Argomenti trattati
The story of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’s New York apartment is as much about taste as it is about purpose. In a 1971 feature, House Beautiful highlighted how Mrs. Kennedy selected vivid, patterned textiles created by a Brooklyn initiative called Design Works. These fabrics were not only decorative choices but also part of a larger effort to support a local economy and amplify neighborhood creativity. The textiles—manufactured in collaboration with established makers like Tillett and distributed through partners—linked a fashionable Manhattan interior to a community-centered arts program in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
At the heart of this narrative is the intersection of culture and civic action. Design Works operated as an organization that employed local artists and technicians to design and print fabrics, supplying both heavy-duty and delicate textiles. The project grew out of broader revitalization work in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where leaders sought sustainable ways to channel investment and pride into the neighborhood. The resulting patterns—large-scale foliage, abstract geometrics and lively colorways—became visual statements inside the Onassis home, bringing Brooklyn-made textiles into the spotlight.
Design Works: art, production and community uplift
Founded to harness local talent, Design Works was part of a strategy to marry aesthetic ambition with economic opportunity. The nonprofit model—explicitly an art-centered employment initiative—meant designers, printers and color specialists worked on site to develop market-ready cloth. Production included a range of substrates from sturdy cotton duck to sheer synthetics and vinyl-coated materials. With in-house dyeing and print facilities and a resident colorist shaping palettes, the operation moved from concept sketches to bolts of finished material sold across the country, creating income streams for the neighborhood’s creative community.
How the fabrics were made and distributed
The process blended handmade ideas with industrial techniques. Designers translated motifs—like overscaled leaves and stylized fish-scale repeats—into screens and rollers for print runs. A resident colorist mixed pigments to hit precise shades, while production staff stretched and printed yards of cloth on site. Finished bolts were then marketed and, in some cases, produced in partnership with established outlets such as Tillett and distributors like Connaissance Fabrics. This arrangement connected local artisans to national markets and to a clientele that included prominent tastemakers.
How Jackie used the prints in her apartment
Mrs. Kennedy introduced two favorite motifs from the project into the apartment’s rooms, proving how contemporary textiles can enliven traditional interiors. In the library, a robust cotton duck covered seating in a pattern referred to as “Large Feather,” where bold black and rust tones sat against antique needlepoint rugs and carved furniture. The effect was intimate and modern at once: contemporary graphic energy sitting comfortably alongside heirlooms and personal objects, including family-made crafts and books used by her children.
Dining room drama with geometric pattern
The dining room embraced a different mood. Warm walls, brown velvet seating and polished marble hearths created a classic backdrop that the Design Works’ geometric print—known as “Fish Head Plaid”—animated. Bright coral, brown and white repeats contrasted with Chinese ceramics, Georgian mother-of-pearl accents and sculptural antiques. The juxtaposition underscored a design lesson: a well-chosen contemporary textile can act as a bridge between collection pieces and modern sensibilities, enhancing both.
Legacy: design, empowerment and the archive
Though Design Works later ceased operations, the project’s influence endured as an example of art-driven regeneration. By turning neighborhood talent into salable design, the initiative provided careers and visibility for local creators while offering sophisticated, unusual textiles to a national audience. House Beautiful’s 1971 reporting captured that moment when a fashionable New York apartment became a gallery for Brooklyn-made fabrics—evidence that thoughtful design choices can reflect broader social purpose. The story remains a relevant case study for anyone interested in how community-based creative economies and interior design can intersect to produce distinctive, meaningful rooms.
Continuing conversations
Today the tale of Jackie’s fabrics invites fresh reflection about sustainable design practices and the value of place-based craft. It also highlights how a celebrated public figure used patronage and personal taste to lift a neighborhood initiative into the cultural mainstream. For designers, historians and community advocates, the example of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Design Works underscores the potential for design to be both beautiful and socially engaged.