There seems to be no end to Catherine Martin’s creativity. The Australian star has won four Academy Awards and a Tony for her costume and production designs, created a menswear range for Brooks Brothers, supplied the vision for the Faena Hotel Miami Beach and turned her hand to homeware collections. Her latest creation is her third fabric range for Mokum Textiles, entitled 'Paradiso'.
'I spent a lot of time in Miami when I was working on the Faena Hotel project,' says Martin speaking from New York, where she’s working with husband Baz Luhrmann on a forthcoming Netflix series, The Get Down. 'The glamorous 1950s vibe of Miami, as well as huge amounts of research into the 1940s hotel scene there, really led me to a couple of motifs that were very popular in that time period,' she explains.
Those motifs are flamingoes and the sun. They’re joined by a third design, a coral pattern. All are available in a number of colours, and are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
This type of design work gives Martin the opportunity to express her own ideas. 'When you work on a story in movie-making or opera or musical theatre, your inspiration always needs to be the essential story – and helping the director and actors tell that story,' she explains. 'When I design fabrics there is discipline involved and you have to think about the material and the world in which you're working. Designing fabric allows an enormous amount of creative freedom so it’s lots of fun.'
And her perfect piece of furniture for the range? An Eames rocker in white, finished with Helios fabric in yellow. 'I can only imagine that for a Saturday afternoon on a sunny spot on your porch, reading a good book and drinking a glass of wine, there couldn't be anything better.'
The Australian star has also bagged a Tony for her costume and production designs, as well as creating a menswear range for Brooks Brothers
The colour and exuberance of Miami’s 1950s hotel scene inspired Martin’s new collection
Martin’s designs feature flamingoes and the sun. They’re joined by a third design, a coral pattern, and all are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use
Martin loves working on fabric and textile design projects, as they offer her the luxury of creative freedom not always afforded by designing for film or TV.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Mokum’s website
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt was a jam-packed week for the Wallpaper* staff, entailing furniture, tech and music launches and lots of good food – from afternoon tea to omakase
-
Peugeot brings back a classic performance badge for the electric era: meet the E-208 GTiPeugeot has unveiled the new E-208 GTi, a performance EV designed to hark back to a golden age of compact sports cars
-
This 18th-century Puglian villa has been restored with contemporary touchesThe updated stonemason's workshop is a haven of centuries-old brick and sophisticated made-in-Italy design
-
Kvadrat’s new ‘holy grail’ product by Peter Saville is inspired by spray-painted sheepThe new ‘Technicolour’ textile range celebrates Britain's craftsmanship, colourful sheep, and drizzly weather – and its designer would love it on a sofa
-
Liberty at 150: a history of the brand in 10 objectsLiberty is marking its 150th anniversary; to celebrate, we remember products and prints that helped make the department store the cultural touchpoint it is today
-
‘Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s’ explores the creative resilience of the decadeNoguchi and Nakashima are among those who found expression and innovation in the adversity of the 1940s; take a walk through the Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition
-
Ludmilla Balkis’ organic, earthy ceramics embody the Basque countrysideThe sculptor-ceramicist presents a series inspired by and created from found natural objects in a New York exhibition
-
This Beirut design collective threads untold stories into upholstered antique furnitureBeirut-based Bokja opens a Notting Hill pop-up that's a temple to textiles, from upholstered furniture to embroidered cushions crafted by artisans (until 25 March 2025)
-
15 highlights from Heimtextil: spot the textile trends for 2025We were at textile trade fair Heimtextil 2025 in Frankfurt last week – here are the trendsetters and names to know among innovative launches, from health-boosting lava fabric to sheets made of milk
-
Sweeping arches and tropical greenery, Fendi's Miami flagship store nods to its Roman rootsFendi’s flagship boutique reopens in Miami's Design District after an extensive renovation and major expansion; take a peek
-
From migrating elephants to a divisive Jaguar, was this the best Design Miami yet?Here's our Design Miami 2024 review – discover the best of everything that happened at the fair as it took over the city this December
