundation for this lovely day bed. She had the pieces cut into even blocks and set two laminated sheets of plywood that she covered with a canvas drop cloth on top of the big, sturdy feet. She bought a twin-sized futon and a bunch of down pillows and recruited Friends & Relations to design and fabricate simple but elegant removable covers for the mattress and pillows. The painter's linen she chose for this upholstery project has a great texture and rich brown color. We plan to add two large throw pillows with a pattern that will pick up on the blue upholstery covering her club chairs.

Jennifer Krasinski's Kitchen Table

Our friend Jennifer Krasinski lives in a beautiful 1930s era apartment on the top floor of a building in Koreatown. About a year ago, Jennifer began writing her essays and stories at home full time. She is also an accomplished cook who entertains frequently. Jennifer wanted to figure out how to make her living space and working space come together in a more fluid way, so we started talking with her to devise some solutions. You'll see more from us on Jennifer's apartment, but for now, let's begin at the beginning.

 
The first thing that Jennifer wanted was a kitchen table. Though the one-bedroom apartment is large, the kitchen is tiny, and she needed more counter space for cooking. Jennifer is also tall, and she wanted a table that was more appropriate for her height so that she would no longer have to stoop over to work on her recipes. Adjacent to the kitchen is a small breakfast area with a large window. We envisioned a table to fit in this room that would act as extra counter space as well as a casual dining table with high stools.

The overall color palette for the apartment was shaping up to include a number of black accents, including black paint for the casement window frames. We decided to use a medium grey for the kitchen walls to work with the grey, green, and purple tiles that are original to the apartment's kitchen. We chose a light chopping block for the tabletop. It is oiled so that it is very smooth and liquids bead up when they spill onto it. This finish will become darker and smoother with use. Stains and cuts will add character to its surface. The legs alternate with two carved patterns: diamonds and scallops. We painted the legs with twelve coats of paint, two coats each of six colors. The colors we chose match the kitchen tiles as well as other items in the apartment. The last layer coat of paint was black. We sanded the legs so that the natural color of the wood and the final layer of black of the paint are the prominent colors, but small moments of yellow, green, and pink are visible as well.

Untitled Patchwork no. 1 (Thanksgiving 2008, Extraordinary Rendition Private Supper, Jen Collins Graduation Party)

Writer and independent curator Andrew Berardini invited Friends & Relations to participate in his exhibition Exquisite Corpse, staged at Mihai Nicodim Gallery in Chinatown in Los Angeles in 2009. Using napkins, placemats, a table cloth, and candle holders from three previous Friends & Relations projects, we made a textile-based artwork that was inspired by traditional American quilts and was designed as both a wall-mounted installation and a functional set of table linens. Textiles were stretched and folded and then tacked in place with decorative upholstery nails. This process allowed us to maintain the integrity of the original elements so that they retained suitability for use at table.

 
Untitled Patchwork no. 1 (Thanksgiving 2008, Extraordinary Rendition Private Supper, Jen Collins Graduation Party), 2009
Fabric, upholstery tacks, thumbtacks, wood, and candles
Installation view at Mihai Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles, 2009

Extraordinary Rendition: A Private Supper Club

 
Extraordinary Rendition is an occasional private supper club. Friends & Relations was invited to design and build a table to be used for Extraordinary Rendition events. We devised a table constructed in two parts so that it is suitable for smaller gatherings but can seat up to twenty guests. The tabletop is hand-painted in two motifs: a black and white triangle pattern and a brightly colored composition based on Henri Matisse's paper cut-out compositions. The edge of the table is painted metallic gold. There are eight legs in all, four of which are cut into a diamond pattern and four of which are carved in more organic, undulating shapes. We sanded the table legs to a very soft grain and treated them only with oil, so they are soft to the touch. When each section is being used separately, the legs can be situated so that they are equidistant from the corners, and when the two sections are brought together to make one large table, two legs on each half can be moved into different brackets. This creates a visual rhythm and allows for more even placement of chairs around the table.
 

For this inaugural dinner, Friends & Relations designed and fabricated napkins and placemats that, like the tabletop, combine graphic shape and color with a smaller geometric pattern. We made candle holders from the same wood we used for the table legs. We cut 4x4s to various heights of four, six, and ten inches, bored small holes into one side, and sanded them to a smooth finish. Black candles picked up the black in the patterns on the table and the napkins.

For the invitations and menus, we chose turquoise paper. We painted X'x and O's in repeating patterns in across the paper, which we then cut at random in order to break up the pattern. The invitations were hand-written in gold ink and sent in deep red envelopes. At each place setting, we placed a menu that started with each guest's name, also written out in gold ink. Our long, low flower arrangements were set at two points along the table and were surrounded by candles.

As the rooftop setting for the dinner was a wide-open area, we placed canvas tarps at casual angles beneath the table to define the space. We were so lucky that our host's mother owned the beautiful silver and allowed us to use it for our overall design.

Thanksgiving 2008

For four years, Jill and Corrina have brought together a group of close friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. In 2008, Friends & Relations was officially born at this annual meal. These images show the table decor we designed. The overall setting evolved from our idea for a centerpiece made primarily of fabric that echoed the shape of a Cornucopia. The figure included foraged lemons, eucalyptus, flowers, and dried wheat. The table cloth was made from raw canvas to reflect our ideas about the table as a colorful abstract image that was also functional, like a landscape for a meal. The placemats and napkins extended the palette of the centerpiece. We set the table with the utensils in the position indicating a finished meal with the napkins tossed haphazardly onto the plates, giving rise to an immediate sense of conviviality. The glassware combined the elegance of crystal stemware with the homespun feel of canning jars. The Bauhaus-inspired plates and the terracotta coasters that we used as candle holders added a sculptural counterpoint in the composition. We extended the centerpiece by placing flowers and leaves across the length of the table alongside the candles in order to disseminate the focus of color for each guest to admire.

Friends & Relations

Friends & Relations is an aesthetic consulting firm specializing in interior decoration, handmade textiles and furniture, and art direction for special events. This is us: Corrina Peipon and Jill Spector at a roof-top dinner we designed.