For as long as I knew Paul Rand, I was only aware of one fabric that he designed. The abacus Rayogram from 1946 was used as the cover of his book Thoughts on Design, but apparently he did others for Anton Maix Fabrics, including Alphabet and Dot Fantasy, also used on the jacket of a catalog of his work published in Japan.
Dot Fantasy was recently revived by Chelsea Textiles in London. Says Mona Perhagen, “I actually bought a piece of the original fabric from Titi Halle of Cora Ginsburg New York. She is one of the great authorities of antique and vintage textiles. This fabric was the inspiration for our fabric.”
It is a superb example of Rand’s witty fascination with natural and abstracted shapes, subtle color, and mastery of negative space produced for the home.
The retail price of the Dot Fantasy fabric is $162 per yard, and is available from Chelsea Textiles.
