Designer John Robshaw On Taking Your Home Decor To The Next Level - Exclusive

Textiles artist John Robshaw recently paired with Crate & Kids to craft a collection of throw pillows, bedding, and rugs for children and their discerning, tag-along parents. The designer travels across the globe for inspiration and time-honored techniques to inform his whimsical pieces.

"I see textiles as an art — the weaves, colors, and textures always fascinate and inspire me," Robshaw shared. "The artisans I meet on my travels embody all these amazing fabric-making traditions, and I feel the collection is a reflection on these experiences." Just as Robshaw draws in these journeys, kids absorb the world around them; via his collaboration with Crate & Kids, he aims to ensure it's a bright and fanciful one. 

In an exclusive House Digest interview, Robshaw remarked that we're becoming more aware of our surroundings at home. "People value comfortability and function and are really paying attention to how their spaces make them feel," he said. What's more, there is a growing realization that what is most joyful and restorative are spaces authentic to the families residing within them. Robshaw explained, "People have become more comfortable with self-expression. They want to show off their own unique style through their homes, no matter how colorful and bold it might be."

The layering of patterns, colors, and textures is one avenue to an engaging and personal home, and John Robshaw's textiles fashion the template for an individual mix. So too is there a certain degree of disregard for convention. Robshaw lives in an antique farmhouse in rural New England, yet it's unexpectedly ornamented in decorations and furniture from far-flung places. The alchemy creates a depth and comforting disorientation hard to put a finger on if you were moved to try.

We asked Robshaw how we could accomplish something similar in our own spaces. "Don't worry so much about what's 'trending'; start bringing in unique pieces that feel true to your style," he explained. He suggested an easy beginning point for anyone looking to try out a new, convention-flaunting style.

"The living room is a great place to 'break the rules,'" he said. "I like bringing in pieces that traditionally are made for other rooms. A buffet table, for example, is technically a dining room piece but can be used in so many other spaces throughout the home."

Find the John Robshaw for Crate & Kids Collection at Crate & Barrel.