Textile designer speaks Language of the Cloth
Real Estate // Home Design, Home Improvement & Garden
Dec. 12, 2007 Updated: Feb. 11, 2012 1:41 p.m.
1of2Bedcover, Danand silk, hand-quilted from Vietnam Ran on: 12-12-2007 Cambodian silk ikat, used for skirts Ran on: 12-12-2007 Ran on: 12-12-2007 Cambodian silk ikat, used for skirts Ran on: 12-12-2007lrtShow MoreShow Less
2of2Black silk taffetta pillow cover from Vietnam with Purple ornament from Laos Ran on: 12-02-2007 Ran on: 12-12-2007 Cambodian silk ikat, used for skirts Ran on: 12-12-2007 Ran on: 12-12-2007 Cambodian silk ikat, used for skirts Ran on: 12-12-2007lrtShow MoreShow Less
Decorative painter Daniel Gundlach spent much of his time while traveling in Latin America and Southeast Asia hunting for textiles: "I would go off the beaten track to find a textile-making village."
As he became known among San Francisco designers for his good eye, he decided to give up the neck-wrenching work of painting ceilings and started Language of Cloth, specializing in imported textiles.
When he set up a workshop in Java with expert batik makers, "I hit upon my groove," and he now produces his own designs. This year, Gundlach's annual studio sale will highlight his batik offerings. "Batik: Soul of Java" runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Christmas Eve.
But the sale will include his full repertoire: silk taffeta from Vietnam, woven embroidery work from Laos, ikats from Indonesia and vintage textiles.
"I always have some things that are not expensive for gifts. I have things that are museum quality and the full range of in-between things," he said. "I handpick everything."
He promises pillows ($15 to $50), bedcovers and shams ($150 to $240 a set) from Vietnam, batiked silk wall hangings from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos ($35 to $150), and cotton ikat blankets from Indonesia ($65 to $185).
The batik work will be on long cloths, about 3 by 8 feet, meant to be worn across the hips. There will be designs from 10 Indonesian regions, from $35 to $250, with those in silk running up to $400.
"Batik: Soul of Java"
The sale runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 650-A Guerrero St. (at 18th Street), San Francisco. For more information, see languageofcloth.com.