Mercedes Armstrong loves the rhythm of pattern—and her designs are never boring.
Mercedes Armstrong had a past life, it was either in the Art Nouveau 1910s or the rainbow pop 1960s; she sees the same flowy, imaginative forms in both. “It’s fantasy, a little bit,” she explains, “not so serious.” Her studio’s dotted with marbled paper, floral typography, soft watercolor studies of dragonfruit, a fabric print of happy watercolor-clear lemons, a Greetabl box done in her Lash print, black, peach, and royal blue on white. Her favorite colors are now salmon and vermilion, richer and subtler than the Midcentury rainbow. But her sense of play is even stronger.
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS?
I’ll search keywords online, look at Anthropologie’s beauty product packaging, page through books of old textile designs. [She flips through one to show me a toile of feathers.] Sometimes, I’ll think, “Man, how did they ever do that back then? Entirely by hand?”
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Cut from the Same Cloth
“Turkey Tracks” is a 19th-century quiltmaking pattern that has the appearance of little wandering feet. Patterns like the tracks, and their traditions and myths, have been passed down through the generations, from their frontier beginnings to today, where a generation of makers has embraced the material as a means of creating something new. Olivia Jondle is one such designer. Here, she’s taken an early turkey track-pattern quilt, cut it into various shapes, and stitched the pieces together, adding calico and other fabric remnants as needed. The result is a trench coat she calls the Pale Calico Coat. Her designs are for sale at The Rusty Bolt, Jondle’s small-batch fashion company based in St. Louis. —SAMANTHA STEVENSON
Color Block
A background in sculpture trained artist Aly Ytterberg to see objects more fully.
A Modern Story
How a little log cabin went from being a home to a guest house
IN GOOD TIME
With the help of interior designer Robert Idol, a Kirkwood couple creates a home that pays homage to the past, yet feels just right for their modern young family.
Let's Dish
"Food Raconteur” Ashok Nageshwaran wants to tell you a story.
The Right Move
New shops and showrooms bring exciting opportunities for local designers, makers, and arts organizations to sell their wares to home enthusiasts here and everywhere.
Green Dreams
Painter and gardener Lauren Knight branches out.
Cultivating Kokedama
Chris Mower of White Stable Farms discovered the Japanese style of gardening in Italy. Now, he’s bringing it to St. Louis.
Graphic Mood
Letters, icons, and illustrations that speak in a hand-drawn language
AUDRA's New Digs
Audra Noyes, of the Saint Louis Fashion Fund Incubator’s first class, opens an atelier in Ladue.
