Zak + Fox's nostalgic new textile collection will take you to another time and place

zak fox qualia fabric collection — (Image credit: Stephen Kent Johnson)

Here's a new word to slip into casual conversation: qualia.

Qualia, derived from the Latin adjective quālis, are, in essence, the unique sensations that make up an experience — the feeling of a favourite sweater or the smell of your grandmother's perfume.

Even if you didn't get a degree in philosophy, it's easy to grasp how the evocative term became a source of inspiration for Zak + Fox, the New York-based textile company. In fact, Zak + Fox has devoted a collection of 14 new designs entirely to the concept.

'[The Qualia collection] is a story of how we viscerally understand things — where meaning is not fixed, but truly found in the eye of the beholder,' said company creative director and founder Zak Profera.

For the collection, Profera and his team looked to references as varied as midcentury modernism, the cosmos and desert hotels, revealing a collection that is as beautiful as it is enigmatic. Each design has a mysterious (and vaguely sci-fi-inspired) name — Umbra, a check with a subtle sheen; Syzygy, a print that evokes celestial energy; or Eclissi, a lively floral woven print. 'Some see beauty while others feel awe; some ruminate on the past while others awaken to the strangeness of being alive,' a project description hints.

To capture the mystic sensations — indeed qualia— that the fabrics induce, Zak + Fox tapped celebrated design photographer Stephen Kent Johnson to photograph the fabrics in and around what appears to be a forgotten midcentury hotel.

Vintage furnishings throughout are upholstered in Qualia fabrics. Gardenia, a whimsical, vintage-inspired floral, wraps a vintage tufted sofa that's been sealed away in a plastic cover. Laglinu, described by Zak + Fox as 'impish' swaddles a rattan loveseat. Copia, a sage-green print, that combines berry and mushroom forms, meanwhile, is shot floating from a clothesline. The cinematic images are simultaneously dreamy and eerie — as if the rooms' occupants have only just left.

Fortunately, Zak + Fox is inviting design lovers back into the room with a new, year-and-a-half-long residency with North Carolina furniture dealer, PRB Collection. Beginning 10 February, visitors can pop by Zak + Fox's Manhattan showroom to view a selection of vintage furniture, all upholstered in Qualia, alongside more than 150 objects curated by Profera.

While qualia, by definition, are intangible, subjective phenomena, Zak + Fox has sent a clear message: it's time to get back in touch with your feelings.

Zak + Fox is located at 235 Park Avenue South, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10003

See the rest of Zak + Fox's Qualia collection

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Anna Fixsen is a Brooklyn-based editor and journalist with 13 years of experience reporting on architecture, design, and the way we live. Before joining the Wallpaper* team as the US Editor, she was the Deputy Digital Editor of ELLE DECOR, where she oversaw all aspects of the magazine’s digital footprint.