Stuff We Love: Marimekko
We’ll be the first to admit it: we’re suckers for all things bright and sunny and fun. Color puts us in a good mood and bouncy patterns give us energy. Fortunately, Marimekko specializes in all those things. It’s like they’re made for us!
We think the clothes are a blast, of course – how great is this hat:
As fantastic as the clothes are, it’s the interior design products that we really love. They’re amazing all over the house – from kids’ rooms to dining rooms. Take the fabric-covered beanbags above. Cool and comfortable in a kid’s playroom or a funky grownup loft. Something for everyone.
Its products look consistently fresh and new, but Marimekko has been around for nearly sixty years. In 1949, the Finnish couple Viljo and Armi Ratia bought a fabric company called Printex. Armi sought out young artists to design fabrics and the result was bold, dramatic, and fun – all the things we associate with today’s Marimekko.
In 1951, Printex spun off a new company, Marimekko Oy, to produce a small line of clothing to show off the wild fabrics. The company went international in 1956 and in 1960, during the presidential campaign, style icon and future first lady Jackie Kennedy bought several Marimekko dresses, making the brand a household name all over the world. The company expanded and evolved over the following decades, but still today remains true to their commitment to young, vibrant designers and super friendly, exciting products.
Marimekko products fit neatly with one of this year’s big design trends: the fun, “refreshing” interior. “Fun” is all about bright colors and bold patterns. But bright colors and bold patterns require a little care.
Some rooms – and the people who live in those rooms – are designed to be absolutely dominated by color and activity. Busy rugs, saturated walls, wild upholstery. Airy rooms with big windows (and owners with big personalities) are perfect for this look. So is Marimekko. Check out this room from the AlwaysMod Marimekko blog:
Talk about energy, color, and personality – we’d love to hang out with the owners of that room! The intense color and larger-than-life pattern are a force to be reckoned with, but their pairing with simple furniture and a pure white, fluffy rug calms them down a bit, creating a room that’s fun, but bala
nced.
Plus, over-the-top color and mod patterns aren’t the only way to incorporate Marimekko into a living space. The company produces smaller products, like the coffee mugs at the left, that pack a smaller punch, but a punch nonetheless. Morning coffee should be fun, too, right?
In our own houses, we’ve incorporated Marimekko everywhere from the bathroom (we love fun towels!) to fabric-covered bulletin boards in our kitchens. The fabric is perfect in a lot of ways, actually. We love easy-to-recover chairs (think easily removable chair covers + 30 minutes with a staple gun) and consider Marimekko the ideal fun fabric to liven up our home to welcome a new season. For an even simpler project, a few yards of fabric are easily transformed into a vibrant tablecloth and napkins – perfect for a picnic, right?
With chilly, gray days outside so many windows this week, anything bright and sunny is definitely a welcome sight. Lucky us to have Marimekko to help us dream of summer!
[Photo credits: Product shots from Marimekko. Orange and red room from AlwaysMod Marimekko blog.]
What’s your favorite use of Marimekko style?
When she’s not mopping up juice spills, Kit throws way-too-big parties, cooks complicated dinner, and decorates (and redecorates) her house. Plus, she writes about all of it – both the fabulous and the disastrous – for Examiner.com, Baltimore Magazine, Houzz.com and on her personal blog, Mango & Ginger.
