Comfort of Colour

From Vision to Weave: Colour as a Catalyst and Integral Part of a Design Process

Choosing a practical approach I decided to explore colour in the context of woven fabrics. Because of its construction that automatically allows optically mixing two or more colours, a woven fabric is an excellent medium for experimenting with colour and creating a vast number of hues within the same textile.

This project is an exploration of colour as the inspiration and pervading theme of a design process. Through research into colour theory and human colour perception I wanted to develop my own design practice and create tools for working with colour in a mindful way. Rather than randomly selecting colours that “I like” or leaving the decision to the last stages of the design process, I decided to consider colour every step of the way. It was an attempt to challenge my sense of colour and improve my design skills through practice-based research.

Choosing a practical approach I decided to explore colour in the context of woven fabrics. Because of its construction that automatically allows optically mixing two or more colors, a woven fabric is an excellent medium for experimenting with colour and creating a vast number of hues within the same textile.

Informed by the theoretical research and inspired by a stay at an Artist Residency in Italy in February 2020, I decided to design a series of woven wool blankets as the artistic component of the thesis. During the month I spent in Tuscany, I documented the different shades in my surroundings through photography and in the form of a colour diary. By hand-painting the colours on-site I was able to capture the correct shades and train my eyes to recognise the different nuances. Walking around the city, I recorded the colours of surfaces, objects and buildings as well as the beautiful nature surrounding the city. Through anchoring the colour palette in a specific place, the chosen colours were given meaning. This completed my initial aim of practicing mindful use of colour. 

The large collection of colour swatches were then curated into a limited palette, and finally translated into the collection of blankets. The finished collection consists of three different blanket designs, realised in three colourways and woven using high quality merino wool and mohair on a white cotton warp.

 

Ida Korsström is an Aalto University graduate whose work centers around surface and textile design. She enjoys exploring the technical limitations of woven fabrics and most recently she has immersed herself in the interaction of colours in woven fabrics. The inspiration for her work comes from a myriad of sources such as art, traditional craft, nature and fashion. In her work Ida leaves room for intuition and spontaneity, and she believes that aesthetically long-lasting design should be fun and expressive.

Read the full thesis here.