Featured Studio Interview: The Make House
For the past year, we’ve been eyeing many design studios, artists, and designers where screen printing is the forte, and giant wallpapers are hand painted or printed. With such a heavy focus on digital into this year, The Patternbase is excited to feature up and coming artists and studios where hand printed wallpaper and textiles is a focus.
The Make House is a design studio based out of Portland, Oregon. They produce wallpaper, prints, and some apparel. The studio was started by artist, Nathan Reimer, after a series of lucky experiences in New York City, and runs with a company in San Francisco called Tinc, which does not exist anymore.
The wallpapers show a vision that is heavily influenced by the vision of the artist, and the colors are unique and fresh.
PB: Give us a brief background on what led you to start The Make House.
Nathan/The Make House I didn’t realize I could make anything called art until I was 20. I got turned on to screen printing and photography by the right people at the right time in New York City. I fell in love with pattern and dissonance in equal parts learning to screen print. Working with ink, fabric and sound my focus returns to rhythm, repetition and the bits that break it up. I’m fascinated by the way that shapes and colors work with and against each other to create and define experience. It’s a dream and a gift for myself to participate and make choices about what the colors, shapes and sounds get to be.
PB: What are some inspirations behind your latest collection?
Nathan/The Make House Inspiration is sudden for me. I’m inspired by existing prints and patterns but also by experience. The Cowboys and Indians print that we have available in Metallic and Magnolia popped into my head in the middle of a Black Angels show. I was eyes shut, rocking back and forth and the whole thing just shows up in my head and I had to leave the venue at midnight to get into my studio and start working it out. I think a big part of being an artist is just following the voices and trusting in vision.
PB: Do you focus on your own color inspiration or trends?
Nathan/The Make House Color is a huge part of what I do. I love color. I never consciously track what anyone else is doing or where trends are supposed to be going. Design is more about personal expression than fitting in for me.
PB: What is new right now?
Nathan/The Make House Our line of papers is just going into production now. We have papers available in showrooms across the states and as far away as Japan. We’ve done some installations in Portland as part of developing the product but the actual papers that are for sale on our site are brand new and just beginning to spread out into the world and find their way onto walls.
