Fragment gordijn- of bespanningsstof met patroon "Bremrandje" 1900 - 1925

Theo Nieuwenhuis made this fragment of curtain or upholstery fabric with the "Bremrandje" pattern. It's now here in the Rijksmuseum, and it’s a reminder that art sneaks into everything, even your drapes. The pattern, printed in earthy browns and greens, has this kind of quiet rhythm, a meditative repetition. The colours make you feel like you are looking at something old, something antique, like a memory of a textile rather than the thing itself. Look closely at the repeating shapes; they're like stylized flowers or maybe even little crowns. There’s a subtle texture, a slight blurring of the lines that suggests the hand, the human element in the industrial process of textile printing. That blurring makes me think of someone like William Morris and his commitment to craft. But where Morris is all about abundance, this is more restrained. It reminds us that design, like art, is a conversation across time, a constant remixing of ideas. It leaves you wondering about the homes this fabric once adorned, the lives it witnessed.