Talk Shop: Kathryn Faull // Maresca Textiles
Photo by Meagan Shuptar
ABOUT KATHRYN
Originally from South Carolina, Kathryn graduated from the textile department of the Rhode Island School of Design. As a student at RISD, Kathryn fell in love with the act of making. Whether through silkscreen printing, knitting, embroidery, or painting - making things by hand became such an integral part of her design process and it continues to be the backbone of her work today. After RISD she spent several years working in New York before moving back to the South to set up her textile design studio in Savannah, GA.
Having grown up around interior design and architecture, it was clear when she opened her studio, Maresca Textiles, that she would focus on the development of fabrics for the interior design trade. In Savannah, her signature handmade modern style was born, using the architecture, landscape, colors, and history of the South as inspiration for many of her premier designs. In the spring of 2018, Kathryn and the studio moved to her husband’s hometown of Chicago, which now serves as her newest source for creativity and design inspiration.
Photo by Andrew Stewart
Describe your style in three words or less:
Classic, relaxed, transitional
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
My family. My parents are architects in Charleston, SC, and have always lived in a beautiful historic home filled with antiques and fine textiles. Growing up in an environment like that, how could you not fall in love with interiors and fabrics? Now that I have a family of my own and we live in a house filled with my own creations, I think a lot about how my designs will be a part of my daughter’s childhood memories.
Architecture. No matter where I go, the buildings around me are always a source of inspiration for both my own home and the fabrics I design for my clients’ spaces.
The South. I’m originally from South Carolina, and the colors, textures, and history of the South were a huge influence on my earliest collections and still inspire me today.
Photo by Meagan Shuptar
How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:
I went to RISD for textile design, and having grown up around creative entrepreneurs I knew that at some point I’d want to set up my own studio. Living in NYC and working as a print and embroidery designer in the fashion industry during the recession, the time couldn’t come soon enough! In 2011 I moved back to the south to set up my first studio in Savannah, GA. Combining my technical knowledge from RISD with my inherent love of and exposure to interior design during my childhood, I knew the world of interior textiles was the niche in which I wanted to start a business. I designed my first printed collections in Savannah and sourced my screen printing mill in 2012 - which I still work with today. I started approaching showrooms to represent my line once I had it sampled, and the rest is history! I now have over 200 SKUs in the line, including printed linen, wallpaper, and outdoor fabric, and work with 10 showrooms across the globe.
What does your home say about you:
My house is filled with my fabric and wallpaper and I like to think of it as my little design incubator. I would describe my work as classic and timeless, so when I see designs in my home that have been there for three, five, or even ten years and still feel as good about the design and quality as I did when I first launched them, that tells me I’m doing something right.
Where do you find inspiration:
Inspiration for each collection comes from a variety of sources, from antique textiles to architecture, to family memories. I keep a collection of clippings from magazines and screenshots from my phone on hand and like to draw from those collected visual resources when coming up with concepts for collections.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
A great spread of snacks and lively music!
Photo by Meagan Shuptar
Do you collect anything:
Table linens. I love going to estate sales and picking up embroidered tablecloths and napkins. You can never have too many!
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
I’m a big fan of balance in design. I like a feeling of visual comfort when surrounding myself with furniture, colors, patterns, or textures and tend to require the same visual equilibrium in my own fabric designs. Once the design feels balanced, you can start playing with color or texture to create something unique.
What are you working on right now:
A completely new collection of printed fabric and wallpaper is in the works for spring 2025, stay tuned!
Wardrobe staples:
I’m all about comfort when I’m in the studio. You can find me in jeans, a tee shirt, and my No. 6 clogs, always!
Photo by Meagan Shuptar
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
Louise Floral. It’s inspired by my great-grandmother Louise, whom my daughter is named after, and every day I look at it and think about the strong women in my life.
Best interior advice you ever received:
Take your time with decorating. Don’t buy something to fill the space, be patient, and wait until the right piece comes along!
Best career advice you ever received:
There is no such thing as perfection. If you’ve been working on a project for hours and make a mistake, don’t start over. Figure out how to work around the mistake. You might come up with something even more interesting!
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Investment: Upholstered furniture pieces, hardware, and lighting.
Save on: Painting. If I can paint it myself, I will!
Photo by Meagan Shuptar
Your greatest extravagance:
We just had our bathroom gut renovated. It cost about double what we’d initially anticipated but was 100% worth it. There’s nothing better than a fresh, clean bathroom!
Favorite places to shop for home:
I’m a vintage and thrift junkie. In Chicago, I love the Jackson Square Antique Mall and Broadway Antique Market.
Most prized possession and why:
My Mah Jongg set. I grew up playing with my grandparents, and my grandmother left me her set when she passed. It is one of the old bakelite sets that you just can’t find anymore. I taught a group of girlfriends how to play when we moved to Chicago and now we get together one night a month to play!
Photo by Andrew Stewart
Your interiors motto:
If you don’t like looking at it, get rid of it!
Your life motto:
If you don’t like doing it, don’t do it!
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Keep clippings. Using reference images of spaces you’re attracted to can make it easier for you to get a sense of your overall style.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Chicken divan - this is a casserole recipe my grandmother used to make, and has become my most requested meal by friends and family.
Drink: Dirty vodka martini
Film: Sense and Sensibility
Hotel: The Pelican Inn (Pawleys Island, SC)
City: Savannah, GA
Bedding: Boll + Branch
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Tea - classic English Breakfast with a splash of milk!
Playlist: I love the Discover Weekly playlists on Spotify! Here’s one we recently saved and have been playing in the studio.
Weekend Activity: Hot Yoga
Design Book: Tom Scheerer’s ‘Decorates’ and Ben Pentreath’s ‘English Decoration’