Boro Inspired.... Curtain Wall

Boro in Japanese means Tattered Rags and it is the inspiration for the single largest curtain wall we have ever attempted to make. Measuring over 470 square feet, and over 30 linear feet in length this behemoth has presented us with some interesting challenges. 

Most people would cringe at the idea of their curtain being inspired by rags, especially in this world of contrived "luxochic"constantly paraded by our magazines, designer's and style gurus, there is little room for the deconstructed, the broken or the aging. We all love to watch how nature takes it's course yet we all strive to live within environments which are entirely removed from that nature. In fact there is almost nothing natural about the way we live or how we design the interiors of our homes, we are sadly driven by trends to accumulate a never ending stream of replaceable accessories to our life. Rarely are the inherent natures of use or age accounted for when creating a living space. The natural aging of natural textiles for example is rarely accounted for when we initiate the design process. And because we do not account for this we do not exploit or even anticipate the beauty to come, instead falsely seeing it as imperfection when it arrives bearing it's simple gift of a naturally altered state. Somewhat reflective of our own pursuit for that static idea of our own youth we hold our surroundings locked in a time warp, never to fully experience that beauty which is unfolding slowly everyday. Our curtain here is very much a study in this particular direction. I anticipate that  we will see great things from this curtain as it ages. The fabric is a coarse linen sacking, that we washed twice in hot water, creating an almost leathery patina. The linen creased tremendously during the washing and that wrinkling was locked into the very memory of the fibre, causing an irregularity and yet a rhythm that is present throughout the material. The wrinkles cannot be ironed out yet their frequency creates a pattern of it's own, throughout the entire curtain and because it has been washed there is a softness and fullness to the wrinkling. Over time I imagine a greater softening will occur. Throughout the curtain there is a subtle beauty that cannot come from a flat piece of cloth, the dimension the washing added is all the pattern this curtain needed.
Due to the large scale of this drapery we had to use a fabric that would complement that size. We also had to honour the natural elements both inside and outside of the home. This curtain is a segue way between the polished natural elements of the architectural interior and the manicure of the Japanese gardens outside, creating an element of soft architecture between the two worlds while at the same time functioning as a humble window covering. 

Stacked and folded on the table, the linen was over a foot thick!

Notice please the hand stitches,  with a coarse cotton thread. These are taken through the fabric to the front side in a random length and depth to give the irregular cadence so obvious in the first picture at top.

We are currently completing the top of the curtain and then will hang it for four weeks before we line it and hem it. You will be party to the entire process... like it or not...

At the end we shall see if this experiment in natural curtain making was a success.

:)