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Megan Younge is the Director of Design at Maharam, where she has worked for 18 years. She manages the design studio and leads a team of senior designers who specialize in various product categories. Sarah Baker has been with Maharam for 23 years and is the Director of Design, Alliance and Strategic Partnerships. She collaborates closely with notable designers like Paul Smith and focuses on initiatives that reduce environmental impact. Additionally, Sarah oversees partnerships with furniture manufacturing partners, including Muuto.

Sarah evaluating a linear array of color swatches in various hues, focused on her thoughtful expression. — Sarah Baker

Why is the textile an important element in design/furniture and when designing a room?

Sarah: It’s all about design intention, since the furniture and textiles both have their own personalities. The textile (through its color and texture) can enhance the design characteristics of a piece of furniture, or it can create an interesting contrast. When the designer plays with the emotion of a room through the furniture and textile selections, Maharam can offer support with a variety of textile options.

Megan: In general, I think textiles are overlooked as an aspect of design. We are surrounded by textiles, but there isn’t a true awareness of them. For me, textiles add another layer and depth, which can create an inviting space or add vibrancy to a piece of furniture.

Overhead view of a design studio table with scattered textile samples and creative tools, centered around a colorful arrangement.

Close-up of overlapping blue and red textiles, emphasizing their distinct textures and vibrant colors.

What's the story behind your long-term collaboration with Paul Smith?

Sarah: We’ve collaborated with Paul Smith on textile design for over twenty years. Our work together always feels fresh and is grounded in curiosity. The variety of designs consistently uses idiosyncratic applications of color and scale to reinterpret classic apparel and English motifs such as stripes and plaids. Ribbed Weave by Paul Smith is an indoor/outdoor textile recently added to our offering, which demonstrates his sophisticated approach to color, balanced with a textured surface. The tailored menswear weave uses textured yarn to create a natural, handspun look. The palette mimics intense punctuations of color found in nature, such as the orange of marigolds and the bright red of poppy, and is balanced by neutrals, such as the grays found in stone.

How do you see Ribbed Weave by Paul Smith enhancing the design and functionality of our new Settle series and driving the movement for long-lasting outdoor design?

Sarah: I think the rectilinear shapes of the furniture pair well with the textured look of the textile. Its tailored look and soft hand create balance, and the textile’s tonal palette imbues a warmth to the outdoor furniture. Ribbed Weave is made using post-consumer recycled content, is bleach cleanable, and eschews a topical finish—all contributors to a longer lifespan.

We recently introduced Hearth, a bouclé textile, which has generated a lot of interest. What future shifts do you anticipate for this material in creating homely, tactile spaces?

Megan: For a long time the textiles in our offering were flat, and we were interested in moving away from cooler, flatter, graphic looks. During this process, we realized the studio has been drawn to a warmer, more residential aesthetic through our interest in dimensional, sumptuous textures. Hearth is an example of how we explored this with the aim of striking the right balance of substance, opulence, and restraint.

How is Manner contributing to the inclusion of sustainable elements?

Sarah: Manner reflects the studio’s approach to designing textiles with a reduced environmental impact. Part of Maharam’s M Series of multipurpose textiles, Manner represents the design studio’s strengths of combining elevated aesthetics and performance at a practical price point and enlists recycled polyester yarns certified by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS).

How important are texture and color in textile design, and how do you choose the right combinations for different designs?

Sarah: We prioritize a breadth of textures and colors to create options for designers. We typically design color palettes based on the look and feel of each textile. For example, Hearth’s textured boucle yarn lends itself to creamy neutral colors. However, it’s also fun to have an unexpected and playful color to give the designer choices.

To accompany Beck’s pressed menswear look, there are many neutrals, but we also included some bright blues, yellows, and reds that play with the contrast of what someone might expect. This approach gives the designer a larger range of options to create their vision.

What’s the core philosophy behind Maharam’s design choices and how does that correspond to Muuto’s?

Megan: We have a rigorous approach to investigate all aspects that go into designing a textile and are always looking for ways to continue to improve upon what we’ve already created. We are committed to innovation by bringing forward new ideas and approaches to textile design while also addressing needs, both for our industry and the environment. Our understanding of basic textile needs enables us to elevate our product offering.

Sarah: I think Muuto and Maharam have shared values. For example, we have similar approaches to design and have a good marriage of material and color. From my perspective, both Muuto and Maharam have specific ways with color that empower the material (or the main design element) to inform the color direction. Both brands are recognized for timeless designs that enlist innovative, forward-looking materials. We recognize that Muuto thinks about how objects and furniture impact a space, while here at Maharam we’re thinking about how textiles impact a space.

Images courtesy of Maharam and Nick Ballón.

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