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The Esquisses Collection Taps Into the Less Colorful Side of Matisse’s Art

04.26.23 | By
The Esquisses Collection Taps Into the Less Colorful Side of Matisse’s Art

Henri Matisse is known for the masterful use of color found within his art, but there’s another world of his work focused on lines and shapes. For Milan Design Week 2023, Maison Matisse invited British designer Faye Toogood to interpret Chinese black ink on white paper from the book Dessins: Thèmes et Variations” by Matisse. Throughout its pages the artist repeatedly works over themes until the drawings reach a sort of natural equilibrium, completely devoid of color. The resulting Esquisses collection includes living room and bedroom furniture that pays homage to Matisse’s originality and the liberation expressed in these line drawings.

two upholstered armchairs, floor rug, kidney-shaped white coffee table, and abstract wall tapestry

Photo: Delfino Sisto Legnani, DSL Studio

Toogood was the ideal person to tap for the collaboration, as Matisse has long been a source of inspiration for the designer’s work. Her 2017 “Assemblage 5” collection was dedicated to Matisse’s “Chapelle du Rosaire” in Venice. The collaboration with Maison Matisse, founded by the artist’s descendants, allowed Toogood to dig further into his influence, creating her own form-based vocabulary.

upholstered armchair, floor rug, wall art, and blanket hanging on wall

Photo: Delfino Sisto Legnani, DSL Studio

“With drawing as the start point, I worked on creating a library of gesture, line, and shape responding to motifs in Matisse’s sketches. I kept coming back to a series of table still life drawings Matisse made in the 40s. Fruits, vegetables, household objects, all rendered in his eloquent, essential line,” shared Toogood. “We ended up with more than 100 sketches and, initially just to catalogue them, we chose the best 24 and stuck them together in a concertina book. That format immediately suggested rugs and a blanket… and so those were there first pieces we developed.”

black upholstered armchair

Photo: Delfino Sisto Legnani, DSL Studio

The Esquisses collection features Maison Matisse’s first objects in a striking palette of black, white, and beige. The natural wool rugs are made using only colors found in sheep, keeping the focus on the line and shape. Also in keeping with Maison Matisse’s simple core values, every piece within the collection is produced in Italy by talented craftspeople.

styled interior with upholstered armchair, coffee table, side table, fireplace, and large ornate mirror

Photo: Genevieve Lutkin

white and metal side table

Photo: Delfino Sisto Legnani, DSL Studio

kidney-shaped white and metal coffee table on top of a floor rug

Photo: Genevieve Lutkin

white upholstered armchair with blanket tossed over it sitting on an abstract floor rug

Photo: Genevieve Lutkin

white upholstered armchair

Photo: Genevieve Lutkin

abstract black and ivory rug runner

Photo: Genevieve Lutkin

kidney-shaped white and metal coffee table on top of a floor rug

Photo: Genevieve Lutkin

three stacked white and metal side tables

Photo: Genevieve Lutkin

To learn more about the Esquisses collection, visit maison-matisse.com.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she's likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.