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The history of decorating with Marimekko

By Guest Poster • 1 Comment

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By Julie-Ann Bigava

The name Marimekko has been synonymous with striking fabrics since 1949. Viljo Ratia and his wife Armi Ratia founded Printex, a small textile printing company in Helsinki, Finland. A woman of vision, Armi saw a big future for quality textiles and bold designs. She commissioned promising young artists to produce bold, colourful and hard-wearing fabrics for Printex.

In the 1950s, the bold prints were much admired but people did not quite know how to use them. They were too ‘out there’. The colours and designs were quite radical for the times but Armi was undaunted: the company staged a fashion show, with clothes designed by a well-known designer using the unusual fabrics.

Everything sold. On the day. And that was the start of Marimekko.

Be bold!

Marimekko fabrics are perfect for soft furnishings, particularly curtains. Made from natural fibres such as cotton and linen, they are hard-wearing and easy to launder with a little care.

We love the story of how the Lokki design came about as the artist observed the broad folds in a curtain drawn across a sunlit window, with the shadow-lines resembling waves on the water. This has become one of Marimekko’s best-known designs. Below is an example of curtains made out of Lokki fabric.

Continuing Collection Home 10_72262_13

Scandinavian design is known for its clean, fresh, minimal lines. It is often abstract but always warm and inviting, never cold. The bright colours inspired by the outdoors and nature make any room feel homely and welcoming. Table linen, bed linen and big soft cushions of all sizes can transform the look and feel of any room with a minimum of effort.

Continuing Collection Home 8_72260_13

Marimekko designs don’t stop at fabrics. There is also a range of crockery and tableware with typically vivid designs. The Siirtolapuutarha print is used here on mugs and bowls as well as on fabrics. It depicts the abundance of an urban garden.

Continuing Collection Home 25_72204_13

Marimekko fabrics are famous for their durability and extra wide widths, hence the fabrics functionality can be extended to home decor projects for your home that are prone to wear and tear. For example, have a look the irresistible bunch below…

Continuing Collection Home 36_72215_13

The top cover is in the well known Unikko red. This classic was created in 1964, after Marimekko founder Armi publicly proclaimed a ban on flowers in Marimekko prints. Artist Maija Isola defied the order and designed a whole collection of floral patterns that were so fresh and unique that Armi ended up taking eight of them (thank goodness Maija was a rebel!). One of those Armi accepted was Unikko, the future icon of icons, now in several delightful, new shades.

Creations are not limited to curtains, cushions and table linen. Let your imagination run!

— Julie-Ann is the owner of Yulki’s Home Décor, the go-to place for fabrics, ideas, inspiration or to indulge your love for great design.

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December 8, 2015

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Me and @fantasticfurniture go WAY back! When I fir Me and @fantasticfurniture go WAY back! When I first came to Australia in my 20s, it's where I headed to buy everything I needed for my first apartment at an incredible price! And I've loved watching the range get more and more impressive over the years as my knowledge of furniture has increased. I had no idea how extensive their Aussie Made sofa range was though. I'd love you to check out the options via link in bio as I think you'll be impressed! I think we have a renewed appreciation for Aussie Made and supporting local manufacturing and jobs and this is a great success story. We love a bit of high low decorating, and turns out Fantastic Furniture is a great place to find your family lounge, a special accent chair, an extra ottoman for occasional seating and so much more. 

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Please don't show my boys this room or they'll wan Please don't show my boys this room or they'll want one like it!

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Head over to the blog via link in bio to see and read more!

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Pix by @joebrosnan.photo
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Did you see this cracking little transformation on Did you see this cracking little transformation on @sellinghousesaus last night?

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How's this for a compact back yard TRANSFORMATION? How's this for a compact back yard TRANSFORMATION?!

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If you have high quality, original, relevant content to share, we might be interested in publishing your guest post on Interiors Addict. Please email [email protected] with your submissions.

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Comments

  1. AvatarTina says

    December 8, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    Love Marimekko!

    Reply

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